The NASCAR Thread

[JB400]

24 car wreck   Hate to say it, but they need to break up the pack racing, and set up a double fence.

[JB400]

Here's an article with a camera in the stands as well as Stewart's view.   A clear view of BK hitting Dillon

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2015/7/6/8899773/2015-coke-zero-400-nascar-daytona-austin-dillon-crash

Dillon suffers bruised arm and tailbone.

[TruckDriver]

I don't know, there was no "pack" racing when Bobby Allison did that at Talladega years ago. My guess is, they will just try to slow the cars down more which will not solve the problem. There is no sure way to keep the cars from going airborne. This was more/less like a open wheel racing type of accident where one cars wheel launched him up and over. The only real solution is to stop racing all together or make the cars go less then 20mph.

BTW - If anyone is just reading this, go back to the last page and read from there. More videos there also. 

[Chargen69]

24 car wreck  Hate to say it, but they need to break up the pack racing, and set up a double fence.

the fence held that car out as it should, but what happens if it was more than one car going up there?

[JB400]

If another car hit the exact same spot, it'd be ugly.  Here's pix of the hole in the fence:

http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/06/see-photos-of-daytona-catch-fence-damaged-by-austin-dillons-car-in-vicious-crash/

[Chargen69]

since those cables are so strong, why dont they put some more in the gaps of the ones they have?

[JB400]

You have still allow visibility to the track.  Fencing does obscure that some.

[Mike DC]

 
It seems like the big issue is that the car shredded the hurricane fencing in the process of getting stopped by the heavy cables.  Maybe those two things need to be separated by several feet. 

I'm picturing a very open loose mesh of thick cables to stop the car first.  Then a tighter & thinner mesh of cables/fencing about 10 feet farther back to stop the debris that gets past the heavy cables. 



Somebody commented that the tracks shouldn't be selling seats way down near the fence in the first place.  It's not a very good place to see the race.

[JB400]

I'll agree with the seating.  Even at the local tracks, very few fans sit that close.  This isn't basketball.  International Speedway should be taking quite a few of the seats out at the lower levels.

As far as the fencing, I have no idea.  It actually looked like most of the debris came from the fencing itself, and not Dillons' car.  I wasn't there, so can't actually tell for sure.

[Stevearino]

In a never ending quest to make for better competition  Kentucky should be interesting with the rear spoiler reduced to just 3 1/2". Also the front wicker and the radiator pan has been drastically reduced in size. Then they are going in the opposite direction at Indy with a  9 inch spoiler with a forward facing wicker and a superspeedway tail extension to create more drag.

[Chargen69]

interesting

[Aero426]

In a never ending quest to make for better competition  Kentucky should be interesting with the rear spoiler reduced to just 3 1/2". Also the front wicker and the radiator pan has been drastically reduced in size. Then they are going in the opposite direction at Indy with a  9 inch spoiler with a forward facing wicker and a superspeedway tail extension to create more drag.

Early 1990's, look how the rear spoiler blade is laid back for that rules package.   Hang on! 

[Stevearino]

In a never ending quest to make for better competition  Kentucky should be interesting with the rear spoiler reduced to just 3 1/2". Also the front wicker and the radiator pan has been drastically reduced in size. Then they are going in the opposite direction at Indy with a  9 inch spoiler with a forward facing wicker and a superspeedway tail extension to create more drag.

Early 1990's, look how the rear spoiler blade is laid back for that rules package.   Hang on! 

0 degrees for qualifying 5 degrees for racing. Today it's 70 degrees which is stall angle for creating downforce. Any more angle and all you get is drag.

[Chargen69]

heard austin dillion say that they could have good racing without the speed for liftoff.

does he understand that would mean they would be racing at 150mph or less?

[JB400]

I don't see what was wrong with the tandem draft racing.  I actually enjoyed it.  I forget which race it was, but it was at Talledega.  Last lap.  Last corner.  Two cars had went tandem, got way out in the lead, and then the 2nd car pulled out from behind the first, and it was a drag race to the finish line.  That made for a nice race.  Of course, it wasn't Jr. or Johnson that won it, so I guess it wasn't that good of a race.  But, I enjoyed it.

[Mike DC]

heard austin dillion say that they could have good racing without the speed for liftoff.

does he understand that would mean they would be racing at 150mph or less?

The aerodynamic lift on those hurtling cars would go up exponentially like the air resistance does.  Just going from 200mph down to 180 is probably a real difference.

 

[JB400]

Sad news:  Buddy Baker hit with inoperable lung cancer.  Leaves radio show.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nascar-auto-racing/thatsracin/article26714491.html

[TruckDriver]

You beat me to it, and yes it is. Always will be one of my favorite drivers 

[wingcar]

He is a "class act", and we will miss hearing his unique voice and insights on the radio.....God Bess you Buddy

[Chargen69]

heard austin dillion say that they could have good racing without the speed for liftoff.

does he understand that would mean they would be racing at 150mph or less?

The aerodynamic lift on those hurtling cars would go up exponentially like the air resistance does.  Just going from 200mph down to 180 is probably a real difference.

 

there would be a difference, but i thought he said something like without the chance of going airborne

[JB400]

This time, a Craftsman Truck went into the fence at Kentucky.  Not as violent as Dillon's.  Also, I don't think the flag ban is working too well

http://www.sbnation.com/nascar/2015/7/9/8925941/2015-nascar-kentucky-ben-kennedy-truck-series-catchfence-accident

[A383Wing]

That truck was ripped open

[TruckDriver]

  wow!

[Mike DC]

 
I'm not sure why everyone is acting surprised/concerned about these fence hits all of a sudden.  

The cars have been basically this fast & heavy & able to go airborne since Lyndon Johnson was president.  This isn't the 1st, 2nd, or even the 10th time a fence has been hit.  These weren't even very direct/hard hits in the big picture.  If NASCAR is surprised at the current fence's performance then they must have never tested it at all.



What's next?  "NASCAR is deeply concerned about several recent incidents of fans abusing alcohol during the race"?  

[JB400]

If memory serves me correctly, it hasn't actually been all that common since the BK/ Edwards feud a few years ago with the CoT car.