J
Jeremy
Guest
I noticed on sunday that Tonly Stewart was driving down pit road without his helmet on. NASCAR has a rule against this, and Stewart should be fined for breaking the rules. Just my opinion. LETS GO RACIN!!
S
Steve007
Guest
Show me the rule that states you have to have your helmet on while driving down pit road.
I can see no reason to get all hot about a driver doing 35mph on pit road without his helmet.
P
Patrick9999
Guest
Gimme a break!
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Is there a rule that states something that??? when DID he take it off???
P
Patrick9999
Guest
Inside Nextel Cup was talking about it. It looks like he had his helmet off when he stopped in his pit box. Basically, It's the media grasping at straws.
I've seen a crew chief on pit road with no helmet - which seems more dangerous.
BTW, I have no clue what the rules state.
I've seen a crew chief on pit road with no helmet - which seems more dangerous.
BTW, I have no clue what the rules state.
I have it on video, I think he had it off under caution before he got on pit road.
Big deal.
How bout jump up and down on his shoulder blade, too.
Big deal.
How bout jump up and down on his shoulder blade, too.
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
BobbyFord said:
If it was the Busch boys it would be totally different ......
Bucky Badger said:
They'd already be under the bus.
D
D.E.I Fan
Guest
i made sense to me for Stweart to already have his helmet off and belts undone. If there is a rule for having the helmet off i could understand that but I also understand why nascar wouldnt fine Stweart cause he was injured and didnt want to loose a lap.
E
Eagle1
Guest
As big a Tony fan as I am, I thought Dave D. made a good point, (can't remember if it was Wind Tunnel or INC) about remembering what happened to Park under caution.
Excuse me, it wasn't Tony that said that, it was Dave.
And yes I think it's dangerous and Tony should be fined.
Excuse me, it wasn't Tony that said that, it was Dave.
And yes I think it's dangerous and Tony should be fined.
Betsy
Team Owner
So if there IS a rule it says "if you are injured and don't want to lose a lap you can take it off"?
Betsy
Betsy
What about JR with out gloves he got fined and that was under yellow......what make this any differnt?
L
LeDoux22
Guest
i dunno if there's a rule about helmets, if there isn't there should be. or maybe NASCAR just happened to not be looking..
they turned theyre heads to look at the "debris" in turn 1 that may have "fallen" from raines' car...LeDoux22 said:i dunno if there's a rule about helmets, if there isn't there should be. or maybe NASCAR just happened to not be looking..
M
Mopardh9
Guest
Mysteries abound in Nascar, there is one every week it seems.
MRM
Team Owner
Yeah, he had the helmet off down the backstretch before he pitted. Another example of the mainstream media creating their own story.BobbyFord said:
Whizzer
Gig'em
Actually, there should be, if there isn't already, a rule about unhooking a seat belt, dropping the window net, removing safety equipment of any kind BEFORE all other cars are lined behind the pace car and running at caution speed.
Any driver who does not follow these common sense precautions is inviting trouble.
Any driver who does not follow these common sense precautions is inviting trouble.
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Whizzer said:
Exactly!!!!
Who ever said drivers display common sense?
T
This Buds For Me
Guest
i like Tony...but this wasnt a smart move.
Kurt Busch was black flagged a few weeks ago because of a window net that came loose....
Kurt Busch was black flagged a few weeks ago because of a window net that came loose....
M
Mopardh9
Guest
Is sense common? Well this just shows that there is another grey area in the Rule book. I think that a rule will be made official on this very soon, if in fact there is not one already somewhere in Nascars' official bible.
S
steveluvs3
Guest
Lap3Forever said:
M
Mopardh9
Guest
I believe it is a rule that you have to wear fire resistant gloves in Nascar. I could be wrong , but wasn't this implemented about 2 years ago?
buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
Hmmm, seems like I remember something like this being implemented, but then again, not. Anyone know for sure about whether gloves are mandated or not?
E
Eagle1
Guest
Jr. did not get fined, because there was NO rule to require them at the time. I'm not sure if they made a rule after the incident, but at that time there was none.
As far as the helmet and stuff, I think common sense should play into that and Tony should've been more cautious. BUT... I believe the rule is.... "while on the RACING surface". Nothing would be said or done going down pit road, remember, Tony did an extra lap or 2 letting the bulk of cars enter and exit pit road before he made his stop.
As far as the helmet and stuff, I think common sense should play into that and Tony should've been more cautious. BUT... I believe the rule is.... "while on the RACING surface". Nothing would be said or done going down pit road, remember, Tony did an extra lap or 2 letting the bulk of cars enter and exit pit road before he made his stop.
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
BobbyFord said:
Eagle1 said:
So, Eagle1, what if BobbyFord is saying is correct???
