The 2021 Running NASCAR/IMSA/other racing things thread

Yeah, the theory at the time was that the roof flaps designed to keep the cars from getting airborne lost effectiveness at speeds over 200 mph. And the downforce that sticks them to the track when going forward sort of works in the opposite way when they get turned around.

Ryan Newman, of the Purdue engineering school, was adamant that the wings were the reason why he flipped at Talladega. But the spoiler didn't seem to help him much last year. And Geoff Bodine's truck wasn't going nearly that fast when it hit the catch fence well above the concrete wall. That could have been on par with the 1955 LeMans disaster.

NASCAR has always had the ability to change the rules to either reduce the size of the engines or change the aerodynamics to increase drag. But they think fans would rather see massive pileups than cars actually getting a competitive advantage with real racing.

It's a show. Bill France knew that when they started the damn thing.

 

Last of a four-part series done quite well by Ryan McGee:

How the Dale Earnhardt tragedy made NASCAR safer -- and saved Ryan Newman

I recall writing a column not long after Ironhead's death. When I pointed out that NASCAR couldn't have cared less about safety until Ironhead ended up dead in his vehicle, it wasn't well received. Even got a death threat.

Now look at them. Product is awful, but at least they appear to care about safety - don't even try to tell me they cared at all before that crash - and Ryan Newman is alive.

 

That was exactly why. Bobby Allison tearing down the fence at Talladega in 1987 was the trigger. Five spectators injured. Could have been many more.

 

Not only did they not care, they didn’t even want to talk about it. Still waiting for a call back for a 2001 story about racing safety. But Indy car (still two series then) would talk about it all day long, and they had horrific accidents as well.

 

But, interestingly enough, one of the people who didn't want to talk about or consider any of the safety upgrades? Ironhead.

 

When Darrell Russell was killed, I did a series on Top Fuel safety. The amount of access and info I got from NHRA top brass, the race team, Murph McKinney, was unreal. I got interviewed by other publications about my stories, and part of it got picked up by (I think) the Orange County Register.

 

Earnhardt’s death saved many lives — Ryan Newman is just the latest.

 

Elliott Sadler survived this wreck that tore out his car’s engine block. Miracle.

 

But if that were the case, move seats in Daytona and Talladega. If they were tearing out seat in an attempt to create market scarcity - which has failed as there are still empty seats - take out the first few rows. Remember the engine block, tire and parts that flew into the stands at Daytona?

 

That and Michael McDowell's at Texas were two where I had already started the obit in my head.

 

I was infield crew at a weekly track many years ago. There was a crash where a Late Model literally broke in two. Everyone went rushing toward the crash to help. A helmet came rolling down the turn toward me. I thought, "Oh, God. There's a head in there." To my relief, when I picked up the helmet, there was not a head in there. It had popped of the driver somehow and shot out of the car.

 

Unfortunately, Kenny Schrader saw Dale's head still in the helmet.