INDIANAPOLIS -- In a major step toward safety, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway will announce Wednesday the installation of "soft wall" technology for this year's Indianapolis 500.

A long-time research and development project with the University of Nebraska has produced a soft wall padding that will be installed in the outside turns of the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

This is a result of a long-time project between the Indy Racing League and NASCAR with the University of Nebraska in an effort to reduce impact in the event of a crash.

The soft wall padding is currently being installed at Indianapolis in an effort to improve safety for the 86th running of the Indianapolis 500.