NASCAR looking at crossover gates after wreck - MotorSportsTalk

Crossover gates will be a main focus of NASCAR’s investigation into improving fencing systems at their race tracks.

In the Feb. 23 Nationwide Series crash at Daytona International Speedway, the car of rookie Kyle Larson went into the air and slammed into the catch fence, sending pieces of debris into the grandstands. Larson’s impact was near a section where a gate connects the seating and the 2.5-mile track, and allows fans to access both areas.

“I think because of where [Larson’s car] came through and having pieces that did get through and it being a gate area, that’s really going to be the focus for us to look at,” NASCAR senior vice president Steve O’Donnell said to the Associated Press and the media at Phoenix International Raceway.

“We’re certainly going to look at fencing in general, but I think that particular area, that it was a gate, did impact it. We know the gate was locked, but does that provide as much stability as the rest of the fencing we believed it did? We’ve now got to look at that impact.”

O’Donnell also told the media that Larson’s shattered machine will be reconstructed at its research and development center in Concord, N.C., and that the sanctioning body will bring in outside experts such as SAFER Barrier developer Dean Sicking to look over possible fencing improvements.

At least 28 spectators were injured in the Feb. 23 incident at DIS. According to O’Donnell, all but two of the injured have been released from hospitals.

In yesterday’s Nationwide race at PIR, Larson finished 13th in his first event after the crash.

An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”