NASCAR made another significant procedural change for 2017 on Friday, greatly stepping up its concussion protocol procedures for drivers involved in on-track crashes.
Last week, NASCAR announced a new partnership with American Medical Response, the nation’s largest emergency medical services provider, who will provide a doctor and a paramedic to work with local teams at each track’s infield care center.
Friday, NASCAR said the new concussion protocols will be as follows:
• As part of the new rule regarding damaged vehicles, a driver whose car sustains damage from an accident or contact of any kind and goes behind the pit wall or to the garage is required to visit the Infield Care Center to be evaluated.
• The medical portion of NASCAR’s Event Standards now require that Infield Care Center physicians incorporate the SCAT-3 diagnostic tool in screening for head injuries.
• AMR will provide on-site neurological consultative support at select NASCAR events during the 2017 season and will work directly with NASCAR in the continued development of concussion protocol.
Denny Hamlin, 2016 Daytona 500 champion and driver of the No. 11 for Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, praised the enhancements to the protocol.
“It’s a step in the right direction, for sure,” said Hamlin. “They have to sometimes protect us from ourselves, but we also want to make sure we are racing on the track with people that are 100 percent. So, I’m all for that. I think it’s important that we keep safety first.”
The new protocol goes into effect immediately for all NASCAR national series.
“NASCAR has worked very closely with the industry to ensure our concussion protocol reflects emerging best practices in this rapidly developing area of sports medicine,” said Jim Cassidy, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “We will continue to utilize relationships we’ve had for years with leaders in the neurological research field who helped to shape these updates.”
When combined with NASCAR’s new car damage procedures — crashed cars that are so badly they have to be taken to the garage won’t be allowed back on track — the days of drivers climbing back into repaired wrecks and heading back on track clearly are over.
That’s a win for all the drivers.
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