NASCAR looking to improve drivers’ on-track safety – NASCAR news
NASCAR is running through a serial of changes to maintain speeds at a safer distance and wreck fewer cars.
Cars crossed over 200mph at practice sessions held for Daytona 500, viewed over 24 years time.
During the last week, racing cars exceeded over 206mph at newly paved Daytona International Speedway. Since Bill Elliot marked the top speed of 210.364mph at qualifying run for Daytona500 in 1987.
NASCAR is concerned to lower the top speeds of cars and keep them on track for the safety of drivers and viewers. Mike Helton President of NASCAR shared his views about safer races.
As past has viewed some cars flipping over and smashing into fences causing safety threats. Bobby Allison’s car ran into the fence after an air flip in May 1987 at Talladega, Alabama, causing the restrictor plate rule to emerge. Restrictor plate reduces
the airflow into the engine causing reduction of horsepower of power unit resulting in lower speeds.
Top speeds of the cars have been under restriction for last 20 years and making NASCAR to regulate rules to stop hitting 200mph.
After last year’s pit-hole incident Daytona International Speedway has been newly paved by using 50,000 tones of asphalt since 1978. On that enormous grip for cars, drivers are using two-car hookup (bump- drafting) technique to shoot two race cars
into a speeding bullet.
“I've always said the most important thing is we keep the race cars on the racetrack,” 2008 Daytona5oo winner, Ryan Newman shared with media. “So whatever we've worked on with our liftoff speed to keep the cars down, that's what NASCAR needs to focus
on for making the race safe.”
Last weekend NASCAR revealed some changed regulations to cut down the speeds.
One of the rules was to reduce the openings of restrictor plates used in air-intake manifolds above carburettor effecting in to lose about 10 horsepower. Another rule was to reduce the size of front grill. Reducing the size of front grill restricts
the airflow to keep engine cool. This step would break the tow-car tandem sooner as drivers could run over heating their engines resulting in slower speeds.
Jeff Burton, winner of the Gatorade Duel 2 qualifying race for Daytona 500, also praised the NASCAR steps for safer races among other drivers. Burton also said to Mike Helton, President NASCAR, that we cannot hit 204, 205mph.
On the other side, NASCAR has permitted FOX Sports to telecast the live event of 53rd Daytona500 on Sunday 20 February. FOX will be revealing the Thermal-Cam, specially designed to mark the heat signs developed during the tough race conditions.
This Thermal-Cam feature will be more proving as the cars are running in paired bump-drafting, which causes the rear car to over-heat and makes it important to swap places with the lead car in pair. This feature will also help in to view the temperatures
between new and changed tyres.
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