Not a NASCAR fan but

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

This Daytona race reminded me of those figure 8 Demolition Derbys that have 2 cars chained together. Actually I think those Demo Derbys were more fun to watch on TV. NASCAR is ridiculous. And those caution flags... I have seen cars spin without hitting anything (=no debris on the track) and wind up 100 yards off the track on the grass and they throw a yellow flag that lasts for 5 laps. I guess if you are drunk by 10 AM on Sunday mornings , NASCAR is interesting.

F1 isnt much better actually.

ALMS is the best racing series around these days !

So, you'd have them racing with a tow truck out there on the grass and then the apron? I've seen workers hit by spinning cars even under a caution.

[VaSteve]

If you look at the trioval grass, most of the spinning and wrecking happens at the same spots. All three series sent cars through that grass. Only problem with hose cautions is that they take too long.

[wdfifteen]

50 laps would be plenty.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

I guess if you are drunk by 10 AM on Sunday mornings , NASCAR is interesting.

Now that I know the secret I may try watching this NASCAR thing.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

I guess if you are drunk by 10 AM on Sunday mornings , NASCAR is interesting.

!

LOL

As an aside: I went to the Richmond race last fall. It's a night race and I was there around noon. AAA has a simulator game. The dude in front of me was p*ss drunk, falling over in the race seat. Somehow he didn't wreck it. i thought I would be the man, with all my faculties about me and track experience. I was terrible at the simulator. Go figure.

[dd74]

At least there's less likelihood civil unrest will cancel a NASCAR race as it has with the Bahrain F1 race.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by dd74

At least there's less likelihood civil unrest will cancel a NASCAR race as it has with the Bahrain F1 race.

I think there would be Southern civil unrest if they did cancel. Some are still angry that the Southern 500 is not held at Darlington on Labor Day.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by milt

I think there would be Southern civil unrest if they did cancel. Some are still angry that the Southern 500 is not held at Darlington on Labor Day.

And that Toyota is in it.

[Zeke]

True dat. But, too many rednecks have them furrin things now and a few thousand are building them furrin things.

[teenerted1]

saw the start... went to a local drive-in for a Porsche bull session, burgers, and a Volvo car show at the same place...came home and watched the last two green-white-checkers. perfect amount of crashcar for me.

FOX is the one who ruined nascar and SPEEDTV for me. have you seen their version of an F1 race? YUK

[David McLaughlin]

I've never really been into NASCAR stuff but I'll watch it from time to time. I watched the race that claimed Dale Earnhardt 10 years ago and I did watch the race this Sunday too. Shoot I even have a signed pewter statue or Richard Petty on my desk. I guess I'm a redneck at heart anyway. I wish it was more like the stock car racing of the past... Run on Sunday sell on Monday. I miss the real cars.

What got me to watch the race Sunday is the book I'm just finishing. In the Blink of an Eye, Michael Waltrip, (9781401324315) Hardcover - Barnes & Noble
It's a pretty good read.

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by milt

True dat. But, too many rednecks have them furrin things now and a few thousand are building them furrin things.

All the manufacturers have booths on the midway. Toyota used to (they might still) have a display that showed all the 11 plants in the US. When I went to Watkins Glen for the weekend last summer, I showed my van keys and the whole family got free meals...both days. It was pretty sweet.

[Wilhelm]

"So, you'd have them racing with a tow truck out there on the grass and then the apron? I've seen workers hit by spinning cars even under a caution."

No Milt. I wouldnt let them race if the incident was a STALLED/CRASHED car CLOSE to the track. But I have seen some cases where the guy just loops it a few times without hitting anything and goes on his way at somewhat reduced speed way down low on the track off the racing line , and they throw a caution .

[byfdinky]

I had to turn the channel after the first 3 laps due to instant drafting. Did they do drafting out of the gate last year? I'm sure it's because those cars are required to be built with such rules that they are completly alike in performance. Drafting is the only way you would have an advantage. I realize it's part of racing but not on the first lap!

[VaSteve]

Originally Posted by byfdinky

I had to turn the channel after the first 3 laps due to instant drafting. Did they do drafting out of the gate last year? I'm sure it's because those cars are required to be built with such rules that they are completly alike in performance. Drafting is the only way you would have an advantage. I realize it's part of racing but not on the first lap!

At the speedways (Daytona and Talladega) they have to draft. The cars are so powerful, NASCAR (the sanctioning body) cripples the performance to keep the speed somewhat reasonable. If you don't get in a draft from the beginning, you would get lapped be everyone else doing it. At these two tracks most of the cars finish on the lead lap, if they haven't gone back to the garage or got messed up with a spin.

At other tracks guys get lapped all the time.

They claim the cars aren't completely alike in performance. The guys always talk about having a "good car" or a "bad car". Most of the guys that watch this understand HP and whatnot, it would be more interesting to understand what made a car "good" or "bad".

A couple of interesting facts....a guy from Roush Fenway (the top Ford team) had one of the old chassis in front of the Lowes...all painted up with Scotts fertilized. I got chatting with the guy...he said that they track every bit of that chassis....like an airplane...what tracks it's been on, what spins/wrecks it's had, etc. etc. This one had been cycled out. They build them from scratch with this amazing tolerance (it has to fit inside a template AT the track). If you did it wrong, I think you can try and fix it and get remeasured.

I was also reading that the new Ford engine was designed with all this crazy work and flow in the heads such the head cylinder has it's own cooling circuit. Not chained/linked together as a typical V8. The idea was each cylinder would be exactly the same temperature. Some of the teams lease the engines from the bigger teams (like Wood Bros. did this weekend). You will sometimes hear the crew chief tell the winning driver not to blow the engine up during the burnout.

[dd74]

Funny...these days, I consider Toyota, Subaru, Honda, Mercedes Benz and BMW to be American cars. Just as much as Ford, GM and Chrysler.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm

"So, you'd have them racing with a tow truck out there on the grass and then the apron? I've seen workers hit by spinning cars even under a caution."

No Milt. I wouldnt let them race if the incident was a STALLED/CRASHED car CLOSE to the track. But I have seen some cases where the guy just loops it a few times without hitting anything and goes on his way at somewhat reduced speed way down low on the track off the racing line , and they throw a caution .

You need to think this through. I have worked a NASCAR race as a safety worker. I don't care if the car is still running and can limp to the pit. The other cars at speed can close very quickly. The longest tracks are Daytona and Talladega and laps are turned in the low 50 second range. That gives the limping car about 30 seconds to clear the racing surface after coming to a rest which includes anything on the track side of the walls and barriers.

Spinning cars often throw grass and dirt up on the track. The reason for the spin can be a fluid leak. Lots of times a few parts fall off. Until the situation can be assessed, a caution is just that, a cautionary approach to the conditions of the track. They just come around too quickly. What is a lap at Bristol, 15 seconds?

You might want to attend a pre race safety meeting sometime, even at your local DE. There is a reason you must pit if you spin and if a local yellow flager sees something, the track will go red (or black).

[afterburn 549]

WHAT does Nasty Car and WWB wrestling have in common? EVERTTHING !
and both so suck!...just like modern country music

[chapo]

Racing is over, its all been done. Its all been developed. The cars can go faster than the drivers can react. The technical aspect has been developed past the drivers ability. the reason racing in the 60's to 70's is revered as the golden age is because of the search for ultimate engineering. everything, from NASCAR to ALMS is regulated now because of tech. advances. Thats why there is a huge following for vintage racing with the oddball cars running and different designs, engines, etc.

[Radioactive]

Drag Racing, Top Fuel doesn't even go 1/4 mile any more.