Auto racing has always been a dangerous sport both for spectators and the drivers. Racetracks have done multiple things to help protect spectators including guardrails, catch fences and concrete barriers which separate the speeding race cars from the gathered crowds. The concrete barriers were very effective at keeping racecars from plowing into the stands while the catch fences provided protection primarily from airborne racers and parts. Protecting the drivers is harder and many have paid with their lives or with career ending crashes.

Wanting to address the issue of driver safety, Tony George, the president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, installed on a trial basis the PEDS barrier (Polyethylene Energy Dissipating System) which was developed by the Indy Racing League and John Pierce at Wayne State University.  Composed of polyethylene cylinders, it was installed on the inside concrete wall at the entrance to the pits in time for the 1998 Indianapolis 500. There were no crashes. Two months later during an IROC race, Arie Luyendyk hit it resulting in the barrier littering the track with heavy debris. In the 1999 Indianapolis 500, Hideshi Matsuda hit the PEDS barrier caused his car to spin back into traffic. After the race, the PEDS barrier was removed.

Wanting to find a better system, George teamed up with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to develop the SAFER barrier (Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier) which was first used by the Speedway in the Month of May 2002. It was sponsored and bankrolled by the Indy Racing League with some financial support from NASCAR.

The theory behind the SAFER barrier is that a system which could absorb the kinetic energy of a racecar would lessen the injuries to the driver and reduce the damage to the racecar. One of the challenges was that this system would need to be retro-fitted to the concrete walls of the speedway. It also needed to be easy to repair to prevent lengthy delays to the race.

The SAFER barrier is constructed of 3/8^th inch square structural steel tubing which is welded together. Owens Corning provided the polystyrene foam cells ten feet in length, 40 inches high and 22 inches deep which are placed between the concrete wall and the barrier. The system is then attached to the wall. Since it is built in 20-foot sections, when damaged the barrier can be unbolted for quick removal and replacement during a race.

After running simulation crashes on the tarmac of Lincoln Municipal Airport, the system was first tested during lap by Robby McGehee on the first day of practice for the 2002 Indianapolis 500. After running the previous lap with an average speed of 218 mph, he spun into the Turn 3 wall and hit the barrier rear-first at a 90-degree angle. He was able to get out of the car under his own power and only suffered a hairline fracture of his leg.  Ten days later, fitted with a brace for his leg, he was back in the race car but failed to qualify for the race.

The SAFER barrier quickly found its way onto other oval tracks and was at every oval track used by IndyCar and NASCAR by 2005. Subsequently, the system has been used on road and street tracks where there is high speed cornering.

The system and its developers have won multiple awards including the 2004 Inaugural Pioneering and Innovation Award to Tony George, the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. More importantly, it has lessened injuries to drivers.