M
Mopardh9
Guest
If that is correct , then Tony was in a flagrant violation of the rules, but i still haven't seen this anywhere else but on this board. If indeed Tony took off his helmet while traveling down the backstretch, then don't you think a bigger stink would of been made about it or is Nascar covering it up?
E
Eagle1
Guest
Do you REALLY need me to express my opinion again?Bucky Badger said:
#1 I already said in previous posts I think Tony should be fined if he broke the rules. Furthermore, even "IF" he didn't actually break a rule (like Jr & the gloves) he should atleast get an a$$ chewing for not using good common sense.
So I'm at a lose to just exactly what it is you want me to tell you?
My answer was quite complete. "IF" there is proof Tony was not wearing his helmet out on the track, he should be fined.
I also said ....."I believe..." as I do not know if this is the exact wording of the rule, BUT if it is close, I think it is self explanitory .
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Eagle1 said:
There is know way he could get all that stuff off "Just" coming down pit road.
Thats a no brainer.
H
hendricksfan
Guest
Whizzer said:
Totally agree with you.
Here's an article from Sporting News that mirrors what I said about Tony having his gear off before pit road. Under yellow flag speed, I don't think it is a big deal. Apparently NASCAR didn't either.
Stewart stays on track despite hurting
June 5, 2006
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ricky Rudd once had to duct tape his swollen eyes open to race. Davey Allison, driving with a broken hand, had to glue Velcro onto his cast and the steering wheel so he could grip it.
Dale Earnhardt raced with a broken sternum and Darrell Waltrip did it with a broken leg. Even safety-conscious Jeff Burton admits to once racing while battling a bout of vertigo.
So there was no surprise when reigning NASCAR champion Tony Stewart got behind the wheel and raced 37 laps on Sunday with a broken shoulder blade.
Stewart, with only one good arm, is still a better driver than most motorists. Heck, Stewart blindfolded could probably hold his own in rush hour traffic.
That doesn't make it right.
NASCAR has no disabled list, and its rigid points system makes playing hurt an absolute necessity. Last place gets a driver 34 points toward their pursuit of the Nextel Cup championship, while missing the race gets him nothing. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that 34 is better than zero, making the reward far more valuable than the risk.
So drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. are forced to hide a concussion (as he claims he did in 2002), or withstand the pain from serious third-degree burns (2004) all for the sake of racing.
There's got to be something seriously wrong with a system when a guy like Sterling Marlin is willing to check himself out of a burn center, fly to a race to run a handful of laps, then check himself back into the hospital.
At a time when NASCAR is pushing forward with its safety-centered Car of Tomorrow, energy-absorbing SAFER barriers have become standard at race tracks and everyone has their eye out for the latest technology, it's hard to believe the sanctioning body would allow an injured driver to compete.
As long as a driver has a doctors note clearing him to compete, NASCAR won't stand in his way. The same goes for the fellow competitors, who trust that a driver wouldn't race unless he was well enough to do so.
"I have no concerns at all racing against somebody with a broken leg or a broken scapula or a broken wrist," Burton said. "If Tony believes he's ready to go, then he's ready to go."
So Stewart was playing within the rules when he tapped Rudd to be on standby for him all weekend in Dover. Rudd practiced the car and qualified it, and the two did a mock run of getting Stewart out and Rudd in during a pit road driver exchange.
But when it was time to go green, Stewart had to be behind the wheel to keep his championship hopes alive. So long as he started the race and completed one lap, he could turn the car over to Rudd at any point and still receive all the points.
If Stewart was feeling the pain, he didn't show it. He wasted no time moving up through the field, even going three-wide on a pass just five laps into the race. When the first caution finally came out -- the scheduled time for Stewart to give up the wheel -- he had worked his way up to 25th.
Stewart had his helmet and safety devices off before he got to pit road (another safety hazard), got out of the car, then Rudd got in and away in a 52-second exchange.
Rudd finished the race in 25th place, earning Stewart 88 points toward his championship defense. It was enough to keep him in the hunt -- he dropped from fourth to fifth in the standings, but it could have been much worse.
"I was glad to get the caution when we got it," Stewart said after getting out of the car. "I feel like I got beat up. We did what we had to do there, it was a lot longer run than we were hoping for."
He did what he had to do. Don't blame Stewart, who had no choice but to manage his pain and race for as long as he could.
But the time has come for NASCAR to do something about this antiquated policy.
Of course, there's no easy solution. Offering a "mulligan" for one race a year wouldn't really work because drivers could exploit that system.
"I think that would be hard to govern," competition director Robin Pemberton said. "As drivers are, they don't like every race track they go to and they might come down with the sniffles or something the week before they go to Bristol, or Talladega or (Charlotte) or a road course."
