#24-Jeff Gordon, who escaped injury after crashing hard into the inside retaining wall in Turn 2 in the closing laps of Sunday’s UAW-Dodge 400, called on Las Vegas Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith to add “soft walls’ in the area. Gordon crashed on lap 263 of the 267-lap race and hit a spot in the wall where there is a gap. “I’m really disappointed right now in this speedway for not having a soft wall back there,” Gordon said. “And even being able to get to that part of the wall shouldn’t happen. I’ve got two things to say: ‘Bruton, you need a soft wall and to change the wall back there on the back straightaway’. Thankfully, Hendrick Motorsports “¦ builds an unbelievable race car because that’s the hardest I’ve ever hit.” Greg Biffle, who finished third in the race and was behind Gordon on the track when he crashed, agreed with Gordon and said there is no excuse for having gaps in the walls. “There shouldn’t be any gaps anywhere,” Biffle said. “There should be SAFER barriers all the way around the inside and the outside of these racetracks. You can’t say we don’t have the time or money to do it because we’re coming back here next year and going to race again.”(Las Vegas Sun) UPDATE: Las Vegas Motor Speedway statement concerning Gordon’s comments: “We began evaluating that section of the speedway today. As we have done since the SAFER barrier program began, we will work with NASCAR, and we will do whatever it recommends.”(3-3-2008)
