If it ain't broke, fix it anyway: NASCAR 2017 Thread

I might have to change the thread title, thanks to NASCAR's latest "innovation."
If it is broke, don't bother fixing it unless you can duct tape it back together inside of 5 minutes -- which includes the 30 seconds or so traveling onto and exiting from pit road. Somehow, slapdash repairs in the pits are supposed to improve safety by keeping stuff from falling off on the track. This might actually lead to a "Talladega Nights" style footrace to decide the winner after the entire field is wiped out by a couple of big wrecks at Talladega.

NASCAR unveils new damaged vehicle policy

 

No more sawing off the front end and welding another one on, huh? I was at Texas Motor Speedway a few years ago when Johnson, cruising toward a championship, wrecked early. Pretty much the entire crowd instantly knew what was going down, so attention shifted to the garage. They got it back out there and he salvaged enough points to keep alive in the Chase, which he eventually won.

 

Yeah, I've always loved seeing those cars running around with no hood on them, the engine exposed, looking like something out of a Mad Max movie. I guess that will still be allowed under the "removal" clause of the rule, but the 5-minute thing sucks. I can definitely see some races -- and not just at Talladega and Daytona -- where there are only 20 or 25 cars on the track at the end.

 

This would be a classic case of hypocrisy, if it wasn't so sad for the families involved:

NASCAR settles lawsuit with fan hurt at Daytona

 

Curious about why you say it's a case of hypocrisy ...

 

Since the Earnhardt report, NASCAR's mantra to the press and public has been "safety first." Bull. NASCAR is in the business of making money first. Safety is a byproduct of that, because at the end of the day, drivers, crews and fans going home with all their limbs attached is good business. But NASCAR pays a stable of lawyers lots of money because that's not always the case.

NASCAR has had multiple instances of cars tearing down the catchfences, at Daytona and Talladega in particular, and are no closer to finding a solution than they were before they created their safety research and development center. And since this suit (and others involving injuries from that incident) was settled out of court, nobody knows if the paying customer in the stands is any more protected than before.

We certainly assume NASCAR is working on better gates, fences and containment systems. But an out-of-control, 3,600-pound machine traveling at speeds in excess of 150 mph is just a touch different than say, a foul ball or puck going into the seats. However, the message from Daytona Beach is still this: Come on out to the track because the odds are still in your favor!

And after years of telling the drivers, we've got your best interests in mind because local EMTs and doctors are just as good as professionals specifically trained for our sport, ... NASCAR adds traveling safety team.

 

I'm amazed the fences work as well as they do. This particular incident, if I recall correctly, was pretty quirky ... the damage came from debris that went over both the catch fence and the overhanging fences, and the latter wouldn't have happened but for the quirky angle at which Larson went into the wall.

I'm under no illusions as to NASCAR's bottom-line emphasis, but I don't see the hypocrisy charge as valid.

 

I moved to a NASCAR loving town in the early aughts and got caught up in it for a while (had watched it casually beforehand). I really lost interest when the Chase was unveiled. Every contrived alteration to that has made it worse.

I did tailgate once at Charlotte, though, and it was one of the most spectacular days of my life.

 

Actually, the segment crap as applied to Daytona (and Talladega) is going to be kind of interesting. Of late there hasn't been much racing in the middle, I don't know, two-thirds of the race. When I was still making my springtime trips to Talladega (187 laps), I usually found a shady spot and chilled out from about lap 30 to about 160, because nothing but driving-around would be going on.