We Know it’s a Problem
I’m shocked… no… really, I’m shocked.
I was under the misconception it was 2006. Yet there I was scoping out what appeared to be the 2006 Bud Shootout and it looked for all the world like 2005 all over again. (Does this mean I must toss out my 2006 fantasy Desperate Housewives Calender?)
There was so much banging, slamming, “bump drafting,” crashing and the years first penalty controversy before points are even being counted, it had reigning Champion Tony Stewart sounding an alarm.
Stewart said ”bump drafting” was out of control, with drivers slamming into competitors heading into turns, running through them and coming out of them.”We’re sitting here watching television before we came down here and they’re talking about the tribute to Dale Earnhardt,” Stewart said. ”Well, five years from now we’re going to have to do another tribute to another driver because we’re probably going to kill somebody from Wednesday through Sunday.
”It could be me. It could be Dale Jr. It could be anybody out there.”
In another sign the calender didn’t flip away from December’s Red Hot Teri Hatcher, NASCAR “Spokesmodel” Jim Hunter (A/K/A “never met a talking point I didn’t like”) is still making himself look the fool in response to Stewart.
”It’s become a problem,” Hunter said of bump drafting. ”We know it’s a problem. “Any solution that we look for, we have to make sure we don’t make the cars less safe instead of more safe. That’s the No. 1 thing.”We’ve got to make sure that whatever we do to cars that it’s scientific and not shade tree. We’ve thought about this before. I think we’ll ratchet up the research and get a lot more input, but I don’t think it will happen before the Daytona 500.”
Ratchet up the research?! Shouldn’t this have been accomplished at minimum a year ago? The practice has been around for a few years now, what’s different now?
Oh wait I know, a current Champion has spoken out, I see. Despite Hunter’s thoughts to the contrary the fix isn’t found under the nearest oak tree or in a volume of “Rocket Science 101.” A quick comparison of under hood differences between a superspeedway car and a car built for a mile and a half oval is all it takes.
A Talladega/Daytona car has enough “steel girders” reinforcing the front bumper you could build a new San Francisco Bay Bridge. No reinforcements equals no bump drafting. It’s a simple equation. Really it is.
And BTW those reinforements compromise safety and not just because drivers are willing to play bumper tag at 190mph. A stronger front end transfers more energy to the driver in a crash. More force, more chances for injury, and another simple equation.
Here’s a bet I’m willing to take. Sometime prior to the after 500 press conference ends NASCAR, via Hunter, will spin this into yet another bogus reason for the Car of Today. (formerly known as the Car of the Future.)
Oh, and there was a race winner to report. Rookie Denny Hamlin proved Joe Gibbs confidence in him was warranted by taking the prelude to the Great American Race. More on that later… I think.
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Tear Down the Damn Banking. It is the only perminent solution.
I don’t care how much it will cost. How much is a drivers life worth?
I’ve heard a few people advocate lowering the banking PhastPhil, but facts show it would be ineffective.
Pull out your tapes of the 4 events from the ‘05 Atlanta and Charlotte races and review them. Then check the internet for driver quotes after those 4 events.
You will soon find bump drafting was vigorously complained about by both drivers and a few owners having to pay the extra repair bills.
So, no your solution would not only fail to cure the problem that has spread away from DIS and TIS but would also drive NASCAR further away from it’s history
The fix at Daytona may be easier than we think; all you have to do is make the cars use the back straight chicane the Rolex and other road racers use. As for ‘Dega, install a similar chicane. A modest right hand swerve shouldn’t affect the car setups that much.
As for Marc’s comment on History, France is changing the face of his sport so quickly and so often, will history matter at all? Apparently not to Brian. A chicane woud be just one more effort at promoting safety.
Atlanta and Charlotte ares still at 24 degrees and 1.5 mile track. Daytona with 12 to 15 degree varible banking would make for long brakings zones which would make for easier passing and great racing. There is no over two mile track with the type of banking I’m advocating.
Charlottes new paving with varible banking is a start, and will be interesting to see how it shakes out.
Thanks for the great website, Phil
The answer is already there, at least at Daytona; make them use the backstraight chicane that the sports car drivers use. It shouldn’t be that difficult to adapt the car setup for one right swerve, and it would radically reduce the speeds in turns 3-4. The gearing required to accelerate out of the chicane would also reduce top speed. Get rid of the restrictor plates and let them race!
As far as tradition and history, Brian has so radically changed the face of the sport, does it really matter anymore? It’s time to adapt or die.