Jebar's 2015 Nascar Thread

[JEBar]

I can only imagine what Childress was thinking when he saw his grandson in the 3 car go into the catch fence after losing E Sr at Daytona just some 15 yrs earlier?

well understood .... I wonder if Austin will have any hold over psychological affects

 

[RMClubfitter]

well understood .... I wonder if Austin will have any hold over psychological affects

Good question. Hopefully not. He is showing a lot of potential. Good driver.

 

[Coss]

historically when something like this happens, NASCAR sends in their people to analyze everything .... I agree that the fence did its job, hopefully whatever they find can be used to make the catch fence system work even better

The first thing they'll look at is "what few off into the stands"? Was it parts of the car? Or was it something else? That beats a knee jerk reaction of changing things wholesale and missing what the problem actually is. They have learned that over time.

 

[Coss]

well understood .... I wonder if Austin will have any hold over psychological affects

Hard to say, he was only 10 when Dale Sr. had his accident. How much do you remember from when you were 10? Austin also knows crashes happen; he has been in a lot of races already; Busch League (Xfinity) the trucks, and little cars before that.

 

[RMClubfitter]

Been thinking back at some bad wrecks of the past that really got my attention. I think I would have to categorize the Geoff Bodine Craftsman Truck race in Daytona a bunch of years ago as the worst I've seen (on TV). If I remember when that one came to a stop, the whole front of the truck was gone including the dash and his feet were on the race track still belted in his racing seat. Took a large section of the catch fence.

The next one I remember as being really bad was Mikey Waldrep at Bristol 1990 I think. (think it was in practice and no film of it, just pictures of the aftermath) Mikey hits a partially open steel gate in one of the turns and came to an immediate stop. The car was totally dissentigrated. Mikey is very fortunate to be alive. I've seen that car in someone's Museum (think it is the Childress Museum in Lexington, NC.

The Edwards crash in 2009 was spectacular. Cool to see him run across the finish line after the wreck.

Bobby Allison at Talledega in '87 I think. That one scared Nascar I think the most. 1st time (?) a car went airborne toward the fans, thus the beginning of the restrictor plate.

 

[Coss]

Mikey's accident was during a race; that car did just disintegrate when he hit that; everyone was shocked when he got out of it.

And it's Waltrip DW's younger brother

 

[JEBar]

Ryan Newman's wrecks in the 2003 Daytona 500 was a dandy

 

[RMClubfitter]

Has anybody wondered what was going on with the 2 car. I counted appx 5 to 6 seconds after the 3 car hit the fence when the 2 car hit the 3 car. Was no one talking to the 2 car on the radio. 5 or 6 seconds is a long time especially with no one around you. He had a lot of room high to miss hitting the 3 car. ????

 

[JEBar]

the 2 looked to me to be in a sideways slide when he hit the 3 .... as you note, I haven't seen anything to explain what caused the slide .... I don't believe that when he hit the 3 he was just along for the ride .... the time gap you mentioned is most interesting but at 200 mph a car can slide for a while

 

[RMClubfitter]

the 2 looked to me to be in a sideways slide when he hit the 3 .... as you note, I haven't seen anything to explain what caused the slide .... I don't believe that when he hit the 3 he was just along for the ride .... the time gap you mentioned is most interesting but at 200 mph a car can slide for a while

Maybe so. Just seems that with a spotter and 5 seconds to work with he could have missed hitting Austin