NASCAR drivers still clamoring for more safety improvements

(AP) — Fifteen years after Dale Earnhardt's death at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR drivers are still clamoring for safety improvements.

Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson, reigning champ Kyle Busch and others want pavement to replace the lush grass located near racing surfaces.

NASCAR certainly has taken significant strides in safety since Earnhardt's death on Feb. 18, 2001.

"The Intimidator" crashed hard into the outside wall of Turn 4 during the final lap of the Daytona 500, rocking the racing world and forcing NASCAR to take an immediate and aggressive stance on better protecting drivers.

Head-and-neck restraints, six-point safety harnesses, improved fuel cells, the Car of Tomorrow and soft-wall technology are just some of the enhancements that followed.

Just last year, Busch broke his right leg and his left foot when his car slammed into a concrete wall during the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona.

[...] last Saturday in the exhibition Sprint Unlimited, Johnson went for a wild ride when his No. 48 Chevrolet spun and slid through the grassy infield.

At Daytona, the grass is not only aesthetically pleasing but it helps drain the track during and after rain storms and also serves as home to other events throughout the year.