Mid-season Nascar Satire?

[kerry_mcmurtrey]

(Don't blame me, i stole this from another site. )

Nascar Safety?

NASCAR views safety systems the way a child views green vegetables. Except way more stupid, since the child is not hurtling towards a wall at over 100 miles an hour with only asparagus to protect them.

Just The Facts
NASCAR consists of driving in a small circle several hundred times, which people somehow screw up. Possibly through boredom.
NASCAR drivers are paid up to $200 every time they turn left, and scraped onto a stretcher every time they don't.
Systems built to keep NASCAR drivers (and fans) alive are a worse attack on evolution than Intelligent Design.

Adoption of Safety Systems
NASCAR adopts a "martyr" approach to safety: At least one famous person has to die to get each even the most elementary safety measure adopted.

Device: SAFER (Steel And Foam Energy Reduction) barrier walls.

Martyr: Dale Earnhardt

Death: Slammed into extremely un-SAFER walls.

Comment: First proposed by a NASCAR engineer 30 years before Earnhardt's death, indicating there may be some slight room for improvement in NASCAR's attitude toward safety.


Device: Fire retardant suits.
Martyr: Edward "Fireball" Roberts
Death: Burned to death.
Comment: Yes, he had that nickname before the accident. Yes, that does mean that God is both a bastard and watches NASCAR, so good luck with heaven, y'all!

Device: Engine-stopping kill switch
Martyr: Adam Petty
Death: Killed by engine not stopping
Comment: We really want to make the world's worst-tasting pun here, but it's more fun if you think of your own.

Device: HANS (Head And Neck Safety) Brace
Martyr: Tony Roper, Kenny Irwin, Neil Bonnett, John Nemechek, Blaise Alexander, J.D. McDuffie, Clifford Allison, contributed to Adam Petty, Dale Earnhardt
Death: Trauma to head and neck caused by slamming a goddamn car into a wall.
Comment: Finally adopted 20 years after its invention because of nine deaths. Six of them within two years.
There are rogue bands of mercenary desperadoes with nothing to lose who have lower casualty rates.

 

[tobybasiliko]

I like our way better- we watch other sanctioning bodies slam their drivers into walls,
and learn from their mistakes.

... or do we...

I didn't buy a hans until I moved a few chunks of barrier...

t

 

[Richard Broadhead]

Do you suppose that NASCAR is the only race sanctioning body where a certain frequency of tragic incidents must occur before they justify the effort to install patches into their rule sets to minimize those occurrances?

It's a ponder...

Actually, no!

Formula One was of the same mind set until the death's of Piers Courage, Jochen Rindt and Francois Cevert (plus his near death in a crash at SPA) lead Sir Jackie to go on a one-man crusade for improvements in Formula 1 safety.

That included such basics as...

1.
Full face shield helmets.
2.
SEAT BELTS!
3.
Grand Prix Medical Unit (trained trackside safety crews)
4.
Increased qty. and depth of run-off areas.
5.
Barriers to stop cars from going in to trees and spectators.
6.
Improvements to cars to deduce injury to drivers.

ALL of which had direct benifit in the areas of safety for amateur racers!

In addtition to the safety, Sir J.S. was the 1st driver to truly understand the commercial value of Formula One and lead the way in turning it into the 'circus' it is today (for good or bad).

 

[Lynn Rimmer]

Toby, that wasn't Trn 9 at Seattle by chance was it????

 

[mikecolangelo]

I guess I never understood all the NASCAR bashing so prevalent in road racing circles.

I may have to protest this thread by stickering up my Miata with NASCAR bumper stickers! And then I'll run in back so all can see!!!

 

[rick_bostrom]

I would have to say that the passage that started this thread is in poor taste regardless of what kind of racing you choose to participate in or support. The reasons given are an oversimplification of the issues involved and frankly I don't find much humor when discussing racing fatalities.

Disclaimer: I am completely a road racing enthusiast. Although I drive an ex-NASCAR Featherlight Southwest Tour short track stock car that has been heavily revised for running road courses, I've never run an oval in my life. I am not even a true NASCAR fan, because it just can't hold my attention for four hours on a Sunday, but that doesn't mean they haven't earned my respect.

It is apparently easy to sit back and make fun of the guys who turn left all the time, but what is it that you hope to achieve? Does it make you feel superior or better about yourself in some way? I try to remember to be tolerant of other motorsports enthusiasts who might like things that don't interest me as much because I would expect the same treatment from them.

Let's take a look at this a little more closely - NASCAR is the dominant professional race series in North America both in fan base and financial success. As a result, the top drivers in North America go where the money and the fans are - NASCAR. Why doesn't the entire continent have a driver in Formula One? Because those great young drivers are shooting for the most profitable and popular series that they see growing up. And if you don't think the young hotshoes finding their way to NASCAR aren't phenomenally talented drivers who could potentially drive in ANY professional series anywhere in the world then you are just not watching closely enough.

I felt honor bound to make this post as Randy Blaylock is on vacation and probably unable to respond. He was out running the local shorttracks in a late model before he came to race with us and if that is where he learned his car control then more of us should be wishing we had a little roundy-round on our resume.

 

[kerry_mcmurtrey]

Jeez,did i hit a sore spot somewhere? Yes this was intended as a small spot of humor at Nascar, they're big enough to take it. No it wasn't intended as bashing, per say. I grew up at oval tracks, from the quarter mile at des moines in the fifties to monroe last summer for the trailer and bus races. It's all racing, and fun. But mainly it was a reminder to everybody not to get complacent mid season just because we've been fairly lucky so far. Nascar isn't alone in safety issues, motorsports of any kind is dangerous, from the track to the turns, from pre-grid to the paddock, accidents can and will happen if we don't pay attention all the time. We're all part of the racing family and thusly i'd hate like all billy hell to see anybody get hurt, for any reason. I'm just saying take care folks so we can enjoy our sport(s) as much as possible. Cheers

P.S. But i did find the cartoon funny!

 

[clintonracing]

I guess you've just got to be there. I understand more now, than I did before the NASCAR-W race at PIR this year.

No, I won't elaborate, but let's just say that a road course to them is just an oval with a wiggly racing surface for a border.

If the event conflicts with another of our events next year, it won't take me long to decide where I'm going to play.

fail!

That was one of theee most fun races I have seen at PIR in a long time. Those ol' boys are just straight crazy! (IE Racing line? What's that!? Could we put dirt tires on the drivers side, that way I have more room to pass on the outside of T3, etc).

As a participant or volunteer I could understand a different opinion. BUT as spectator, it was a great race to watch. Even the support races were fun! People are already talking up next year.

 

[rick_bostrom]

Bad taste simply qualifies as bad taste and I'm not a fan.

I have no problem with people taking some humorous swipes at pretty much anything - NASCAR and myself included. Trying to earn a few cheap guffaws at the very public, tragic, and untimely deaths of some racing drivers and even worse, the people who come to watch them race, is not too appealing to me.

Yes, they raced accepting that fatality could be a possible outcome. I'm not asking anyone to feel sorry for them, but relieving yourself on their graves goes too far in the opposite direction.