2015 NASCAR Thread - And then there was 1

[CodeRedR51]

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.

Of course they will, they haven't advanced in safety as much as they have by doing nothing.

 

[MustangRyan]

Excellent notions! I'd also make the front and back windows higher and more vertical, so the drivers could see through the cars easier.

Agreed. That would also slow them down a little more, and provide more room for a safer driver containment area.

Look at the difference between the Toyota Camry street car vs Cup car.

 

[Adamgp]

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.

It was intended to be a joke.

NASCAR wouldn't be dumb enough to implement that, and can't imagine it would be popular with the fans.

 

[Carbonox]

Sounds exactly like Indycar's issue on 1.5 and 2.0 mile ovals.

What problems has IndyCar had on any ovals since 2012?

 

[SJC ALPHA]

Of course they will, they haven't advanced in safety as much as they have by doing nothing.

I am not saying they have done nothing, yes the safety is very good and should always be looked at to see where it can be improved, things like this are a wake up call, especially where fans are injured.
I'm all for close pack racing and hope they keep it, hopefully I will get to a race one day.

 

[GTPorsche]

Agreed. That would also slow them down a little more, and provide more room for a safer driver containment area.

Look at the difference between the Toyota Camry street car vs Cup car.

It's not perfectly lined up but it shows what it needs to show.

Maybe plate steel with giant TV on the spectator side.

Yes because what auto racing safety needs is cars potentially slamming into unforgiving steel.

I believe the new catch fence that is brig developed is a layered design wih the traditional fencing being lined with plexiglass or something like it. Possibly the same material as jet fighter canopies, on both sides. One side protects drivers in open cockpit cars from impacting a cheese grater, the other side protects fans in case the fence is broken.

 

[MustangRyan]

It's not perfectly lined up but it shows what it needs to show.

I can't remember if it was at Martinsville, or at the All-Star race in Charlotte, but at one of those two tracks Toyota had a display of a half-and-half Camry street/Cup car. I'll have to see if I took any pictures of it when I get home tonight. The differences are huge.

 

[vettefreak95]

What problems has IndyCar had on any ovals since 2012?

At Fontana two weeks ago, pack racing returned after increases in downforce. Ryan Briscoe flipped in the grass, but the incident was not as pack-related as this one was.

 

[GTPorsche]

Less downforce and less power. Significantly less downforce... and not just 25-50hp removed. If it's possible to get them back to how they ran in 93/94 at the plate races, that'd make for some great racing.

 

[catamount39]

Less downforce and less power. Significantly less downforce... and not just 25-50hp removed. If it's possible to get them back to how they ran in 93/94 at the plate races, that'd make for some great racing.

^This idea...this idea is good. 👍

 

[RVDNuT374]

Those cars were running slower...

But the cars could still separate and the drivers had more respect for each other back in the Golden Era. 👍

 

[Carbonox]

At Fontana two weeks ago, pack racing returned after increases in downforce. Ryan Briscoe flipped in the grass, but the incident was not as pack-related as this one was.

A wreck that could've also happened in a race like last year.

How about the alleged problems on 1.5 mile tracks? For 4 seasons now, Texas has been the only one, and apart from being the most boring track on the calendar year in, year out, issues haven't surfaced.

 

[MustangRyan]

Less downforce and less power. Significantly less downforce... and not just 25-50hp removed. If it's possible to get them back to how they ran in 93/94 at the plate races, that'd make for some great racing.

Less power still makes them easier to drive. Look at all the new track records they have set in qualifying this year with ~125 less horsepower than last year.

Give them more power, more weight, a higher ride height, and less aerodynamic downforce. They'll have to slow down more (and earlier) for the corners, which should greatly reduce the benefit of clean air and increase passing. A softer tire that didn't last as long as fuel runs would also be a welcome change to me. The tire strategy sucks in the current setup.

 

[RACECAR]

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.

That was with the wing. Spoilers didn't return until 2010.

 

[MustangManiac]

1: Do as mustangryan (and I) have been saying for years, lift the cars up, drop the aero bits and you can give them all the power they want, they will still have to lift n the corners and probably even shift gears a few times.
2: Run the Daytona 24 hour roval track, it would be a better race. (Won't help at Dega though)
3: Turn Daytona and Dega into a modern day "run what ya brung" race. Require all teams to stop at the local dealerships on the way in and pick up a bone stock model of their car. They would have to install safety equipment once at the track of course. I would pay to see this 👍

 

[GTPorsche]

(Won't help at Dega though)

Throw a chicane in there on the backstretch and we're good to go.

A wreck that could've also happened in a race like last year.

How about the alleged problems on 1.5 mile tracks? For 4 seasons now, Texas has been the only one, and apart from being the most boring track on the calendar year in, year out, issues haven't surfaced.

Mikhail Aleshin's practice crash for that race last year was, imo, worse than the last lap crash this year for Indycar at Fontana.

