NASCAR may issue an edict before tomorrow’s race at Michigan International Speedway that makes it mandatory for drivers to stay in their cars until safety personnel arrive. Tracks around the country have changed their rules after Kevin Ward Jr.’s death in a sprint car race.
Ward was sent into the wall when his car was bumped by Tony Stewart’s in a dirt-track race on Saturday night in Canandaigua. Ward got out of the car and walked onto the track, where he was hit by Stewart. Authorities are still investigating whether to file criminal charges against Stewart.
Brewerton Speedway and Fulton Speedway, New York dirt tracks under the same management, announced new rules that drivers would be required to stay in their cars during an accident.
“If a driver, for whatever reason, exits a car on the track during a caution period, the race will automatically be placed under a red flag and all cars will come to a complete stop,” a news release on the tracks’ website says. “A driver may exit a car if requested by a safety crew member or if safety warrants in cases such as a fire. Drivers that exit a car without permission, for whatever reason, are subject to fine and/or suspension at the discretion of track management.”