Requiring a driver to stay in the car until the halfway mark of the race, as some have suggested, is also iffy. If the point is getting injured drivers off the track, forcing them to stay in the car a little longer to earn their points sort of defeats the purpose.
Aside from a major change to the scoring system, there's not an easy answer. But NASCAR needs to find a way to fix this broken system before an injured driver hurts himself -- or someone else -- even worse.
Stewart stays on track despite hurting
June 5, 2006
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ricky Rudd once had to duct tape his swollen eyes open to race. Davey Allison, driving with a broken hand, had to glue Velcro onto his cast and the steering wheel so he could grip it.
Dale Earnhardt raced with a broken sternum and Darrell Waltrip did it with a broken leg. Even safety-conscious Jeff Burton admits to once racing while battling a bout of vertigo.
So there was no surprise when reigning NASCAR champion Tony Stewart got behind the wheel and raced 37 laps on Sunday with a broken shoulder blade.
Stewart, with only one good arm, is still a better driver than most motorists. Heck, Stewart blindfolded could probably hold his own in rush hour traffic.
That doesn't make it right.
NASCAR has no disabled list, and its rigid points system makes playing hurt an absolute necessity. Last place gets a driver 34 points toward their pursuit of the Nextel Cup championship, while missing the race gets him nothing. It doesn't take a mathematician to figure out that 34 is better than zero, making the reward far more valuable than the risk.
So drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr. are forced to hide a concussion (as he claims he did in 2002), or withstand the pain from serious third-degree burns (2004) all for the sake of racing.
There's got to be something seriously wrong with a system when a guy like Sterling Marlin is willing to check himself out of a burn center, fly to a race to run a handful of laps, then check himself back into the hospital.
At a time when NASCAR is pushing forward with its safety-centered Car of Tomorrow, energy-absorbing SAFER barriers have become standard at race tracks and everyone has their eye out for the latest technology, it's hard to believe the sanctioning body would allow an injured driver to compete.
As long as a driver has a doctors note clearing him to compete, NASCAR won't stand in his way. The same goes for the fellow competitors, who trust that a driver wouldn't race unless he was well enough to do so.
"I have no concerns at all racing against somebody with a broken leg or a broken scapula or a broken wrist," Burton said. "If Tony believes he's ready to go, then he's ready to go."
So Stewart was playing within the rules when he tapped Rudd to be on standby for him all weekend in Dover. Rudd practiced the car and qualified it, and the two did a mock run of getting Stewart out and Rudd in during a pit road driver exchange.
But when it was time to go green, Stewart had to be behind the wheel to keep his championship hopes alive. So long as he started the race and completed one lap, he could turn the car over to Rudd at any point and still receive all the points.
If Stewart was feeling the pain, he didn't show it. He wasted no time moving up through the field, even going three-wide on a pass just five laps into the race. When the first caution finally came out -- the scheduled time for Stewart to give up the wheel -- he had worked his way up to 25th.
Stewart had his helmet and safety devices off before he got to pit road (another safety hazard), got out of the car, then Rudd got in and away in a 52-second exchange.
Rudd finished the race in 25th place, earning Stewart 88 points toward his championship defense. It was enough to keep him in the hunt -- he dropped from fourth to fifth in the standings, but it could have been much worse.
"I was glad to get the caution when we got it," Stewart said after getting out of the car. "I feel like I got beat up. We did what we had to do there, it was a lot longer run than we were hoping for."
He did what he had to do. Don't blame Stewart, who had no choice but to manage his pain and race for as long as he could.
But the time has come for NASCAR to do something about this antiquated policy.
Of course, there's no easy solution. Offering a "mulligan" for one race a year wouldn't really work because drivers could exploit that system.
"I think that would be hard to govern," competition director Robin Pemberton said. "As drivers are, they don't like every race track they go to and they might come down with the sniffles or something the week before they go to Bristol, or Talladega or (Charlotte) or a road course."
Requiring a driver to stay in the car until the halfway mark of the race, as some have suggested, is also iffy. If the point is getting injured drivers off the track, forcing them to stay in the car a little longer to earn their points sort of defeats the purpose.
Aside from a major change to the scoring system, there's not an easy answer. But NASCAR needs to find a way to fix this broken system before an injured driver hurts himself -- or someone else -- even worse.
N
N2racin44
Guest
DENNY HAMLIN SHOULD GET FINED!!!!!!
OMG! He took his safety equipment off while on the track and the CAR WAS MOVING!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG! He took his safety equipment off while on the track and the CAR WAS MOVING!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
E
Eagle1
Guest
N2racin88 said:
