Nasty crash at Daytona - breaking

[superpatriotman]

Kyle Larson went into the fence on the final lap on Nationwide race at Daytona. No word yet on injuries.

[MadHound]

1. Well, that will bring in the ratings,

After all, isn't that why most people watch NASCAR, for the crashes?

[Renew Deal]

2. No

[MadHound]

9. Have to disagree there, sorry.

There's not just anecdotal evidence, but studies have been done on that as well.
http://tippie.uiowa.edu/news/story.cfm?ID=2903

You're even helping to prove my point. Not satisfied with just having a photo posted, you posted the video of it as well.

[Renew Deal]

12. When an engine breaks through a fence an lands in the spectator area, it's news.

Do you also think people watch basketball for the fights?

Look, a video:

[MadHound]

16. Look, it is well know that people watch NASCAR for the wrecks,

It is the guilty pleasure of many, if not most NASCAR fans. Like I stated earlier, it isn't just anecdotal evidence, but bona fide studies have proven it as well.

As far as an engine landing in the stands, this is the only place I've heard about it. There was a photo posted in the OP, but you had to go and post the video. What does that say about you

As far as watching the NBA, I stopped watching it long ago, back when it came less about team ball and more about individual accomplishments. Also, the refs have let the rules get so lax that you hardly see a travel called, or an over the back foul.

I don't need to watch a video of a car wreck, I've pulled plenty of dead and dying bodies out of car wrecks. Why do you feel the need to post one?

[HappyMe]

19. Why did you feel the need to

come into this thread and lecture people?

[MadHound]

21. Probably because I find NASCAR to be rather obscene, for many reasons.

It glorifies the unsustainable car culture of our country, it wastes thousands and millions of gallons of fuel, causing even more pollution. It is generally the purview of the redneck conservative(no, not all NASCAR fans are red neck conservatives, but most are). And finally, it is indeed watched for the wrecks. I'm sorry, but having worked as a firefighter, having pulled the dead and dying out of car wrecks, I find it obscene to glorify car wrecks.

Besides, this is a chat board, where everybody is free to comment in any thread. Don't like that, perhaps you need to find a different place to hang out at

[HappyMe]

24. Well.

I guess you told me.

[MadHound]

27. You asked, I gave you an honest answer.

What, you want me to lie?

[geologic]

70. With most of your posts--

I don't see any difference...

[NutmegYankee]

18. Basketball? no.

That's what we watch Hockey for...

[CincyDem]

35. I went to the fights last night - and a hockey game broke out.

That's what you get from growing up with Bobby Hull, Stan Makita, and their enforcer Keith Magnuson (R.I.P.). It was always two for one night at the Stadium. Fights on Ice every night.

[fishwax]

20. "Study Finds Fewer Fans Watching NASCAR for the Crashes"

I don't think that study exactly shows that most people watch NASCAR for the crashes.

[MadHound]

25. I suggest you read closely

"Solow found that, indeed, the likelihood of a car wreck did increase viewership, as each additional crash per race increased the audience by about 6 percent in the pre-Chase era. Viewership didn’t seem to be affected, he found, by how close the drivers were in the overall point standings for the Sprint Cup championship."

Also,
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-6630-8_6

[Sissyk]

30. In the PRE CHase era.

Do you know what that means?

[MadHound]

31. Did you read the full article at the link I provided you?

No, I guess not.

[Sissyk]

32. Which part do you suggest I reread?

The part about how that all changed after the Chase for the Championship went in effect?

[fishwax]

37. Yeah, I saw that. A 6 percent increase hardly suggests "most." And that was the pre-Chase era (2004)

So I read it closely. It still doesn't say that most people watch NASCAR for the crashes.

[Sissyk]

22. You didnt read what you just posted, did you?

It plainly says that after the points system was put in place after 2004, less and less were watching for the wrecks. Also, read the title of the article. Nevermind, you're mind is made up.

I've been a nascar fan for 30 years and some of the best races I've ever seen, especially at Daytona and Dega, were wreck free.

[MadHound]

26. Actually I did,

I suggest you reread it as well.

[Sissyk]

28. I read it just fine the first time.

Thanks, though!

[Sissyk]

7. No

[99Forever]

13. ..."most people watch"...

Sounds a whole lot like "some people say" to me. Where does that get used a lot?


Just askin', don't get all pissy.

[MadHound]

17. Hey, at least I provide verifiable evidence.

Look to my link in post nine.

[geologic]

71. verify

THIS...

[MadHound]

73. Aww, what a cute noob,

Complete with attitude and everything. Everything except facts and logical arguments that is.

Welcome to DU, and enjoy your stay, however long, or short it is.

[geologic]

74. And just how long you been around here grandpa???

A lotta folks don't give a flyin' fuck about yer number of posts...

[ProdigalJunkMail]

76. but most people DO give a flyin' fuck

when a noob is being rude to someone with thousands of posts...

but hey, play at your own risk, right?

sP

[appleannie1]

46. My youngest son manages a Grand Am team. Most people watch for the thrill of the race. Most people

do not like seeing someone injured or killed. They also don't like to see a beautiful, extremely expensive car destroyed.

