Long recognized as an industry leader in auto racing safety, the United States Auto Club today hosted the inaugural .25 Midget Safety seminar, which involved safety afficionados from across the country.

Chaired by USAC President/CEO Kevin Miller, USAC VP/Race Operations Jason Smith, USAC Developmental Series Director James Spink and former USAC Competition Director and safety expert Mike Devin, the seminar involved several hours of discussion on a wide range of topics.

Following opening remarks by Miller, items on the agenda included fire suppression, safety equipment, head and neck restraints, arm restraints, seat belts, seat belt mounting, driver positioning, hydration of drivers and officials, bicycling of .25 Midgets and an open discussion of assorted areas of interest.

Present at the meeting were Carl Olson of the SFI Foundation, Dave Brown of the Indy Racing League, Trevor Ashline of Safety Solutions, Ken Joyce of Hans (Ken Joyce Racing), Randy LaJoie of the Joie of Seating, Scott Zurawski of Butlerbuilt, Adam Batton of Hoosier Tire, plus affiliated club officials Jeremy Jameson and BJ Fleenor (Kokomo), Rick Thomason and Kevin Daugherty (Indy .25), Jeff Wren and Andy Myers (Mac-O-Chee) and Dale Hall (Buckeye), as well as Ellis and Rebecca Shell of SSS Racing Enterprises and Mike Streicher of Strei-Tech.

"It was a landmark meeting and we feel we achieved substantial progress on a number of issues," said USAC's Spink. "We continue to strive for the utmost in safety for all of our participant members and fans and we sincerely appreciate the cooperative effort which led to this historic conclave."

"This is a great first step in enhancing the safety of .25 Midget racing," added USAC's Smith. "We will continue to build on this initial meeting with additional discussions and measures to assure the safety of all involved in the sport."