I think tonight's truck race will be the best thing to come out of Speed Weeks. Young Blaney is a comer and Kyle is back in his truck. There should be several leaders and some good young racers trying to be noticed.
Enjoying the last laps of this Saturday race. If Pastrana could get some drafting help, he and his partner might have a shot to win. Otherwise without a dance partner he will be lucky to get a top 10. He will be a fan favorite and great for nascar. Animated on the radio and a real competitor.
Nobody wanted to draft with Pastrana and he didn't seem like he wanted to push anybody either. Must've been the plan, because he's not afraid of anything. Remember when he was leading the SX qualifier at Daytona and tried a back flip of a double and came up short. :eek1 Have you ever seen that in car video when he somersaulted his Subie during a rally? He shouts to his navigator, "Are you still alive!!! Whoop, that was awesome!!!" He did a great job running in the middle of 3 wide with cars trying to shuffle him back towards the end. They need to do a better job with catch fences, though. A real tragedy doesn't seem to far off. Like Le Mans 1955 type tragedy. Danica was impressive until her motor started tying up. She finally started to get a little help after awhile. Stayed up with the first few cars. She's definitely very smooth at the controls. Even her sharp cuts down were smooth, though they looked violent in the backdrop of the ballet we call the draft. She'll be good at the fast tracks I think.
The only fence that can stop a 3500 lb car would be a wall, and they're too hard to see through. You have to accept some amount of potential injury just as a race watcher.
Well, you can't ban blocking so you need a better fence. Not such a big expense in the scheme. If a track owner can net $20 or 30 million per race, they can make a better fence. The Safer barrier was about racers. The catch fences are about fans.
As I recall those fences are built with steel cable that looks like it could stop a battleship. I am sure that the France family is reviewing this carefully. A new car design that breaks in two isn't good for business. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
We were there today and it was freaky seeing car parts flying thru the stands. After seeing the front wheel, a-arm, and other parts fly its amazing anyone survived. I know there are multiple people still in the hospital in criticle condition. Im not sure what would have stopped the amount of force from the car parts flying. The cables on the fences and poles are huge up close. Maybe more and possibly more of a hang over of the fence? Scary seeing multiple ambulances lining up to get into the grounds after it happened. Thoughts and prayers to the injured fans!
Yikes. I can't believe the fence was torn open and penetrated. Couple this with the super speedway fence crash at Las Vegas that killed Dan Wheldon in IndyCar and you have to wonder if there won't be a complete re-think of the design of the catchment fences around the fastest ovals? Something's not working.
When I was at Darlington a decade or more ago I was surprised at not only the thickness of the cables but also how close the cars ran to the crowd. I think they have retired that track. Indy had some fatal accidents back in the day. I remember when a tire went into the stands and they didn't announce the death for 24-48 hours. This is going to be intense. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
You're speaking of when Adrian Fernandez's wheel went flying into the stands at Michigan in 1998? That Daytona Nationwide accident yesterday reminded me of when Bobby Allison's car spun backwards into the catch fence at Talladega in 1987.
Actually I was thinking of when a wheel went into the stands at Indy. I remember that few were aware that someone died that day - it might have been 24-48 hours before they an ounces the death. Now, whether that was 10 or 30 years ago I couldn't tell you. I also remember when several spectators at Indy were sprayed with burning fuel but that must have been 30-50 years ago. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
All they need to do to increase saftey at Daytona is to use the dogleg. That would make for great racing.
Darlington is still very much in use by the various NASCAR series. It is probably one of the best tracks for spectator viewing, as the two differently banked and radiused corners make it a true "drivers track." For whatever reason, the fast way around that place is running against the outside wall in the turns, and it makes for some interesting lines and passes. The cables in the fence are substantial, and spectating at a race involves an element of risk. That is just the way it is.
I'm sure NASCAR will look at these accidents and see what can be improved, but really, sometimes things just happen. You have to balance the ability of the fans to see the action with the proximity of the cars to the spectators. NASCAR instituted roof and hood flaps a number of years ago to keep the cars from taking flight, which seems to have worked very well in most cases. I don't think spending an outrageous amount of money to try to deal with these rare incidents is a good approach, but that is for tracks and sanctioning bodies to decide. There are any number of ways for people to be hurt at a track, whether it be drivers, crews or spectators. You can't 100% safety proof anything, and my feeling is that the current system works pretty well. I make a few oval track races a year, and I'm comfortable with my safety as a spectator at those events.
NASCAR race cars are unibody using a sub frame to the vehicle and front suspension. No way should a engine end up in the stands.
