In preparation for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint Cup and XFINITY Series events, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) has added new safety features to the race track.
The modifications were made in response to racer Jeff Gordon's accident last Sunday at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, Fox Sports reported.
During the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 race, Gordon's car crashed on the part of the concrete wall that had no safety barriers. Gordon walked away from the wreck without major injuries but criticized the racing league for insufficient safety guidelines.
In response, NASCAR officials conducted inspections on the race tracks including the LVMS. Based on the league's request, officials of the LVMS had the barriers in one of the cut-outs extended. In addition, the barriers at the pit road's opening were also improved, according to NBC Sports.
"NASCAR has requested that we make several minor modifications adjacent to both the 1.5-mile oval and the openings on pit road," Chris Powell, the track president of the LVMS said in a press release.
"At the conclusion of this weekend's Kobalt 400 and Boyd 300, we will reconvene with NASCAR regarding any long-term alterations," he added.
Aside from the physical modifications on the track of the LVMS, NASCAR also rescheduled the opening practice sessions for teams that will participate in the Sprint Cup.
Originally, the sessions are scheduled to last one hour and 25 minutes. By shortening it by 10 minutes, the teams will have extra time to conduct inspections on their cars.
The move was made after 13 cars were not able to participate in last weekend's race at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Since some teams did not have enough for their cars' technical inspections, they were not allowed to participate for qualifying attempts.
NASCAR noted that the schedule change will benefit the racing teams.
"We have a good track record of making adjustments that are in the best interests of the teams and the garage area and the revisions in these upcoming weekend schedules are an example of that," Sprint Cup Series managing director Richard Buck told Fox Sports.
