Why do they always drive to the left?

S

speedconcept

Guest
Besides the obvious road race courses.

Why do they drive to the left, how come they never drive to the right on oval tracks?




:blink:
 
Simple physics. The earth rotates in a clock wise motion of course. Thus, the drivers must drive to the left in an attempt to offset the latent centrifugal forces at work. The quantum aspects of this are thus far unknown, however and many speculate that this could---in theory, mind you----cause a potential increase in the amount of ozone in the atmosphere.This in turn could eventually lead to the oft-feared 'pole tippage' refered to in the works of Greenbergar of Sweden. God...let's hope that doesnt happen.

Good question, btw.
 
I was hoping this question would start some big debate because honestly, I bet there is no honest answer out there.

What would the drivers and their teams do if nascar decided to make half the races in the opposite direction?

:D
 
speedconcept, it is an interesting question. One that I certainly don't have the answer for.

Welcome aboard!
 
I'm a lurker and have been curious of this myself.

Why not drive in the opposite direction? Can you imagine Daytona being ran backwards? could be interesting
 
And a hearty welcome to you too, Blubbery!

Hope you folks enjoy yourselves here! :bounce:
 
It is simple. Turning right at a high speed would expose the driver to serious injury should he hit the wall. Blow a left front tire turning right and well. For the life of me I am not quite sure why they have not centered the driver in the ****pit.
 
Originally posted by 97forever@Mar 9 2004, 12:58 PM
Its a scary thought eh, Bow? :ph34r:
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Not really...might actually get us some decent weather :D
 
Originally posted by N2racin88@Mar 9 2004, 01:01 PM
It is simple.  Turning right at a high speed would expose the driver to serious injury should he hit the wall.    Blow a left front tire turning right and well.    For the life of me I am not quite sure why they have not centered the driver in the ****pit.
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That doesn't explain why Cart, F1 and any other series race the same way, their all "centered" in the ****pit. So the chances would be the same right?

I can understand the risk factors of the driver being exposed to the wall, but then again, hitting a wall at 160mph from any direction is gonna hurt... LOL
 
They turn to the left because that's the way God intended stock cars to turn. But if Brian France could figure out a way to make an extra nickle by having them turn right, you better believe they'll be doing it posthaste.
 
F1 are strictly road course I believe. CART um is broke. :lol: IRL is modeled after NASCAR. Believe me when I say this. Almost all concussions in NASCAR happen when the driver hits driver side. Even the slightest hit can cause a concussion. Dale Jr's Dover wreck comes to mind. I have see some of the most wicked hits passenger side and most drivers walk away.
 
Hmm I'm still not convinced even though that is a very valid point.

Hmmm... Someone ask Richard Petty, he's like 100 isn't he? he would know.... :wacko:
 
I have heard the reasoniong before, and it happened long before cars started racing.
The Brits raced their horses going right so America went left. Stock cars usually started racing on horse tracks, so they just followed suite and turned left too.
 
Welcome to the rookies! To answer your question, actually several times last year Todd Bodine did in fact try to drive turning right and as we have seen, it will not be long until 'the Sauter move' will go to a right hand opposite direction! :lol:
 
are you saying that a toilet, if properly designed couldn't flush the opposite direction?
 
Aye. But a drain runs in the opposite direction south of the equator. Nobody has told me yet what exactly happens on the equator though. I heard that water refuses to go down the drain.
 
Originally posted by JG2018@Mar 9 2004, 02:29 PM
vortex. Go flush your toilet and see what happens.
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Whaddaya mean, flush? I just hang off a tree branch and let gravity do the rest...
 
Originally posted by Blubbery@Mar 9 2004, 07:34 PM
are you saying that a toilet, if properly designed couldn't flush the opposite direction?
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I mean a toilet that flushes in the traditional way a toilet flushes.
 
Toilets flush in the opposite direction when south of the equator, now if you are actually sitting on the equator I'll guess things just go strait down...
 
Boy, this thread went straight down the toilet didn't it!!!
 

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Originally posted by redrock@Mar 9 2004, 02:56 PM
Toilets flush in the opposite direction when south of the equator, now if you are actually sitting on the equator I'll guess things just go strait down...
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...or straight UP! :flushed:
 
I know this was a serious question to begin with and maybe eventually some informed historian will answer.

In the meantime, EMP needs a BATH after all that letting nature and gravity take over.
 
Yeah I really would like to know.

Looks like the whole "only turn left" controversy just needs some updating. Why not turn right for a whole race? B)
 
They do that at the local dirt track here aropund home, they call it the bombadier race I believe. Its a two man event, one drives turning left for 50 laps and then they stop and the other one drives turning right for 50 laps. It can get downright hilarious :lol: .
 
There was a late model driver and one of his buddies racing it one year in a Lincoln TownCar. They had a flat and came to the pits for his crew to change his flat and when the two guys finished changing the tire they got in the backseat and finished the race with him. :lol:
 
Originally posted by speedconcept@Mar 9 2004, 11:53 AM
I was hoping this question would start some big debate because honestly, I bet there is no honest answer out there.

What would the drivers and their teams do if nascar decided to make half the races in the opposite direction?

:D
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not sure if this has ben said yet but I bet its pretty close to the real truth!

While at IMS lat summer we watched a movie about the indy 500. In that movie it mentioned that the reason they race counter clockwise is to be diffrent from europe. When America was started they wanted everything to be diffrent from the " mother land" Thats also why we drive on the other side of the road.
 
And the reason we have a F#*&ed up system of measurement that's different then the rest of the world.

Do they even really do oval racing in europe anywhere? Other than horses and that special dirt bike racing?
 
I agree with the idea that right turns would put the driver at greater risk. The drivers side of the car would hit the wall first over 80% of the time. Someone would get hurt or even killed.
 
Still, not dissagreeing about the driver being at more of a risk but I don't think this really had anything to do with them deciding that all oval racing should be done going counter clockwise.

Shoot, wasn't daytona originally done on the beach and there was no wall to worry about there...granted they weren't going as fast but the question still remains...

why not go the other way?
 
This may be the same concept as basketball. Why is the goal 10 ft off the ground. Answer- The guy that created basketball just happen to nail the basket 10 ft off the grown when he put it up. so that is the way it stayed. Maybe at Daytona they race down the beach and just happen to turn left away from the water and that's the way it been ever since. :lol: Just a thought.
 
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