Possible New Rules?

[kat2220]

Tony Stewart's crash on Friday may spur NASCAR officials to consider new chassis rules mandating heavier springs at some tracks, in response to this season's rush to very soft springs by stock-car teams. Soft springs allow a car to settle lower on the track, and thus improves aerodynamics and cornering, but at the expense of abusing the tires. There is also speculation that NASCAR, when its 2006 rules are announced later this summer, may call for even shorter rear spoilers next season, to take away more downforce and make the cars harder to drive.(Journal Now)

 

[BobbyFord]

They should just go back to the harder tire compound and let them race. It seems every time NASCAR tries to change things for the better, it turns out worse. That's certainly not going to help the "aero-push".
What's next...linking them together like a roller coaster?

 

[Kyle48]

...no what will be next is NASCAR, in it's infinate wisdom- will mandate a kit-car, and remove the 'look' of different cars. Moving more toward F1 where it's the driver and the engine. I love open-wheel racing, and the drivers are talented, but if NASCAR is seriously heading in that 'general' direction, I wish we'd see fuel injection and traction control. TC would be safer, and if NASCAR keeps beating the 'production' bible, then we need to see fuel injection in the cars.

- k y l e

 

[PureDeathRacing]

Ok lets talk tires........
When will Na$car start looking hard at Goodyear's tires??? This year the tires have sucked and no one wants to mention it. Either Na$car has screwed with the cars so much the tire can't take it, or the tire just plain SUCK! I think it's the tires, yeah some have talked about the set-ups too. Now less downforce can't hurt tires....

 

[boB]

It seems to me that everyone, fans, drivers, crewchiefs, et all, wanted a softer compound so that races wouldn't be decided by fuel mileage.

NASCAR and Goodyear came up with a softer tire and shorter spoiler in an attempt to accomplish this and it would appear that the solution is working.

Goodyear brings the tires (something like 16 different compounds for the different tracks) and makes recommendations for spring and shock rates along with tire pressures. If a team decides to ignore those recommendations, how can anyone with an once of intelligence blame the tire company when the tires fail?

If the tires are such junk, why is it that only certain teams seem to be having so many problems with them every week?

Back when NASCAR let the teams "run whatcha brung" as so many like to call it, fans complained, whined, cried and carried on, much as they do now, only because at that time there were only two or perhaps three cars on the lead lap and it wasn't all that unusual to have the winner several laps ahead of the second place finisher. I can remember at least one show when the winner was something like six laps ahead of second place.

Either we have rules which promote close competition, or we have shows which are runaways for certain teams.
It just doesn't work out any other way.

Not that long ago, there might be two or three cars (teams) capable of winning any given weekend; today there's probably twenty-five or thirty strong contenders and any car that makes the show just might get lucky and pull off an upset.
It would seem that lots of fans forget that even those single car teams (actually there is no such thing as a single car team. All the teams have cars for nearly every different track) are multi-million dollar operations. They're not running in the Cup series on the owners pocket change.

Look at the TV ratings, the number of fans who spend literally hundreds of dollars to attend events and the amount of souviner sales generated every year; then come and try to convince me that NASCAR isn't doing something right!

 

[Eagle1]

Damn boB, this is the second thread I've read and think you've hit it right on the money. LOL

 

[kat2220]

boB is right, and when you think about it, competition is the name of the game. One also needs to take into consideration the mandated safety rules and changes made by NASCAR to protect the drivers whether they like it or not. Stewart balked at the Hahns but had to accept it.

 

[boB]

Kat,

I remember when drivers fought against having to use seat belts (the arguement was they were safer being thrown away from the wreck), they didn't want rollbars (never could figure this one out, other than that it added weight in the wrong place in the car), they fought against shoulder belts (too restraining), they fought against fire suits (to hot and made them itch), the didn't want to wear gloves (to hot and couldn't feel the steering wheel through them). The HANS device is only one more item in a long line that stockcar drivers have complained about.

I also remember being told very early in life that it wasn't a good idea to get too friendly with other racers because the chances were better than 50/50 that they might not be around by the end of the season.

As far as the springs, shocks and tires are concerned, some of the teams feel they can go faster by pushing the envelope just a little bit beyond and they are paying the price.

Of course we know which teams are pushing the envelope just enough to be winning, too.

It's all nothing more than another weekend in the wonderful world of NASCAR!

Oh yeah, I really do know how to spell ounce, just never remember that pesky little "u" for some reason.
Senior mental block, maybe??

The sun is shining here in the beautiful Lakes Region of New Hampshire, the birds are singing and the cats are going crazy trying to get through the screens this morning and my ten year old grandson is coming over to help me in the shop today.
Life is good?
I guess.

 

[boB]

There is an article over at That'sRacin this morning about a 70 year old driver who was killed this last weekend because he refused to use any head/neck restraint system or a new and safer style seat.
He died of head and chest injuries.

Wasn't it Forrest Gump who said something about "Stupid is as stupid does."?

Sad, but....