Superspeedway cars will get safety enhancements

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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NASCAR will implement structural enhancements to vehicles competing in the Sprint Cup and XFINIY Series next season for races at its two biggest facilities, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, in an effort to provide additional protection to its competitors.

A rules bulletin to teams Thursday detailed the safety measures, which affect the front firewall and foot box areas, rear roll cage area behind the driver as well as along the left side door area of the driver's compartment.

Referred to as anti-intrusion panels, the thickness of the pieces has been increased for additional strength and to allow each to be welded more significantly, according to officials.

MORE HERE.....

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-me...s-superspeedway-racing-daytona-talladega.html
 
How far would the banking have to be reduced to make the tracks 'safe?' I venure that even 9-10 degrees of banking would still allow the cars to achieve enough straightaway speed to require plates (Indy and Pocono can't really be comparisons because of their unique layouts)
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
NASCAR will implement structural enhancements to vehicles competing in the Sprint Cup and XFINIY Series next season for races at its two biggest facilities, Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, in an effort to provide additional protection to its competitors.

A rules bulletin to teams Thursday detailed the safety measures, which affect the front firewall and foot box areas, rear roll cage area behind the driver as well as along the left side door area of the driver's compartment.

Referred to as anti-intrusion panels, the thickness of the pieces has been increased for additional strength and to allow each to be welded more significantly, according to officials.

MORE HERE.....

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-me...s-superspeedway-racing-daytona-talladega.html
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SCARY

Even with the SAFER barrier, Patrick's impact bent the gas, brake and clutch pedals inside her No. 10 Chevrolet and according to Greg Zipadelli, Vice President of Competition for SHR, "the steering column was moved a ton."
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29-4 said:
How far would the banking have to be reduced to make the tracks 'safe?' I venure that even 9-10 degrees of banking would still allow the cars to achieve enough straightaway speed to require plates (Indy and Pocono can't really be comparisons because of their unique layouts)
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Flat enough so they'd have to use the brakes going into turns 1, 3, and maybe even the front stretch dogleg; like they have to for the turns at Indy and Pocono.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
... There is no such thing as a safe track.
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No, but some are safer than others. All most all are safer than they used to be, although to varying degrees.

Remember why the restrictor plates are used in the first place. It's not about driver safety; it's about keeping the cars out of the grandstands. The last couple of years, even that's been a near thing.
 
The catch fences are the real problem. They need to be more fence and less catch, if you know what I mean!

I always thought that putting up plexiglass like hockey has would improve the fencing. The "glass" could be thicker than what is used in hockey so there would be less of an issue with it breaking. The only issue is the noise would be greatly reduced behind the fences. That could be a show stopper.
 
LouieLouie said:
The catch fences are the real problem. They need to be more fence and less catch, if you know what I mean!

I always thought that putting up plexiglass like hockey has would improve the fencing. The "glass" could be thicker than what is used in hockey so there would be less of an issue with it breaking. The only issue is the noise would be greatly reduced behind the fences. That could be a show stopper.
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Chain link is cheap. Plexiglass around a race track would have to be several times taller and gods-only-know how many times longer. I also wonder if it would have to be so thick it would distort the light.

Spectators could all be seated along the backstretch. Maybe that would be safer than on the front doglegs and finish lines, where most of the trouble has been in the last few years. Oops, too late.
 
RacerrecaR said:
Why are these safety improvements only being developed for superspeedway races?
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They're not. They are for all tracks, but being phased in to avoid obsoleting the entire fleet of chassis. Required at all tracks in 2018.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Nobody's tearing through the fence at Cali and MIch like they've done at Daytona and Talladega.
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Not yet! Only takes one incident to make it happen. We never used to use the HANS device or seat belts or safer barriers, but things happen, life changes.
 
LouieLouie said:
Not yet! Only takes one incident to make it happen. We never used to use the HANS device or seat belts or safer barriers, but things happen, life changes.
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Be proactive if you wish. I'd prefer to see the demonstrated problems dealt with in a better way before going after the hypothetical ones. I'll deal with one set; you deal with the others.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Be proactive if you wish. I'd prefer to see the demonstrated problems dealt with in a better way before going after the hypothetical ones. I'll deal with one set; you deal with the others.
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I don't have an answer to the catch fence problem. All I'm saying is that the catch fence is not the safest thing on the planet and is becoming more and more dated with each passing season. I don't think they should change the banking, and there is risk in racing, I understand that, but some things just need to be updated. I wish I had a better answer for the catch fence but I don't. I might be a millionaire if I can figure it out though!
 
From Brad K's Media Center appearance this morning.....

Brad Keselowski, who wrecked at Watkins Glen this week, said he always has considered road courses as the most dangerous places. "Odds are that if 100 people take that hit, one or two are not going to be standing here anymore," he said. He wishes there was not as long a runoff area at places such as Watkins Glen but understands the need because track is used for many amateur racers who can stop their cars in that area as opposed to the high-speed Sprint Cup cars.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
From Brad K's Media Center appearance this morning.....

Brad Keselowski, who wrecked at Watkins Glen this week, said he always has considered road courses as the most dangerous places. "Odds are that if 100 people take that hit, one or two are not going to be standing here anymore," he said. He wishes there was not as long a runoff area at places such as Watkins Glen but understands the need because track is used for many amateur racers who can stop their cars in that area as opposed to the high-speed Sprint Cup cars.
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Well that contradicts all the people here who say the Glen needs more runoff
 
kkfan91 said:
Well that contradicts all the people here who say the Glen needs more runoff
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I saw Brad's comments live, and I read this article, and I don't think he said what DPK quoted, or at least I didn't hear it. What he said Turn 1 needs is a less head-on angle.
 
^ The full article that I linked reports accurately on what Kez said, IMO.
 
LewTheShoe said:
^ The full article that I linked reports accurately on what Kez said, IMO.
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Trust me, I don't make sh!t up. I posted what was posted from the Media Center this morning. Don't shoot the messenger. What I posted could easily have been from a conversation outside of the video that both you & I were watching. We don't see everything that goes on there.
 
^ I'm not a fan of Daytona or Talladega racing, but I recognize that Nascar has done a lot to make them safer, including their own specs for engines, chassis, and bodies. Also, race procedures specifically designed for those tracks, to mitigate dangers to some extent.

Additionally, it strikes me as perverse to believe all other (non-restrictor plate) safety advances are somehow neutralized by those 4 plate races. They're not. Worthwhile safety advances can come from many different places, and they all need to be looked for.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Trust me, I don't make sh!t up. I posted what was posted from the Media Center this morning. Don't shoot the messenger.
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I know that. It was clear you pasted a summary from somewhere.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
From Brad K's Media Center appearance this morning.....

Brad Keselowski, who wrecked at Watkins Glen this week, said he always has considered road courses as the most dangerous places. "Odds are that if 100 people take that hit, one or two are not going to be standing here anymore," he said. He wishes there was not as long a runoff area at places such as Watkins Glen but understands the need because track is used for many amateur racers who can stop their cars in that area as opposed to the high-speed Sprint Cup cars.
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I've never understood in an era when everyone wets their pants about the potential for a driver breaking his pinky that we still race around Watkins Glen with guardrails.
 
@keselowski

I accept the risk of being a professional NASCAR race car driver at all tracks and plan on returning to @WGI undaunted by this week's wreck.
 
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