Daytona 500 Race thread

[chbright]

honestly ask hmsmike. were you around when they did the rain racing in japan in he post season and the trucks at the glen (cant remember when that was, was only practice and maybe Q)? i remember they have wipers for the cars and all, but isnt a big problem the interior fogged up? i liked the rain races in jap when they did it, but that was what well over 10 years ago. heck maybe 15?

[Kettle]

no i wasn't. i didn't get into racing until i went to UNCC(5 or 6 yrs ago) to become a mechanical engineer. that was when I started to realize all that goes into the sport, and how one car from vary to the next.

[zebrainz]

The Canadian Nationwide race (road course) was run in the rain either last year or the year before. Vision was the biggest problem, teams weren't prepared, wipers and defrosters didn't work properly or at all, etc. Carl Edwards stuck his arm out of the window and wiped off his windshield at one point. There were a couple of rear end collisions from cars very slow or stopped on the track because of the poor vision and the cars coming up behind couldn't see them. The road course drivers who had rain driving experience had a huge advantage, finished 1st and 2nd IIRC. The tires weren't the problem, but there is definitely a learning curve involved.

Nextel Cup had the opportunity within the last couple of years to run a race at Watkins Glen in the rain, but chose to wait and run it later in good weather. I don't think they will ever go to rain tires on a high banked circle track, even if they could design a tire. It's just too dangerous. The cars go straight into the wall with zero control of their fate. Think Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin (<sp?, drove the Yates #28 Texaco Havoline car). I think with the aerodynamics, they could get up to 80-90% of full speed in the corners at daytona. The inevitable 'big one' would cause the risk of injury/death to the driver to exceed the reward of getting the race in. JMO.

[Kettle]

good points byronez, but to counter....hanz device, safer barriers, side foam in the cars and roof flaps. hopefully we have seen the last of the truly big ones, and now the big one only implies the number of cars involved. like today's nine car accident.

[cptx]

todays 10 car wreck happened on a dry track , btw...

what happens if they were trying that poo in the rain?

[Squirrel]

good points byronez, but to counter....hanz device, safer barriers, side foam in the cars and roof flaps. hopefully we have seen the last of the truly big ones, and now the big one only implies the number of cars involved. like today's nine car accident.

Running into the wall at 150mph. Dont think you will ever see it in Nascar. You can be safe and you can be stupid. Running on oval in the rain is stupid.

[Squirrel]

Plus it might have been a shorter race but usually when they know it is going to rain they race alot harder instead of the last 50 laps.

[cptx]

Plus it might have been a shorter race but usually when they know it is going to rain they race alot harder instead of the last 50 laps.

i noticed a lot of strategy going on listening to the scanners.

it's all a gamble, and it was interesting to listen to. I would have been happy with a kenseth top 10 with his history at daytona, but i'm glad it worked out the way it did. they still had plenty of chances to fug it up.

From 43 to 1st, tho.. wow, just wow. it's kinda sad that the rain out will put a * on the W for Matt for some people. it's all a matter of perspective, I guess.

[Speed]

Sr going to visit Jr tonight in a dream. "Son, you drive like a pussy. Next race, grab an air wrench and see it you can change a tire! You aint no NASCAR driver."

[cptx]

kenseth MB is on meltdown status right now.

they need a better server, methinks.. lol

[Hawk]

was fun while it lasted...and I think it's kind of shitty that a 500 mile race gets stopped early like that...there must be a better way!

[cptx]

:yawn:

[cptx]

cry Jr. cry..

http://www.nascar.com/2009/news/headlines/cup/02/15/post.race.dearnhardtjr.bvickers.wreck/index.html

[engine9]

whichever one of you it was, I would just like to say THANK YOU for the wreck that took out Kyle Busch.