NASCAR All vehicles in top three series will soon get fire-extinguishing cylinders in fuel cell areas

Fiery crashes prompted the new requirements for the top three series of cars.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- In the wake of fiery crashes over the last two months, NASCAR said Wednesday that all vehicles in its three top series will soon have a fire-extinguishing cylinder in the fuel cell area.
Winston Cup drivers Ken Schrader, Dale Jarrett, Ryan Newman and Bobby Labonte were forced to scramble from their burning cars.
The new requirement will go into effect for the Winston Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck series beginning Aug. 13. But NASCAR was recommending teams adopt the change immediately.
"We've been working diligently on fire prevention and fire containment at the NASCAR Research and Development Center over the last few months," said Gary Nelson, head of the R & amp;D operation. "After researching and testing various systems, we felt this was the most viable one for containment of potential fires coming from the fuel cell area."
Releases Halon
With this system, the extinguisher releases Halon, a proven fire suppressant, in the area of the blazer. Halon is a liquefied compressed gas that stops the spread of fire by chemically disrupting combustion.
It will be an automatic system but also will have an override from the driver-activated system already located in cockpit.
In addition to the fire extinguisher cylinder being added for the fuel cell area, NASCAR has enhanced its requirements and specifications for the current on-board driver system as well as the fuel cell vent area.
More improvement
"While researching this issue, we also identified other areas that could be improved by modifying the requirements or specifications for the teams," Nelson said. "We were able to make improvements to the driver and fuel cell/trunk compartments, and identify the best ways to install and apply the technology during this process."
In a related project, NASCAR will conduct a test of its alternate exit, more commonly known as the roof hatch, on Aug. 6. The Midwest Roadside Facility in Lincoln, Neb., will conduct a crash test that will simulate a rollover-type accident.
Nelson said a successful test could lead to a recommendation of the safety component by NASCAR to teams in the Cup and Busch series.