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Tag: Safer Barriers

  • Hot 20 – Charlotte has a tough act to follow this week, while Las Vegas is not as safe as I thought

    Hot 20 – Charlotte has a tough act to follow this week, while Las Vegas is not as safe as I thought

    I get it. Racing cars can be dangerous. We have lost people in NASCAR, and one sad day, despite all the advances that have been made regarding safety, we just may lose somebody else. I hope not, but that is the reality we must face. All we can do is greatly reduce the odds.

    Great leaps have been made in regards to producing a safer vehicle. Asphalt has replaced grass in many infields, though not all. Berms and gate openings are no longer an infield feature. SAFER barriers in front of concrete walls have made even the worst crashes survivable. However, if there is any chance a vehicle can be deflected in a direction that could put it on a path to hit concrete, it will.

    The crash that left Austin Theriault with a compression fracture in his lower back last weekend in the Las Vegas truck race likely could have been less than it was if there had been a SAFER barrier where he hit. Teammate Josh Reddick had crashed in front of him, and when he spilled back onto the track he clipped Theriault, sending him sharply to his right and straight into the concrete wall. Should there have been a SAFER barrier in that location? Damn right. Will there be in the future? Only if driver safety is a real concern and if someone in charge has the brains to see the danger, in Las Vegas and elsewhere, and deals with it.

    To be honest, I thought most tracks now had the barriers in such locations. I was wrong. Hopefully, NASCAR will finally make it right. All they need to do is remember that if it can happen to a billiard ball, it can happen to a race car.

    Unless one has locked a place, either through a win or an insurmountable points lead, you can get caught by surprise. Jimmie Johnson was reminded of that in Dover when a $50 rear axle seal failed and sent him to the garage for more than 35 laps. That plunged him to beyond 40th on the track on a day when 28th or better would have saved him.

    Kevin Harvick saved himself in winning last Sunday, and he heads to a track he won on last October. Johnson has seven career wins at Charlotte. That just does not matter as much as it did last week.

    The Hot 20 heading into Charlotte include…

    1. MATT KENSETH – 5 WINS
    If one win was all it took to win a title, he did it. If it takes five or more, no problem.

    2. KYLE BUSCH – 4 WINS
    Challenged at Dover, finished third, but made it to the next round by a single point.

    3. JOEY LOGANO – 3 WINS
    If you like this year’s racing, Logano figures we will love 2016’s lower downforce package.

    3. KEVIN HARVICK – 3 WINS
    Won last October and is seeking to make it two in a row.

    5. DENNY HAMLIN – 2 WINS
    History shows that Hamlin won’t win Saturday night, but it will not be a disaster, either.

    5. CARL EDWARDS – 2 WINS
    Can spring success equate into a fall classic?

    5. KURT BUSCH – 2 WINS
    Difference between Kurt and Jamie…two points…and he was tied for sixth in the standings!

    5. DALE EARNHARDT JR. – 2 WINS
    Exciting enough for you?

    9. MARTIN TRUEX JR. – 1 WIN
    Tech issues caused him to start last, 11th place kept him in the Chase by six positions.

    10. BRAD KESELOWSKI – 1 WIN
    Re-starting with the same number of points as everyone else in the Chase…and no black flag.

    11. JEFF GORDON – 3000 POINTS
    Handing over to Junior a sponsor. Maybe he could also loan him a championship.

    11. RYAN NEWMAN – 3000 POINTS
    A winless championship season is still possible.

    13. JAMIE MCMURRAY – 2098 POINTS
    Rowdy by a point, Junior by a position, as Jamie is left waiting at the altar.

    14. JIMMIE JOHNSON – 2086 POINTS
    All for the want of a damn $50 car part.

    15. PAUL MENARD – 2075 POINTS
    If Johnson had finished 25th like Menard at Dover, Jimmie would still be in the Chase.

    16. CLINT BOWYER – 2048 POINTS
    So concludes the title hopes of Toyota supported Michael Waltrip Racing (2007-2015).

    17. KASEY KAHNE – 770 POINTS
    All that is left is to win the battle against Almirola. That is all.

    18. ARIC ALMIROLA – 767 POINTS
    Driving a Ford…will keep on driving a Ford next season.

    19. KYLE LARSON – 718 POINTS
    For a time, it appeared he might prove to be Harvick’s spoiler last week.

    20. GREG BIFFLE – 706 POINTS
    At least Roush-Fenway should finish the season with a single Top 20 entry. Exciting stuff.

  • Hardly Boring, the 2013 Season Has Been Entertaining So Far

    Hardly Boring, the 2013 Season Has Been Entertaining So Far

    All last year, folks commented that the racing in NASCAR’s top series was boring. Most of them pointed to the late-race action at Martinsville Speedway last April. On Sunday, at near 200 mph, they saw more of the same. This time it was Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin, fresh off a dustup at Bristol Motor Speedway where both drivers pointed fingers. Who would have thought that a race at Auto Club Speedway could bring that kind of excitement? Certainly not me or most anyone else would think that. Was it the Gen 6 car or the track or the drivers? I can’t answer that question, but the bigger question is why Safer Barriers were not on the wall where Hamlin hit head on?

    The accident that put Hamlin into that wall was just that—a racing accident. Fighting for a win on the last lap, neither driver did anything wrong. I doubt wither one of them even thought about the spin of Logano caused by Hamlin. They were just going for the checkered flag. That’s racin’. The result was something else. Hamlin might miss seat time with a broken back and Logano will always be seen as a vindictive guy who deliberately wrecked Hamlin. I don’t believe that for a second. While we all know that Jeff Gordon did do that to Clint Bowyer, I don’t think that is the case here. Regardless, if there had been a Safer Barrier on that inside wall, we wouldn’t be having this discussion. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation, not a part of NASCAR, but the same people are involved. To continue to ask why is not enough. They have some explaining to do. When Pocono’s guardrail nearly cut Elliott Sadler’s car in half, nothing short of a removal was accepted. When Kyle Larson nearly tore down the catchfence at Daytona, the conversation was all about safety and changing things. I certainly hope this unfortunate incident gets the same reaction.

    As for Tony Stewart’s quarterly outburst against some other driver, I take it with a grain of salt. Blocking was the sin committed by Logano, but if we look back long enough, we might notice that Stewart is the king of blockers. Plus, you cannot tell me that Stewart wouldn’t have done the same thing if it had been him in front of Logano. The cheap shots at Logano’s upbringing and personality were un-called for, but that’s Tony. We can all remember the helmet throwing incident at Bristol, can’t we? If Kurt Busch was called on the carpet for his language at Homestead a few years ago, what about Tony on Sunday? Sure, his expletives were beeped, but is there really any difference. Every 10-year old knew what he said. If Tony isn’t fined, they owe Busch an apology, in my opinion.

    So boring it has not been in 2013. Television ratings are up and attendance, save Bristol, is better than last year. Or so it seems. Since NASCAR doesn’t give out attendance estimations, only the tracks know and they’re not talking, but it looks better. Still, I’ll be the first to say that so far the product is better. That goes a long way from what we’ve seen in the recent past.