2015 NASCAR Thread - And then there was 1

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GTPorsche
The bodies aren't set up for that like LMP is. They have cowl and roof flaps for that same purpose.
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But they don't have anything for the rear of the car. Also I just read an amazing idea... what if they move the start/finish line to a straight part of the track...

GTPorsche
Looks to be 15-20 feet between poles. I can't find any specific details on it.
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I think its closer to 25 feet. (Post edit guess: 25 to 40 feet seems to vary widely)

Edit! I have a reference! As of Febuary 2013 the fence was 22 feet tall, has it been modified since then?

Daytona_International_Speedway.jpg


Source : http://www.smith-johnson.com/nascar-admits-catch-fence-system-failures-is-not-new
 
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Basically, the car made contact with the fence and then was thrown off in around 3.5 poles. So if they really are 20 feet apart, that's way less distance than I thought for it to go from 180+ to 20-30.
 
I'm not very knowledgable on tbese cars, but I'd much like to see them change something to keep the battle for the lead open. Nice to see Jr. start picking up wins again, but I don't want to know that he's going to win 50 laps ito the race. Whether it be a change to aero, or something else; you're at a plate track with two lines of 20+ cars in each line. You're telling me tbey can't pass one car because he has clean air? Don't get me wrong, he drove the wheels off that car last night, but I don't like seeing a battle for second.

Say, what would happen if NASCAR added something like Tudor or WEC (Not possitive if they do.) use, where leaders at the halfway, 25%, and 75% point of the race got a few bonus points? Might liven up the battle a bit. Of course, it wouldn't work if one car dominated the whole race.
 
Leadfoot530
I'm not very knowledgable on tbese cars, but I'd much like to see them change something to keep the battle for the lead open. Nice to see Jr. start picking up wins again, but I don't want to know that he's going to win 50 laps ito the race. Whether it be a change to aero, or something else; you're at a plate track with two lines of 20+ cars in each line. You're telling me tbey can't pass one car because he has clean air? Don't get me wrong, he drove the wheels off that car last night, but I don't like seeing a battle for second.

Say, what would happen if NASCAR added something like Tudor or WEC (Not possitive if they do.) use, where leaders at the halfway, 25%, and 75% point of the race got a few bonus points? Might liven up the battle a bit. Of course, it wouldn't work if one car dominated the whole race.
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That's kind of what it is, but in reality clean air isn't that important at plate races.

No, what is happening is very simple. The lead car is basically able to switch back and forth between the top and inside grooves to block people. They could do that back in the old pack racing, but the other cars would just pull out to another lane to get around them (The slingshot).

Now, however, with how the aero package is, you basically kill all the momentum of second and third place by blocking. Johnson's momentum was lost greatly when Jr. blocked him on the backstretch on the last lap.

That's why the only really big passes during the night were when Jr. or Jimmie would miss the block entirely and just get parachuted to the back.
 
Leadfoot530
Say, what would happen if NASCAR added something like Tudor or WEC (Not possitive if they do.) use, where leaders at the halfway, 25%, and 75% point of the race got a few bonus points? Might liven up the battle a bit. Of course, it wouldn't work if one car dominated the whole race.
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There was once a million dollar bonus (??) for leading the Daytona 500 at the halfway mark. I remember this very well, because a certain driver in the #56 car won it twice in a row. :p Not sure if anything like that exists now.

BTW, anyone else think the paint schemes this year look really ugly and depressing? Looking at this most recent race, most cars seem to have too much gray or black and not enough vibrant colors.
 
The simplest solution for fan safety is just to move them back. Sitting 20 feet behind the fence at ground level is never going to be safe. Sitting higher up and further back will be safer for the fans.
 
Having a fence that doesnt shred cars to pieces and toss them back onto the track where other cars could hit them would be nice.
 
A Lexan fence might be better than one made of wire and poles. Maybe plate steel with giant TV on the spectator side.

Another idea is to slow the cars down so they did not have the kinetic energy to break through the fence. Could also make them lighter.

If the idea is to slow the cars down, it could be done by modifying the tracks. Lower the banking or put in chicanes.
 
Dotini
A Lexan fence might be better than one made of wire and poles. Maybe plate steel with giant TV on the spectator side.

Another idea is to slow the cars down so they did not have the kinetic energy to break through the fence. Could also make them lighter.

If the idea is to slow the cars down, it could be done by modifying the tracks. Lower the banking or put in chicanes.
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I don't mean to sound stupid...but would making the cars lighter help in any way? Slowing them down to 180-190 is also a good idea there.

Heck, turning ovals into high speed road courses would be awesome. :3
 
catamount39
I don't mean to sound stupid...but would making the cars lighter help in any way?
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Kinetic energy to blast through a fence is partly a matter of velocity and mass. To lower the weight of a vehicle will make it less likely to go through a barrier, assuming the speed is the same.
 
Dotini
Kinetic energy to blast through a fence is partly a matter of velocity and mass. To lower the weight of a vehicle will make it less likely to go through a barrier, assuming the speed is the same.
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That's what I was thinking honestly. Make them noticeably lighter and slow them down by 10-20mph and the fence could be much more effective.
 
