DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) a' Raymond Gober parked his motorcycle outside Daytona International Speedway, climbed down and fleetingly considered getting his helmet to the course. "I was planning to put it on in, but I knew everybody would be laughing at me," said Gober, a from outside Atlanta. Not. Safety was on everyone's mind before and through the Daytona 500 on Sunday, a day after a terrible damage in a second-tier NASCAR line battle hurled chunks of debris, including much tire, into the stands and wounded nearly 30 people. With small spots of blood still soaked to the concrete sitting region, the accident raised questions about the safety of fans at race tracks. Should walls be stronger and larger? Must grandstands be further from the track? NASCAR has long been a huge pull because of its busy finishes, tight-knit racing, fascinating rates and the ability to obtain so near to the action. That proximity is sold with some danger. And after Saturday's 12-car melee on the last panel of the Nationwide Series opener, some wondered whether that danger outweighed the prize. "These are the very best seats inside your home, nevertheless they are also dangerous," Gober said. Gober was among thousands of fans who returned to Daytona significantly less than 24-hours after Kyle Larson's car flew into the wall, crumbled into bits and sprayed elements at spectators. Early in the 500-mile "Great American Race," a nine-car damage took out a few top competitors. Three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart and 2007 competition winner Kevin Harvick were knocked out. The wreck started when Kasey Kahne let off the gas to slow because they neared the initial turn at Daytona International Speedway a' not too far from Saturday's near-disaster. Kyle Busch tried to complete the exact same, but couldn't avoid contact. Busch sent Kahne spinning across the course. Juan Pablo Montoya, 2010 race winner Jamie McMurray and defending line success Brad Keselowski also were involved. Fortunately, the cars stayed on the course. Things could be dramatically different exactly the same Saturday had they done. "You do not have time for you to respond, but I just remember thinking, 'This really is gonna hurt,'" mentioned Steve Bradford, of Dade City. "We were showered with debris." Gober acquired a bolt that plans to go on it home and landed alongside his left foot as a souvenir from the accident that may have significantly worse. Bradford and he have now been coming to races at Daytona for decades, often seeking out scalped tickets so they can get ultra-close to the cars cruising by at 200 mph. Today, though? "Needless to state, we shall not be here next year," Bradford said a' meaning the seats, not the competition. He pointed at the top of level. "Next year, we'll be up there," he said. Not the same way was felt by everyone. John and Andrea Crawford, of Streetsboro, Ohio, love sitting a few rows up. They certainly were there Saturday and rear Sunday, the same as so many for the reason that seating area. The area had rubber scars on chairs struck by the tire. Several fans pointed out a bent backward, the location one man was sitting when he got pummeled by the 60-pound tire and wheel. "I am perhaps not nervous," Andrea Crawford said. "It doesn't happen that much." When Rick Barasso arrived at his seats, he discovered several editors and some tire marks. He asked the thing that was going on and then couldn't stop smiling as he waved his friends over and shared facts using them. "These ought to be great seats," he explained. "I mean, what are the chances?" Probably small, but there's little doubt the most recent fallout might induce NASCAR and track officials to take into account changes a at Daytona and elsewhere. Daytona has plans to transform the grandstands. Course President Joie Chitwood said Saturday's wreck may prompt tougher fences or stands further from the motion. "It is difficult to connect the 2 at this time in terms of a potential redevelopment and what occurred," Chitwood said. "We were organized yesterday, had crisis medical answer. As we study from this, you bet: If there are things that we could incorporate into the future, whether it is the home now or some other redevelopment, we may. "The key is sitting down with NASCAR, discovering the things that happened and how exactly we deal with them." Daytona reexamined its fencing and ended up replacing the complete point following Carl Edwards' frightening crash at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama in '09. Edwards' car sailed into the fence and spewed debris into the stands. Improvements have been made by "we since then," Chitwood said. "I think that's the key: that we study from this and determine what else we need to do." Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Johnny Rutherford said Sunday that things must certanly be done across automobile racing. It was just 16 months ago when his car crashed right into a barrier at Las Vegas that IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon was killed. "Maybe we are in need of a double fence, one behind the other, with why not a place in between to complete anything to avoid this," Rutherford said. "There will be a lot of things. I am certain NASCAR and the IndyCar collection will be looking at anything to create it safer. What happened yesterday was a dreadful thing. "The people, we realize that. That's area of the game. We've to throw the dice and proceed. However, you don't desire to involve the fans." Chitwood said any supporters who felt uncomfortable using their up-close sitting for the Daytona 500 could exchange their seats for spots elsewhere. "If supporters are disappointed with their sitting location or if they have any incidents, we'd shift them," Chitwood said. "So we'll address that area like we do every other area of the grandstand. We make every housing we can.", In case a fan is not comfortable where they're sitting Several supporters appeared ready to transfer. "Real NASCAR supporters ain't scared," explained Zeb Daniels, who was attending his sixth Daytona 500 together with his daughter. "If we see any such thing coming to the barrier, we'll hit a floor and pray." Why take a chance? "We come for the excitement, the excitement," Daniels said. The heat can be felt by "we, the tire rubber within our eyes."
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