Originally Posted By: bbhero
At Daytona and Talladega the only way to fix the potential danger to the fans is to eliminate the bottom 40 to 50 rows of stands. They could simply add these stands to the top of the main grandstand which would actually create more really good seats.
If we get rid of the restrictor plates than these cars could turn 225 mph plus lap around these places. Well, could a car sustain a drivers side impact at that speed and have the driver survive? That's the key question at the end of the day. If the cars can be made to absorb such an impact on the driver's side door and have the driver survive with only minor injuries at most than these cars could be let loose. This would eliminate pack style racing we see at these two tracks. But remember when Zinardi got hit on the driver's side by a oncoming car in the driver's side?? His lower legs basically we're exploded. In a still pic taken during this wreck you could literally make out pieces of legs in mid air right after the crash. It was crazy. Only reason that he survived was that the first responders had the knowledge and ability to manually clamp down on his femoral arteries to keep him from bleeding out. Again, this will be the gold standard in regarding how to make the cars safer. Max speed drivers door impact. Can this be done? A car tumbling and barrel rolling 12 times is not really that bad of a wreck because it is despersing energy with each contact point. A blunt force wreck is far more serious due to the inordinate amount of G forces exerted upon the human body. The human cervical neck can only withstand but so much force. That's what killed Dale Earnhardt and Adam Petty. It also almost killed Jeremy Naudau at Richmond. He hit driver side against the wall going into turn one. I saw the footage of them using a ambubag on him and I knew right then he was in serious trouble. The HANs device is great but how well does it work in a lateral accident? Head on accident it does really good. But a lateral drivers side accident is a whole other matter.
The catch fence really did its job last night. But I do think eliminating the bottom 40 or 50 rows of seats would be advisable. Plus erecting a second fence behind the catch fence would be wise too.
These cars are going to get airborne from time to time. This happens at the 1.5 mile tracks too. High speed, and the right impact point will create lift that causes these airborne events. So, remove seats, add second catch fence, and strengthen the driver's roof and door would be the right actions. In my opinion.
There was a tire from a IRL type car that broke off a car in the late 90s that got into the stands and killed 4 spectators. I remember seeing the pictures in SI and it was really rough. A blanket covering the section and blood coming from underneath it.
So NASCAR let's remove 40 or 50 rows of seats and add them to the top of the grandstand. Place a second catch fence in there too. It is a win win. More really good high seats up top where you could actually see the whole track. Plus creating a FAR safer environment by having TWO catch fences separing the fans from flying car parts, engines and transmissions.
Then start getting serious about testing cars that can absorb a drivers side impact of 230 plus mph and have the driver survive with either no injuries or minor ones at most. Then... Let them cars run wide open at Daytona and Talladega.
I agree with most of what you have said, but think you put too much emphasis on the Alex Zanardi crash, which was in IndyCars. He spun on cold tires coming out of the pits and a car running at racing speed speared through the side of his monocoque, severing his lower legs. NASCAR race cars have a lot more side impact protection for the driver than IndyCars, and they have blunt front ends, so spearing isn't going to happen.
There was the Bobby Allison crash at Pocono in 1988 that was a similar impact. He got spun at the front of the pack, and stopped sideways in the middle of the track, and a backmarker car that was racing back to the yellow flag hit him dead-on in the driver's side. Allison survived (I think with lingering brain damage) but it ended his career. After this crash, NASCAR ended the practice of racing back to the yellow flag. NASCAR also addressed side impact protection years later on the Car of Tomorrow by moving the driver seat 4" further away from the side of the car, and put in a large styrofoam impact absorber in the space.