1. NASCAR will not turn Daytona or Talladega into a road course. They just won't.

2. If the cars become lighter, they'll be more prone to getting off the ground and slamming into the fence.
 
catamount39
That's what I was thinking honestly. Make them noticeably lighter and slow them down by 10-20mph and the fence could be much more effective.
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Making them lighter has drawbacks. They will be more likely to leave the ground if they go the same speed. And they will be more expensive for the teams to build and maintain.

Lighter also means more altitude is possible. Once Mario Andretti went something like twice the height of the fence at Indy. Fortunately, he landed on the track on his wheels!!
 
...more downforce? It seems this situation is *******. :indiff: And wait a second...how hard would it be to make them 100-150lbs lighter?

Take what I say with a grain of salt...I've become more of a sportscar adnd Formula junkie'.
 
More downforce without a huge wing sticking off the rear end could help. Or make it worse.
 
GTRacer22
More downforce without a huge wing sticking off the rear end could help. Or make it worse.
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More flaps? :lol: Use a V8 Supercar style wing. #SuperBird :p

How about we just gear them down and restrict them down so they can only do 180-185?
 
They should treat the problem, pack racing, and then the symptoms later.

Daytona is LeMans with no chicanes. As Mark Martin said years ago, the cars have outgrown the place.

But I fear NASCAR is overconfident in their ability to make pack racing 'safe', so they'll keep it around.
 
catamount39
...more downforce? It seems this situation is *******. :indiff: And wait a second...how hard would it be to make them 100-150lbs lighter?

Take what I say with a grain of salt...I've become more of a sportscar adnd Formula junkie'.
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They weigh something like 3500 lbs. 150 lbs is not enough to make a difference.
 
Dotini
They weigh something like 3500 lbs. 150 lbs is not enough to make a difference.
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Holy ****. o_o Yeah uh...I can't imagine them taking out 500lbs.

Earth
They should treat the problem, pack racing, and then the symptoms later.

Daytona is LeMans with no chicanes. As Mark Martin said years ago, the cars have outgrown the place.

But I fear NASCAR is overconfident in their ability to make pack racing 'safe', so they'll keep it around.
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Sounds exactly like Indycar's issue on 1.5 and 2.0 mile ovals.
 
Earth
They should treat the problem, pack racing, and then the symptoms later.

Daytona is LeMans with no chicanes. As Mark Martin said years ago, the cars have outgrown the place.

But I fear NASCAR is overconfident in their ability to make pack racing 'safe', so they'll keep it around.
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At LeMans, 1955, a Mercedes went into the crowd and over 80 spectators were killed. But real change came slow. It had to be invented.

Today, if a car went into the crowd at Daytona and killed 80, the changes would be instant and Draconian.
 
Dotini
At LeMans, 1955, a Mercedes went into the crowd and over 80 spectators were killed. But real change came slow. It had to be invented.

Today, if a car went into the crowd at Daytona and killed 80, the changes would be instant and Draconian.
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...NASCAR turning into V8 Supercars ala an Indycar schedule anyone? o-o
 
I think NASCAR first needs to determine what made the car lift, was the angle Hamlin was at, being half on and half off the track at point of contact, provide a ramp for take off ?. Did the splitters have something to do with it, with two cars facing each other at point of impact ?.
The fact that debris reached the fans needs prompt action, whether it's moving fans back or having another fence, clear or a fine mesh, between the main catch fence and the crowd, or something else, but the tracks and NASCAR have to do something.
 
What I think happened is that the angle of Hamlin's car was just perfect so that Dillon's left front tire hit Hamlin's left front tire and it just launched the 3 car. Because the front of the 3 was lifted into the air at such a high speed, the air got under it and the car caught the air like a parachute, sending it over all the cars and into the fence.
 
I don't think large spoilers woukd help with these cars. We practicly had them back in 2009. Remember, we also had a similar incident like this with Carl Edwards at 'Dega.

One thing to remember with spoilers, is thag their effect is the opposite in reverse. Downforce moving forward, and life going backwards. We saw a lot of cars in 2009 and 2010 take off for that one reason.
 
Adamgp
55mph on track speed limit should keep the cars from going airborne.
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This idea is not as bad as it sounds.

Racing at 55 mph on a kart at a 1/8 mile track can be very exciting!

I would prefer a world where I and the lads could race karts to a world where there were only a handful of pro racers and nobody else could race.
 
Raise the cars up off the ground at least 3-5", do away with the splitter, take away more than half of the aerodynamic downforce (splitter/fender flares), and make the cars 300-500 pounds heavier. Hell, you could even put all of the power back in them at the non-plate tracks.
 
MustangRyan
Raise the cars up off the ground at least 3-5", do away with the splitter, take away more than half of the aerodynamic downforce (splitter/fender flares), and make the cars 300-500 pounds heavier. Hell, you could even put all of the power back in them at the non-plate tracks.
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Excellent notions! I'd also make the front and back windows higher and more vertical, so the drivers could see through the cars easier.
 

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