A team of welders and some Lincoln Electric Co. welding equipment raced to the rescue to repair damage to the barrier wall during the Indianapolis 500 on May 24. Two cars, Raphael Matos' No.2 and Vitor Meira's No.14, locked wheels in the 174th lap, causing Meira's car to slide on its side along the racetrack wall.

The wall is fitted with a specialized, “SAFER” barrier designed to minimize the impact of speeding racecars, to protect the drivers, cars, and spectators. (SAFER is an acronym for “steel and foam energy reduction”; the system also is used in stock car racing.)

Typically, the repairs involve welding 3/16-in. mild-steel tubing and plate. But, regardless of the extent of the repairs, speed and equipment reliability are essential.

Crews of fabricators are prepared to make repairs during races, and a team was set to go when the impact occurred during the annual event on Memorial Day weekend. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway repair crew used two Lincoln Electric Ranger^® 305G engine-driven welders and two LN-25 (now LN-25 PRO) wire feeders to make the repairs quickly and thoroughly, so racing could resume. And, it did.

Lincoln Electric is the “official welder” of the Indy Racing League and all of its teams.