INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indy Racing League is crashing cars on purpose to make them safer when they hit the wall by accident.

Engineers have spent years trying to come up with better car designs to withstand the tremendous force of impact against unyielding concrete. Now, they're trying a new approach: making the walls softer.

If all goes well in the next two tests this month, the walls could be installed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for the Indy 500 in May.

"Soft wall technology is probably closer than people have imagined," Brian Barnhart, the IRL's director of operations, said Wednesday. "If we go forward with it, it's going to be one of the most revolutionary safety aspects in modern racing."

The IRL has conducted 17 crash tests -- most recently on Tuesday -- using NASCAR and Indy cars, varying the speeds from 80 mph to more than 150 mph and the angles of impact from 20 degrees to 25.5 degrees.

The wall is made of an energy-absorbent material, but Barnhart would not go into specifics about its composition or even what the wall looks like.

"I've been told by our people I can't make any comments about the design or materials," he said.

An earlier version tested at Indianapolis in 1998, however, was made of high density polyethylene stretched in 5-foot-long overlapping plates for 550 feet, starting on the inside of the fourth turn just beyond the entrance to the pits.

Arie Luyendyk crashed against it almost head-on during the International Race of Champions, and the wall dissipated most of the force, bouncing the car back across the track in a trail of debris.

Luyendyk suffered only a mild concussion.

"It saved my life, to be honest with you," Luyendyk said Wednesday. "I think if I had hit just concrete I might not be here today.

"Concrete is always going to be hard. If you can soften it up, it's a good idea because we're traveling at such high speeds," he said.

Barnhart said the IRL identified several problems, including the way the wall was attached to the concrete and the debris that resulted from impact, after Luyendyk's crash and another one against a second version the next May by Hideshi Matsuda.

The current version has none of those defects, he said.

"It has evolved from the original test wall. The design is considerably different and the material is different. With computer modeling, we are now predicting the results of the next tests. If they're positive results, then we are anticipating and hoping to have soft walls in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May."

He said initially only the outside walls in the four corners will be covered, because that's where most crashes occur. The height of the walls and the protective overhang fencing already have been adjusted in anticipation of the installation.

"I think it's great," said Scott Sharp, who started from the pole last year but lost control on cold, slick tires and crashed coming out of the first turn of the first lap.

"I'm one of the best guys to talk about where the cars have gone," Sharp said. "Back in '97 when I had two concussions, there wasn't much thought with the cars as far as protecting the driver. To see what Brian and his staff have done, honestly, they've made leaps and bounds.

"With that being said, we're still continuing to try to go faster ... and a lot of people, even outside of Indy-car racing, have been fairly public about the tracks need to catch up now. So I applaud what they're doing."