" What NASCAR fans can expect in 2012 "

[Ralphy]

Speed has a vote. What was the biggest moment at Daytona 2012. The jet drier has 85.49 % of the vote. Really great race huh?

What was the biggest moment of the 2012 Daytona 500?
Matt Kenseth Wins 8.8%

Jimmie Johnson Crashes 3.9%

Danica Crashes 1.8%

Montoya Lights up Daytona Sky 85.49%

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SPEED - The Motor Sports Authority

[Don]

The survey mentioned is also significant in the number of individuals, record FOX TV viewership for the 500 , that endured the Sunday rain delay, the Monday afternoon rain delay and then to watch in prime time Monday night starting @ 7:00, knowing in advance later that night at 40 laps from the finish there would be a major track event, and continuing the viewing until the late night finish, after a significant delay.

Give credit for the on-going safety improvements in the track, driver cage, greenhouse height, HANS, full face helmet, custom race seat design, moving the driver away from the door, steel panel/energy absorbing material in the drivers door, etc., ask Jeff G, Danica and others for their opinion. Mentioned that after the in car video of Danica's technique of removing her hands/arms from the steering wheel prior to the wall impact, an open wheel race car standard, more drivers than previously are now using the same technique, as JJ did in his first lap wreck

While the brand specific stock look will reappear in 2013, the greenhouse will still be higher. Believe the tallest driver is 6' 4", i.e., maintaing a potential crush zone above the drivers helmet

With sponsorship dollars still difficult to obtain, maintaining a competitive balance will continue, same as in baseball etc. Some of the teams with minimal funding had to remove their FI systems from their Daytona cars and reinstall for the Phoenix cars. For the Teams not sufficiently funded, Start and Park remains an option, NASCAR is not questioning.

Don't recall the specifics, but at Daytona the degree of banking and angle when in the corners limits/restricts the forward view, as does the full face helmet. Not the same view as watching on TV, actually looking into the corner rather than ahead. Riding around Daytona on the flat track apron and looking up, a different perspective. Believe Dale SR was a strong opponent of the full face mask as limiting his peripheral vision while racing in close proximity at 200 mph,

SPEED is televising one of the major events this summer at Lime Rock Park in CT, wonder what the US and world wide TV viewership and rating will be ?

[Don]

Vaguely remember another report mentioning the new Ford FR9 engine and technical/cost assistance by Ford and their other race teams as a contributing factor:

From AutoWeek:

" Bombshell: Penske switching from Dodge to Ford in NASCAR in 2013 "

" Penske Racing will in 2013 switch from Dodge to Ford in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition, automotive-industry sources have informed Autoweek. An official announcement is expected midday Thursday. Penske fields Dodge Chargers for Brad Keselowski and A. J. Allmendinger. "


Bombshell: Penske switching from Dodge to Ford in NASCAR in 2013 - Autoweek

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Don't recall the specifics, but at Daytona the degree of banking and angle when in the corners limits/restricts the forward view, as does the full face helmet. Not the same view as watching on TV, actually looking into the corner rather than ahead. Riding around Daytona on the flat track apron and looking up, a different perspective. Believe Dale SR was a strong opponent of the full face mask as limiting his peripheral vision while racing in close proximity at 200 mph,

I've made laps at Daytona at 160 mph, and when going in the corners, believe me, you can not see very far ahead of you because of the banking and raduis of the turns......
I would never race there without a spotter or spotters.......

David

[Silverback51]

It's amazing how the drivers from the 60's and 70's made it around the track without spotters and two way radios.

Funny they did not get lost on the way.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by Silverback51

It's amazing how the drivers from the 60's and 70's made it around the track without spotters and two way radios.

Funny they did not get lost on the way.

It is amazing how they did it back in the day without spotters,look back at the old races and see how many wrecks and the magnatude of them...They have had as few as 18 cars running back in the day at the finish at Daytona!!!!!!!!!!
It's not a case of getting lost on track,it's seeing far enough ahead of you to see a wreck/wreck in progress and slow down enough to avoid it or take evasive action to avoid what's up ahead........
Ever try slowing down a car at 140+mph to avoid a wreck/damaged car on track??? I have,and you don't slow down very fast at speeds above 100 mph!!!
At Daytona,doing 160mph going into the corners, your visibility is a lot less than your stopping distance, much less going 200 mph.........

David

[Silverback51]

Cars did not finish in those days because they did not pay points down that low. There was no incentive to get back out there to earn points. If you were not in the top 10, you were toast.

[Don]

" It's amazing how the drivers from the 60's and 70's made it around the track without spotters and two way radios "

** Daytona Qualifying Speeds:

1959: 140.1
2012: 194.7

** Didn't do the exact math, misplaced the slide rule, but at 200mph in the straights, 98 yards or approx a football field is run in one second, correct or ?

" did not get lost on the way. "

** One of the best features in my factory in-car navigation system: " Guide Me Home " , works every time.

[Silverback51]

You pretty much got it.

200MPH is equal to 293.33 feet per second, or 97.78 yards per second.

[Ron61]

Making an accurate comparison between the real cars they ran back in the day and todays hand built one of a kind versions is hard to do, but the safety and technology today far out paces the older ones. I have watched NASCAR since they were racing on the beach and they once started 72 cars in a race. They had some bad wrecks after the speedway was built but never with half of the field in one wreck. I don't like restrictor plates. To me, NASCAR has lost the real meaning and should change their name. I have always preferred road racing but unfortunately they don't have much of that on TV here that I can watch. I wish they would put a road track in the final 10 races for the championship.

Ron

[Don]

Restrictors, for a variety of purposes, are not unique to NASCAR, a Lotus example below.

"The Exige R-GT is powered by a 3.5-liter supercharged V6 engine, which produces 302 horsepower. That energy is routed to the wheels through a six-speed sequential transmission. The engine is the same as the one found in the standard Exige, however 34-millimeter air restrictors have been put in place to control the power, as is required by the FIA rulebook for R-GT racing."

ALMS also uses restrictors, with different size openings to " equalize performance " and " maintain a level playing field " With the C5.R Corvette, the restrictor opening was decreased for their engines during the racing season.

" The ALMS rules mandate the use of air restrictors to equalize the performance potential of the wide variety of cars that compete in the series. The size of the restrictor is determined by the vehicle's weight, engine displacement, induction system (naturally aspirated or turbocharged) and other factors. The C6.R Corvette, for example, is required to breathe through two 31.8-mm restrictors. These orifices are about the size of a 50-cent coin."

" Much like the carburetor restrictor plates used by NASCAR on superspeedways, the ALMS air restrictors limit airflow through the engine, thereby controlling the horsepower produced. Moreover, ALMS officials can change the size of the restrictor orifice to maintain a level playing field "

Seems too simple, but had wondered if controlling speed could be achieved by reducing the CI, currently 358, and resulting HP, then eliminating the restrictor plate, or would there still be pack racing at a lower speed due to the high banking and tire technology. But, the offset would be different engines, more so than the unique restrictor plate engines, for a few tracks and driving up the cost.

At the 2012 speeds and aggressive driving in both the corners and straights, has the human reaction time, to either an incident or just racing, too slow to avoid the consequences........, while traveling the length of a football field in one second, 140 vs 195 mph