Jeff Gordon hopes his accident last week at Richmond will help the track install SAFER barriers on areas that still are without them.
Gordon hit the inside wall on the backstretch during Saturday’s race, and that area wasn’t covered by a SAFER barrier.
“I knew it was a hard hit. I got in the medical center and my head hurt a little bit and, other than that, I was feeling pretty good,” Gordon said. “I was walking out of the medical center and I happened to see a TV and caught a glance at what happened, and I was shocked.
“I couldn’t believe there wasn’t a SAFER barrier there, then I realized why it hurt so much.”
It wasn’t the first time Gordon has hit an area not protected by a SAFER barrier. In 2008, he hit the wall on the back straightaway at Las Vegas. The track had a SAFER barrier installed for its next race.
The four-time champion hopes the same thing will happen at Richmond.
“I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing the SAFER barrier there. I seem to find those places on tracks. I think there are areas that are still out there, for some reason, that still need to be covered,” Gordon said. “Hopefully, through this incident, which I walked away from unscathed, we’ll be able to make improvements there at Richmond.
“It’s just an area that needs to be re-looked at and, from what I understand, they will definitely be doing that.”
ISC teams up with Drive to End Hunger
International Speedway Corporation, Darlington Raceway’s parent company, announced a partnership with Drive to End Hunger on Friday.
ISC will donate all unused food after races at its tracks to local food banks. Darlington’s unused food will go to the Harvest Food Bank in Florence.
Drive to End Hunger is in its first year as a sponsor in the sport and is a sponsor on Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 car for 22 races.
Junior’s Mother’s Day plans
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he will keep things simple for his mom, Brenda Jackson, on Mother’s Day.
The driver said he bought his mom some gifts last week at Richmond and just plans to go and hang out with her Sunday.
“We’re just going to hang out together out by the pool and drink a couple beers, I guess,” Earnhardt said. “Well, she drinks wine, basically, but she’ll drink a beer. She’s cool, man.”
Briefly
Kurt Busch wrecked his primary car in practice Friday after a tire blew out. He will drive a backup in today’s race but doesn’t have to go to the back of the field because it happened before qualifying. … Greg Biffle is the last driver to win back-to-back races at Darlington when he won two straight from 2005-06. … Tony Stewart and 2008 Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton are swapping race cars at Watkins Glen International. … The Mobil 1 Car Swap will take place June 14. Hamilton will take laps in Stewart’s No. 14 Chevrolet and Stewart will climb into the cockpit of team Vodafone’s McLaren Mercedes. … Jeff Gordon has seven straight top-five finishes at Darlington.
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