[11 Bravo]

59. That's a remarkably ignorant post ... even for here.

[Renew Deal]

3. Here's the video

Last edited Sat Feb 23, 2013, 06:31 PM - Edit history (1)

[HappyMe]

6. Wow!

I hope nobody was hurt.

[Sissyk]

8. I was watching the race when it happened.

You could see it coming that close to the end. Four wide never turns out well at those speeds and with the bump drafting.

Edited to addl I hope all the fans are okay. Helton said some were transported to Halifax.

[Mika]

23. Nascar blocked that one already. Here's a new one ...

Some things did fly over the catch fence. Hope all are OK.

[bluedigger]

4. He got out and walked away.

Still waiting to hear on injuries in the stands.

[rgbecker]

5. Ha! "TaxSlayer"!!!??!!

Seems one of the owners is finally calling it what it is. Big write off for corporate taxes..

[Sissyk]

10. That's Dale Jr's car

Look for that 88 tomorrow sponsered by National Guard or Mt. Dew. Hopefully in the front. lol! Yes, I'm a nascar junkie.

[jmowreader]

69. Come on...

https://www.taxslayer.com

[TheCowsCameHome]

11. Subject line is accurate. Definitely breaking going on.

[Honeycombe8]

14. What a shocker! How could that possibly have happened! Not meaning to be cruel...

but that is a dangerous activity, and this is a very real risk. I hope everyone is okay. But when you choose to race cars at high speeds repeatedly, bodily injury is foreseeable.

[Baclava]

49. Coulda been worse - 1955 Le Man's crash - 77 dead

1955: Le Mans disaster claims 77 lives

Seventy-seven people have been killed and 77 others injured when two cars collided on the race track and crashed into the spectators' stand at Le Mans in north-west France.

The Mercedes-Benz being driven by Pierre Levegh hit the bank by the grandstand and immediately exploded. Parts of the wreckage were blown into the enclosure, killing scores of mostly-French spectators.

The accident happened about two hours after the 24-hour race began at the Le Mans circuit. There was no official announcement of the disaster and the race was allowed to continue
.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/11/newsid_3726000/3726535.stm

[Honeycombe8]

57. Oh, my...I never heard of that. How truly awful! I can understand the need for speed,

but it just seems like such a dangerous activity to race at high speeds like that.

And the race cont'd because they didn't know about the tragedy. Unimaginable. Thanks for that video. The commentator said that what the Mercedes was made of was a substance that turns into an inferno.

[Brother Buzz]

60. Magnesium

As the remains of the 300 SLR slowed its somersault, the rear-mounted fuel tank ruptured. The ensuing fuel fire raised the temperature of the remaining Elektron bodywork past its ignition temperature, which due to its high magnesium content was lower than for other metal alloys. The alloy burst into white-hot flames, sending searing embers onto the track and into the crowd. Rescue workers, totally unfamiliar with magnesium fires, poured water on the inferno – greatly intensifying the fire. As a result, the car burned for several hours.

[Honeycombe8]

62. Oh...wow...it got even worse. What a nightmare. Those poor people. nt

[jambo101]

15. The result of restrictor plate racing

Whereby all the cars are mechanically restricted to basically going the same speed so they tend to race in large packs rather than a long line of cars, so when an accident happens it usually involves many cars rather than just a couple of cars.

[bluedigger]

29. It's hard for the field to spread out in two laps.

This could have happened at any track in the circumstances of a quick finish following another caution at the end of the race.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

41. Yep, and I don't think I saw the leader lap a car in competition during

the entire race. Not on the track. They were pretty much all bunched up during the entire race.

[Go Vols]

51. I quit watching as much

after the restrictor plates came into effect in '88,then all the areo stuff to slow them.
I like the fast cars to go on and it doesn't happen anymore,just a big wad of cars that usually wreck in the last couple of laps.

[FarCenter]

48. It also means they are using obsolete carburetors

Racing engines in other types of race cars use fuel injection.

[Brother Buzz]

50. Nascar uses fuel injection and restrictor plates

Fuel injection splashed at last years Daytona 500 race, but they are still using restrictor plates until they implement some sort of weird 'electronic' restrictor plate.

I spent ten minutes reading about it so I'm now a genuine authority.

[Go Vols]

52. You are correct.

[A HERETIC I AM]

64. There is nothing "weird" about an electronic speed or RPM limiter

You have one on your car, most likely.

[Brother Buzz]

68. A governor would be simple device to install

But in my brief period of time reading about it, I understand they are trying to work out a formula that addresses fuel consumption and horse power limits at high rpm, and still leave a bit of meat on the bone for the engineers to work with.

[A HERETIC I AM]

65. If NASCAR had not implemented restrictor plates at the few tracks they are (were) used....

wrecks that flung debris and entire cars for that matter into the stands would have become much more common.

The faster a Cup car goes, the lighter it becomes on the track.


They simply can not allow them to run the 220 MPH they are easily capable of.

