NASCAR Talladega weekend OFFICIAL

It really is a joke. The drivers think its a joke, the fans who want to see legitimate racing think its a joke. Take the damn plates off and let them do 220mph laps around the track. The cars are safe enough for it these days.

The wreck was on the ABC national news and they talked about what Dale Jr. said.

The cars are pretty safe but one problem is the thinner tubing that holds the rear panel together. I have seen that tubing come out of the cars multiple times. I would hate to see a section go through a drivers window or into the crowd.

Yes, I know that the restrictor plates are a result of Bobby Allison flying into the fence. But this isn't 1988. The cars don't take off when they turn around anymore. Is an extra 20 or 30 mph, really going to produce enough lift to make these cars fly? The only thing thats going to make those cars fly is a freak accident, which can already happen even with the plates. We've got the BK-Edwards crash to prove that. Hell, wouldn't bunching them up increase the risk of it happening?

Assuming a simple square relationship, which of course is a simplification, cars at 230 mph will produce 32% more lift compared to cars at 200 mph. That can easily be more than enough to cross the threshold where you have enough lift to fly rather than merely float precariously on the ground.

And what about energy? How much more energy does it have at 230 against 200?

And what about energy? How much more energy does it have at 230 against 200?

Still 32% more (energy is also proportional to the square of speed).

Wouldn't it be more like 15% Since it's 30 out of 200 not 30 out of 100? And I assume F=ma would be at work here.

200 seems like more of a mental/emotional number than a scientific one.

I dunno, what's the number where the odds dramatically climb? I assume the major concern is cars in the catch-fence.

Yes, I know that the restrictor plates are a result of Bobby Allison flying into the fence. But this isn't 1988. The cars don't take off when they turn around anymore. Is an extra 20 or 30 mph, really going to produce enough lift to make these cars fly? The only thing thats going to make those cars fly is a freak accident, which can already happen even with the plates. We've got the BK-Edwards crash to prove that. Hell, wouldn't bunching them up increase the risk of it happening?

Edited by Juablo, 11 October 2012 - 16:12.

What about Newman at Talladega or Keselowski at Atlanta? I don't know how much of a part the wing played in those incidents though.




I've read that they're taking a lot of weight out of the 2013 cars, wouldn't that mean it'd be easier for the cars to get air?

How about a chicane or set of esses on the back straight at Talladega?

High speed ones (relatively speaking, of course). That should break up the tow, reduce momentum and reduce overall lap speeds.

Well that would be one way of getting a road course into the Chase.

But seriously, the number of times that was mooted at Michigan for the Indycars/Champcars, without ever happening (although they did get round to actually building a dogleg, iirc), suggests that it really would be a last resort.