DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 9, 2019) – This week, track services personnel from across the country convened at the 19th annual NASCAR Safety and Operations Summit presented by American Medical Response (AMR) in preparation for the 2019 season.
The annual three-day summit, which featured leading industry experts, panels and interactive workshops related to event operations, innovation and safety concluded yesterday at the Embassy Suites Conference Center in Concord, North Carolina.
The event concluded with the presentation of several prestigious awards presented for exemplary efforts in the track services, medical and security fields.
Gateway Motorsports Park Fire & Safety Team member Mark Beabout received the Norrie Baird NASCAR Track Services Training Award.
Norrie Baird was a pioneer in the world of motorsports safety and longtime Charlotte Motor Speedway employee. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland and former Pro Rally driver, Baird joined the CMS staff in 1980 as a part-time employee after working with safety teams on the Formula 1 circuit. At that time Baird was responsible for making sure drivers were safely extricated from damaged race cars after accidents. He became a full-time employee when he was named emergency services director in 1991 and implemented new procedures that are now common practices at race tracks nationwide. Under Baird’s watch, CMS became the first track to have a safety team that consisted of a fire and safety crew, the first to have paramedics aboard fire trucks for quick response and the first to require drivers to report to the infield care center after an accident. He also instituted the speedway’s first safety class for area paramedics and created a model for training that many NASCAR tracks have utilized to ensure a safe environment for drivers. His Accident Care Team training classes on driver extrication, on-track firefighting, medical response and vehicle recovery were attended by trackside emergency services personnel from tracks nationwide and around the world. In 2010, Baird was honored by NASCAR with the Excellence in Track Services Award, recognizing an individual who has made significant contributions to the improvement of track services at a single track over the course of a career spanning 10 years or more.
The award winners are as follows:
Track Services
- Teamwork Award: Martinsville Speedway
- Behind the Scenes Award: Tripp Amick and Jason Kelley, A&H Equipment
- Innovation Award: Hugh Myer, Empty Wallet Imagineering
- Norrie Baird NASCAR Track Services Training Award: Mark Beabout, Gateway Motorsports Park
Medical
- Above and Beyond Award: Ramin Mahini, ISM Raceway
- Medical Director Award: Dr. Jeff Ferguson, Richmond Raceway
- Nursing Director Award: Stan Lash, Homestead-Miami Speedway
Security
- Security Award of Excellence: Brett Adam and Bill Hindman, ISM Raceway; Christ Alberta and Ivan Lawson, Richmond Raceway; Ed Bonney, Michigan International Raceway
About Gateway Motorsports Park
Gateway Motorsports Park is the home of INDYCAR, NASCAR and NHRA racing in the St. Louis region. Located just five minutes from downtown St. Louis and covering more than 340 acres, Gateway Motorsports Park is the largest outdoor entertainment facility in the area. Gateway Motorsports Park’s facilities include a 1/4-mile drag strip, 1.25-mile superspeedway, 1.6-mile road course, a state-of-the-art karting facility and a 14-acre, multi-purpose dirt off-road venue. Gateway Motorsports Park was the recipient of the 2018 Innovator Award from Explore St. Louis, the 2017 Outstanding Facility of the Year Award from the Race Track Business Conference and the 2017 Spirit of St. Louis Award from the St. Louis Attractions Association.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
