Bearcat94

If you missed the Daytona 500 last night, you missed one of the oddest 'racing' accidents ever. And it was a Formula1 guy who did it.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

TSXy Luster

Yeah, because his past career had EVERYTHING to do with his car having a random malfunction causing it to spin into the truck......

F-C

Did he spin because the jet engine was leaking?

Bearcat94

Something broke and sent him into the wall. Well, normally into the wall. There just happened be a Jet Drier right where it all went down.

Bearcat94

.

F-C

dom

I think his Nascar career is now longer than his F1 career was so he's officially a Nascar guy now.

But that was crazy. Read an article that made an interesting point about how much worse this could have been if it happened on Turn 4 where there were grandstands. IMO, they should never be traveling at that rate of speed with other vehicles on the track. I'm sure changes are coming.

speedemon90

I never knew there was a such thing as a blow dryer for the track. Thats pretty cool. F1 needs something like that

Black Tire

The other types of races drive in the rain, only NASCAR stops when it rains.

dallison

I beleive his suspension broke right before he crashed into the truck and that's why it veered into it.

Bearcat94

With good reason considering the kind of track (banked oval), the weight of the cars, continuous speed and the fact that only left turns puts exceptional stress on the right front tire. A rain tire would never hold up.

Open wheel has it's own trouble with rain tire durability v performance, but at least there is some speed variation and different tires taking the load through-out the lap.

Moog-Type-S

F1 has something called rain tires.

F-C

Jet blowers were started in CART I believe. It's primary purpose is not to dry wet tracks. It's mainly to clean the surface of debris.

speedemon90

I didn't know nascar didnt have rain tires (dont watch it)

yes i know F1 has rain tires...

still doesnt stop it from raining too much. Def could have been used where the tracks have flooded and it stopped raining, just takes way to long for the track to dry up and by that time the race is stopped or my dvr doesnt record all of it . The blower could have pushed the water onto the side.

Chief F1 Fan

that jet dryer was from Michigan Speedway so I joked with my brother that at least the Watkins' rig didn't get demolished. He said It wouldn't be hard to take b/c then he would've gotten a brand new one! F-C-two purposes, to dry and to clean.

fsttyms1

Sure it it could hold up. Nascars arent putting any where near the G load on the tires as F1, even in the rain. They just like F1 would have to change them out more often. No need to run 40+ laps on them. It would make for better racing, unlike the crap they have now..... Oh look.............. A Cheetos bag on the track, we better throw the caution flag


Oh and Nascar DOES have Rain tires. Just not for the ovals. They have them for the road courses. Though they have yet to use them.

Legend2TL

FWIW I went to the Meadowlands Grand Prix (CART Champ race) held a the New Jersey Meadowlands parking lot a few times in the 80's and 90's. One year there was a heavy rain and despite the rain tires the cars were sliding all over the place. They stopped the race and waited for the rain to stop, when it did the corner workers had these large broom like squeegees that were like 7-8' wide and the used them to get water that had pooled up in the turns off the track. I've seen track marshals use them at other races as well (Australia and Japan).

Legend2TL

Not for a race but didn't Lewis Hamilton have them on Tony Stewart's NASCAR when they did their car swap at Watkins Glen?

Chief F1 Fan

^^^I don't think Smoke's car had rain tires on it at the Glen. I'll double check my pictures and let you know.