Less power still makes them easier to drive. Look at all the new track records they have set in qualifying this year with ~125 less horsepower than last year.

Give them more power, more weight, a higher ride height, and less aerodynamic downforce. They'll have to slow down more (and earlier) for the corners, which should greatly reduce the benefit of clean air and increase passing. A softer tire that didn't last as long as fuel runs would also be a welcome change to me. The tire strategy sucks in the current setup.

A significant reduction in downforce will make them more difficult to drive. They weren't running the nearly the same power or anywhere close to the same downforce they are now in 93/94 and the racing was better.

The splitter needs to absolutely go though.

 

[AnthonyD1993]

2: Run the Daytona 24 hour roval track, it would be a better race. (Won't help at Dega though)
3: Turn Daytona and Dega into a modern day "run what ya brung" race. Require all teams to stop at the local dealerships on the way in and pick up a bone stock model of their car. They would have to install safety equipment once at the track of course. I would pay to see this 👍

I quoted the last two in particular since I've been wishing that NASCAR would run the Rolex course at Daytona for a while now. For the third point, I say go farther and mandate that the engine that is used must be a true production pushrod V8 again. If someone doesn't have one, they need to produce one and sell it in cars like it used to be years ago.

 

[Ganon83]

If a car goes into the grandstand and kills 80 people today, the only change that would probably happen would be no more auto racing in America.

 

[GTPorsche]

I quoted the last two in particular since I've been wishing that NASCAR would run the Rolex course at Daytona for a while now. For the third point, I say go farther and mandate that the engine that is used must be a true production pushrod V8 again. If someone doesn't have one, they need to produce one and sell it in cars like it used to be years ago.

Without bringing newly made engines into it for those makes that would have to build one... that only leaves Chevy...

 

[Blood Eagle]

I quoted the last two in particular since I've been wishing that NASCAR would run the Rolex course at Daytona for a while now. For the third point, I say go farther and mandate that the engine that is used must be a true production pushrod V8 again. If someone doesn't have one, they need to produce one and sell it in cars like it used to be years ago.

Pushrods and overhead valves are extremely old technology and Chevy is the only manufacturer that still uses them in production vehicles. Overhead cams is where it's at. There is no reason to still use push rods in 2015.

 

[Leadfoot530]

That was with the wing. Spoilers didn't return until 2010.

Yeah, that's what I was refering to. For whatever reason, I wanted to call them the spoiler. Sorry.

1: Do as mustangryan (and I) have been saying for years, lift the cars up, drop the aero bits and you can give them all the power they want, they will still have to lift n the corners and probably even shift gears a few times.
2: Run the Daytona 24 hour roval track, it would be a better race. (Won't help at Dega though)
3: Turn Daytona and Dega into a modern day "run what ya brung" race. Require all teams to stop at the local dealerships on the way in and pick up a bone stock model of their car. They would have to install safety equipment once at the track of course. I would pay to see this 👍

Why not run Talladega Infield from NASCAR '09? I hated that track so much. Daytona Bolevard was fun, though. (I butchered the spelling, didn't I?)

 

[GTPorsche]

Yeah, that's what I was refering to. For whatever reason, I wanted to call them the spoiler. Sorry.




Why not run Talladega Infield from NASCAR '09? I hated that track so much. Daytona Bolevard was fun, though. (I butchered the spelling, didn't I?)

Because those fictional tracks were fictional.

 

[Adamgp]

Pushrods and overhead valves are extremely old technology and Chevy is the only manufacturer that still uses them in production vehicles. Overhead cams is where it's at. There is no reason to still use push rods in 2015.

Both OHC and OHV designs are old technologies. Both have been around for almost the same amount of time, well over 100 years.

 

[GTPorsche]

OHV design has the benefit of being a more compact design, but that's where the benefits end.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Both OHC and OHV designs are old technologies. Both have been around for almost the same amount of time, well over 100 years.

OHC has more capabilities. Hands down. Nobody but Chevy makes OHV motors anymore.

 

[GTPorsche]

Chrysler Hemis are OHV, but that's because of the nature of the engine not being able to be a Hemi and OHC. Just them and the LS Chevy left for OHV.

 

[Adamgp]

OHC has more capabilities. Hands down. Nobody but Chevy makes OHV motors anymore.

GM has proven OHV engines are still plenty capable.

Given the choice between the two, I believe NASCAR teams would stick with the lighter, simpler, physically smaller, and less costly OHV design.

 

[catamount39]

Considering they've only rid of carburetors like 2 years ago...and next year they'll be using a digital display...OHC will be in 10 years.

 

[Dotini]

The US domestic racing engine building industry has developed a roaring V-8 engine of near miraculous power, reliability, low cost, many variations, and wide availability. Yes, it is a dinosaur. But it works oh so well.

 

[Blood Eagle]

Hemi means hemispherical combustion chambers and most all cars are technically Hemis. Dodge is just an old school company that refuses to accept new design and their product is a reflection of that.