FEB. 21, 2015
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Kyle Busch will miss Nascar’s showcase Daytona 500 on Sunday after breaking his right leg and left foot Saturday in a crash at Daytona International Speedway, an accident that quickly led track officials to vow to install safety barriers.
The crash, which occurred during an Xfinity Series season-opening race, was an echo of an incident last year in which Kevin Harvick criticized the speedway after crashing on the final lap of the 500 and hitting an unprotected interior wall.
“The tracks, for the most part, don’t listen to really anything unless it’s profitable for their shareholders,” Harvick said at the time, pointing to a $400 million improvement project at the speedway that did not include installation of energy-absorbing Safer barriers — called soft walls — along all of the inside walls to protect drivers.