Jim Hunter, vice president of corporate communications for the sanctioning body, said Friday that NASCAR is considering several changes.

"We're looking at helmets, firesuits, gloves; whatever it takes to make everybody safer," he said.

Increased safety has been a major focus in NASCAR since the death in February of Dale Earnhardt, the sport's biggest star and the fourth driver to die in crashes in a nine-month period.

The focus shifted from drivers to crew last Sunday when a pit road accident in Homestead, Fla., injured three members of Ricky Rudd's team and a NASCAR official. Three of the men had minor injuries, but Bobby Burrell, the front tire changer for the No. 28 car, was flung headfirst into the concrete pit wall when Ward Burton bounced off Casey Atwood and slammed into Rudd's stopped car.

Burrell remains in the hospital with a head injury, but has been upgraded to good condition and appears to be well on the way to recovery. But the accident raised red flags for NASCAR and cries for over-the-wall crewmen to wear helmets.

Several teams have tried wearing helmets, but found they restricted visibility or sound. Only the PPI Motorsports team, headed by former CART team owner Cal Wells III, is currently using helmets during the NASCAR races.

Helmets and firesuits are mandatory on pit road for CART teams.

"Teams are telling us that the helmets they have tried tend to make it worse because they can't see the way they have to," Hunter said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press at Atlanta Motor Speedway. "My gut feeling is, though, that there are some helmets out there that you can buy that will allow the teams to do the job safely.

"I believe that before next season, wearing helmets in pit-road situations is going to be either highly recommended or mandated."

NASCAR has always let the teams make their own decisions on safety equipment, but recently began requiring head and neck restraints for drivers.

"The thing about safety when you go a long time without an accident, people don't think about it," Hunter said. "Our goal, going forward, is to maintain this high level of safety irregardless of what happens week to week and year to year.

"We've got to make sure the guys in the garage, not just NASCAR, remain focused on how to make these cars more safe."

Hunter, who has worked for NASCAR for more than two decades, said the interest in safety is more intense than he could ever remember.

"People are saying to each other, `Have you thought about this? Have you tried this?' That's what we need to continue."

Slowing down
In a related safety move, NASCAR has extended the distance drivers must maintain the 45-mph speed limit by an additional 150 feet while exiting the pits Sunday in the NAPA 500.