[redwitch]

33. I really hope I don't get called on for jury duty on this thread. nt

[elleng]

34. Just say 'No!'

[Sissyk]

40. lol!

[hootinholler]

72. You won't now

If you ever want to avoid a jury on any thread just post in it. Jurors are selected form outside any given thread.

[redwitch]

75. Good to know.

Thanks.

[rppper]

36. I can hear the race from my house!

I knew something had happened when I heard all the engines shut down....damn!

[House of Roberts]

38. The engines shut down twice.

The big crash that happened with five or six laps to go resulted in a red flag, so the track could be cleared. The crash that caused these injuries and damage was on the last lap, after a green-white-checker restart.

[Tikki]

43. Hey HI ...House of Roberts...we are a house of Roberts, also.

and generations of it's derivations and diminutives...

Welcome to DU..


The Tikkis

[House of Roberts]

44. Nice to meet you here!

Always good to know another family of Clan Robertson!

[Brother Buzz]

42. They shut the engines down because the race ended

Tony Stewart won. Officials are sorting it out the find where others were positioned at the end.

[FarCenter]

39. 15 injured, 1 critical

http://espn.go.com/racing/nascar/nationwide/story/_/id/8978096/horrific-wreck-mars-end-daytona-nwide-race

[trumad]

45. I've stood near that spot many times.

Wow! Glad I wasn't then.

[ohheckyeah]

47. Actually, many people hate races with crashes.

It stops the action and sitting and waiting for the track to be cleaned up, not to mention worry about injuries, is not fun.

When Dale Earnhardt, Sr. was killed in a crash a lot of people demanded safer conditions for the drivers. It was a horrible thing to see and most NASCAR fans will never forget it and do not ever want to see a repeat.

[justiceischeap]

53. That may be so, but this pic shows a different viewpoint

Granted, it's one guy out of many but still...

[Go Vols]

54. He could just as well

been cheering that the lead car,maybe his fav driver made it through the wreck without a scratch.

[justiceischeap]

55. That's quite true, he very well could have been

but that is not how the majority of people are going to see it.

[ohheckyeah]

58. How do you know what he was responding to?

Maybe he was happy his favorite driver made it through the accident.

Sorry - that picture doesn't tell the story.

[Elwood P Dowd]

61. Probably a Tony Stewart fan because he had just taken the lead when this car hit the fence.

I've been to over 50 NASCAR races the past 43 years, and I don't know a single person who spends $100.00 or more for a NASCAR event just for the possibility of watching a wreck. There will always be a few casual fans, drunks, or TV watchers that might enjoy that, but the vast majority of those in the stands do not enjoy wrecks. Anybody that says otherwise is an idiot who has no fucking clue what they are talking about. I've attended many that never had a wreck, and some that never even had a caution flag.

[npk]

56. I will admit it I am a NASCAR fan

I love watching NASCAR each week, and not because of the wrecks, but the thrill of seeing the cars pass, bump and shove one another out of the way. Anyway, I also respect the people that think NASCAR is a waste of time and a waste of gasoline.

[randome]

66. Hey! You can't be nuanced on this board!

[CherokeeDem]

63. My two cents...

I've been a Democrat and a NASCAR fan from the time I was able to understand both. Why in the world would I want to see my favorite drivers in a wreck...people get hurt in wrecks. I don't even want to see the drivers I don't like in a wreck. The best races are the ones where there are no wrecks...where the skill of the driver and the quality of the car wins the race. Are there a few idiots out there who live for wrecks...probably...but they aren't real fans...they're just idiots.

Everyone doesn't have to like NASCAR...I despise soccer (but love rugby)....but I don't begrudge or belittle the fans of soccer or any other sport. And yes, I am fully aware there's fuel involved, and lots of corporate money but you know what...it's enjoyable to those of us who love car racing whether it's stock or open wheel or whatever. NASCAR has been addressing the issue of fuel, hard to make changes overnight.

Wishing those injured a fast recovery....

[A HERETIC I AM]

67. In response to the arguments on this thread re: wrecks and whether people watch racing for them.....

I've been a racing fan for as long as I can remember and worked in the industry for 13 years. I've attended 4 Daytona 500's as a participant and 7 Indianapolis 500's as one also, along with hundreds of other races, both large and small.

There is an old saying, dating back to before I was a child growing up watching the Monaco GP on "Wide World of Sports";

"People don't watch motor racing for the crashes, but if there were no crashes, people would not watch racing".

To a certain degree, it is true. Crashes add drama to an event.

[graham4anything]

77. Isn't this why people go to see it?

[Elwood P Dowd]

80. No! People don't pay $100-200 plus travel expenses just because there might be a chance

of a big wreck. Most of the races don't have something like happened yesterday. Some of them never even have a caution flag except for oil or metal on the track. Had that wreck never happened, there would have been a very close finish and all the fans would be talking about what a great race it was.

Wrecks actually take away from the enjoyment. It's like a long timeout in a football game.

[cherokeeprogressive]

81. Had your post included the words "a few"...

It might have seemed like you knew what you were talking about.

[AsahinaKimi]

79. Too Damn Close...

Yes, that is a TIRE in the seat.