PAPosse

23 hours ago, BeachBum said:

Tim/Josh:

Maybe U2 should just wish "anyone" who gets in a race car ... best of luck & safe racing? 

It's easier to stomach for the rest of us who "genuinely" support the sport...

United we race ... divided we don't!

Jeez, I’m a big U2 fan. For a second I thought Bono put his foot in his mouth (again).

I think if he had designed airbags, he would have driven in to a wall head on to test them.

3 hours ago, rebelracewriter said:

Rob, Certainly this accident was an anomaly.....But that goes to the whole thought process of "that won't ever happen to me."....When I watched the boy in Abilene burn to death it was a series of things leading to the perfect storm, if you will.....The rollover was an easy 1/2 roll to roof....The D-ring fuel cap was not on/not on properly.....The car landed pointing down the banking allowing fuel to run through the cockpit area....It ignited on either the headers or heat from brakes.....His hans device got hung up on the full containment seat and/or steering wheel which hampered his exit....That image is one I'll never forget.

I still see guys on-track racing without gloves.....One of the simplest, least expensive safety items to have. Not wearing any/all safety gear while track packing.

I won't even go into the drag strip stuff and their lack of full drivers suits or no helmets in the street racer class(es) because they aren't mandated until they reach a certain ET/Speed plateau.

Shit like that drives me crazy!

I agree Reb.  I didn't mean to imply it was an anomaly so it doesn't need to be looked at to see what could have been done to keep it from happening.  Ideally, the cell would have stayed in the car and, if it had, the chances of fire would have been minimized.  The device you posted addresses a worst case scenario which, of course, is what safety is all about.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

Anybody who's watched the various angles of the accident available thanks to social media knows there are a lot of things to look at with this accident - on the track, in the cars, in the infield - it could have been so much worse...thankfully everyone is still here to try and learn from it.

As a matter of discussion, because I am no engineer and the farthest thing from an expert.  I think with Bonnett’s accident I would really look at how the cell came entirely out of another car in the first place..  How could it have been better secured?  Without rupturing of course.

The freak nature of that accident resulted in the fuel cell from another car coming to rest against Bonnett’s.  Safety crews went in and got him as he struggled to get out with a broken leg.

There is a lot to look at here.  The device seems practical enough, just wondering what kind of testing has been done? 

Didn’t keep the fans away

49 cars within 1/2 a second of each other. That’s crazy.

It’s been awhile since I’ve visited the site, but I just had to give a shout out to Aaron Reutzel.  I don’t know him personally, but met him briefly at one of the ASCS shows about 10 years ago while I was stationed in San Antonio.

He seems to be doing Texas proud as he is showing up everywhere in the national results - doesn’t matter if its WoO, All Stars, ASCS or non-sanctioned events - he is a threat to win every time out.  Most recently he took the Tuscarora 50 at Port Royal, PA which is a very prestigious race in that area.

I was a bit of a fan of his in Texas, but can’t say I envisioned him accomplishing all that he has.  I am happy to say “I saw him when ....”.

Hoping for continued success...

10 hours ago, TheCloser said:

I hear Gary Balough works as a consultant for that team.

He does.

He does.  

Friesen drives his backup truck to a 2nd place finish.  

2 hours ago, kgould said:

Racing is a dangerous sport; period.  Yes, there has been a huge amount of safety innovations in recent years but racing will always have a high risk of something going wrong.  If you have ever been to Perris auto speedway you know the catch fence is extremely high.  I personally never thought a car could clear the fence but Austin Williams did it a few years ago.   No matter the safety enhancement in racing you will always have a failure.  People in general need to use good common sense attending the races.  This goes for racers and fans alike.  How many times have you been to the track under green flag conditions and walked down from the stands, along the catch fence, to go to the concessions?  Most people have but this is not the smartest thing to perform.  Spectators need to understand they go to a race then the probability of mistake is high.  The recent events are unfortunate but those hurt need to be accountable for putting themselves in a risky environment in the first place.  My soapbox for the day.  

 

 

I was surprised to see Perris mentioned.  To put it in perspective:

I didn’t want to get on my soapbox either, but there were a few things my dad drove into me when I was a kid:

1. The corners are a dangerous place to watch a race.

2. Don’t ever turn your back to the track.

3. Don’t sit where the cars are coming straight at you - “But dad, those Outlaws look awesome coming down the straight away”

4. Once physics takes over - you can’t predict whats going to happen.

As most of us know, sprint car tires are lighter than they appear to be, and they will bounce quite a ways.  You would not catch  me on that catwalk.

My mom almost got hit by a tire in the pits at Fonda, NY in the mid 80s. She luckily jumped into the hauler and closed the door before the tire reached our pit stall.  We were a good 200 feet from the fence and it totally caved in the side of the door.  

Back to Perris, I agree the fence is one of the highest I have seen, and it looks to be pretty darn strong.  

Higher, stronger catch fencing.  

https://autoweek.com/article/racing/watch-brinton-marvels-sprint-car-flies-stands-ohio

14 hours ago, NickHolt said:

Perhaps the HOF folks should make it a requirement to gain entry to the HOF. LOL

Or at least build a separate wing.

6 minutes ago, HiTech said:

its called I just gotta win something .sorry every one / but what they hey .have new crew chief and that makes me drive stupid ..come on 48 you knew you screwed up ..

I liked in the interview how he said Menard just came down on him, then when they rolled the “tape” he just stumbled on his words.

I agree he messed up - it wasn’t intentional, but he did screw up.

51 minutes ago, arob said:

Not only the leader. 

That's just collateral damage.

Wow. Just.....wow.

I am too young to have ever seen him race,  but I know he was very popular in my neck of the woods.  

We’ll disqualify you if your car is 3/1000ths of an inch too low, but go ahead and punt the leader out of the way going in to turn 3.  We’ll let that stand.

On 10/6/2018 at 7:11 AM, JamesHigdon said:

The drift track group is on board with this project now; in order to maximize space and minimize cost we are working together.

Working together. What a concept!  

Though I am no longer living there, its good to see a track in the works.  Out here in CA, the drifting and drag races at Irwindale attract good crowds (even though the place seemed destined to close recently).

Best of luck to everyone involved.  

My first thought after I read the title was “he almost won the first time out”.