Talladega not planning any changes

Talladega Superspeedway track President Grant Lynch told USA TODAY Sports that he didn’t foresee changes to the fencing or fan seating before NASCAR returned Oct. 24-25.

The Sprint Cup race there will carry even more weight for some drivers than Sunday night’s Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, where Austin Dillon’s car sailed into the catchfence during a multicar crash triggered as the congested blob of cars going about 200 mph careened past the start/finish line during a green-white-checkered finish.

At Talladega, any driver in the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff will be racing to advance to the round of eight. Four more competitors will be excused from the postseason field and a chance at the championship after the Talladega race.

Lynch said he thought the first row of fan seating was about 22 feet from the catchfence. Some seating rows were removed, forcing fans back, after Kyle Larson’s Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series wreck at Daytona in 2013 injured more than two dozen fans. Spectators used to be about 16 to 18 feet from the fencing, Lynch said.

“We were looking at it after the Nationwide wreck at Daytona. That’s when we made some changes,” Lynch said.

Lynch said the track wouldn’t consider moving out more rows of seating before October. “I think we’re back to the distance recommended,” he said.

As for changes to the fencing, Lynch echoed the sentiments of NASCAR and Daytona track President Joie Chitwood III early Monday morning.

“The catchfence did the job it’s designed to do,” Lynch said of the fencing near Turn 1 at Daytona where Dillon’s car struck.

Fans at Talladega’s 2.66-mile trioval are not allowed on the road area that separates the fencing from the seating once cars are on the track. Only officials, security and track personnel can be in that area, Lynch said.