Daytona president says track will move fans who don't want to sit in affected areas, others eager to come back

Feb 24, 2013 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- DAYTONA, Fla. -- The Daytona track president said some of the fans who were treated Saturday night in the infield care center wanted to be released in time to make today's Daytona 500 race, and that fans who don't want to sit in the areas where debris hit will be moved.

"Some of the fans who were released wanted to make sure they could come," Joie Chitwood III said. "We're going to make sure we have accommodations for them to attend the event." Chitwood was speaking to reporters Sunday morning at Daytona International Speedway, where a 12-car accident at the finish line on Saturday at the end of the Nationwide Series race sent debris into the grandstand that injured at least 28 people.

He said the track will move any fans who want to be moved if their seats are in the areas where debris hit and people were injured, but that the track and fence are ready for racing.

"If fans are unhappy with their seating location, we will relocate them," Chitwood said. "If a fan is not comfortable where they're sitting, we will make every accommodation we can." Chitwood said because of privacy considerations that he could not provide an update on the conditions of the fans who were injured when the car of Kyle Larson sailed into the fence, breaking apart and sending its engine and tires into the grandstand.

But he said again that 14 people were taken to a hospital and that 14 were treated at the track's medical facility. He said other people could have driven themselves to the hospital, but he did not know that number.

Chitwood said track personnel helped the injured fans who were released from Halifax Medical Center late Saturday night and early Sunday morning get back to the track to retrieve their cars and belongings.

Chitwood said the fence was repaired, but the "crossover" gate -- which can be opened to allow fans to cross from the grandstand to the infield -- was removed and replaced with straight fencing.

The fencing along the frontstretch is 22 feet high. The television broadcast showed a tire climbing higher than the fence and the engine and another wheel buried in the fence. A fan's cell phone video showed a tire in the seats.

The speedway is undergoing a renovation, and Chitwood said the track will consider moving the seats further back or higher.

"We have over 100,000 seats on the frontstretch. We've got very good safety protocols," he said. "Incidents do happen. I think those are the exceptions, though. If you look at our 55-year history, I think we've got a good safety record. I think we're going to do a great job for our fans today, and NASCAR is going to put on a great race." Carlos Mendez, 817-390-7407 Twitter: @calexmendez ___ (c)2013 the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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