Soft Walls on Drag Strips? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter SkidMark
- Start date
Soft walls would not work on dragstrips for the same reason they are not used on the straightaways of oval tracks - they do not work well when the force of the impact is parallel to the wall or nearly so. In fact, in those cases, the soft walls tend to throw the vehicle out of control and back into the track. Most drag racing wall contact is parallel to the wall. It might help in some cases, but would make the majority of the accidents worse - and would add hours to the down time.
downtime
Nitro Member
It might be worth investigating what type of surface treatments might be available however... Concrete has a lot of friction but some of the epoxy coverings are much smoother. I'm no engineer but I wonder it such a concept might be worth some study in regards to how a vehicle behaves when it encounters a wall with less friction as opposed to more?
Obviously friction will slow things down but less friction might make a vehicle more controllable? I'm just wondering if such a concept would be worth some initial research. Nothing will prevent certain circumstances but if we could reduce the severity of even 20% of the contact made on the track I bet we could reduce injuries... Perhaps even a study of the angles inherent in jersey barrier design in regards to high speed encounters as they came into being based in highway speed usage...
Obviously friction will slow things down but less friction might make a vehicle more controllable? I'm just wondering if such a concept would be worth some initial research. Nothing will prevent certain circumstances but if we could reduce the severity of even 20% of the contact made on the track I bet we could reduce injuries... Perhaps even a study of the angles inherent in jersey barrier design in regards to high speed encounters as they came into being based in highway speed usage...
megadeth
Nitro Member
This kind of topic always comes up when something as horrific as Eric's accident and I understand the reasoning but when you are going the kind of speeds they are going things like this will happen fortunately they walk away from most but on occassion something real serious happens and unfortunately it has happen to Eric. 
Before you start looking for or over reacting to this incident they should find out what caused it first and I'm really worried from the intial reports that tire failure once again maybe the culprit.
I wish the best for Eric his Dad John and Family and for John Force Inc. this is a really trying time for everyone involved.
Before you start looking for or over reacting to this incident they should find out what caused it first and I'm really worried from the intial reports that tire failure once again maybe the culprit.
I wish the best for Eric his Dad John and Family and for John Force Inc. this is a really trying time for everyone involved.
Tony Derhammer
Nitro Member
I'm all about safety for the drivers and so what if soft walls take a little extra time to repair if it can keep drivers out of the hospital then i say go for it. Although if goodyear made a tire that could hold up that would help. I think the safety of the drivers should be looked at again. Maybe new padding that holds the drivers helmet from moving at all side to side. Also why not have a guard that won't let the throttle from hanging open. Hello why this is not a rule yet i don't know. Safer walls could still help on a side impact if designed properlly. I say lets get some info from everyone to help resolve some issues.
Thanks for your time Tony Derhammer
Thanks for your time Tony Derhammer
The Counterfeiter
Nitro Member
While a hard hit into the wall could have caused Eric's reportedly broken leg, I can't see how it could have caused the head injury. Roll cage is padded and all of the Force drivers wear a head and neck restraint type device. Unless a chassis failure compromised the belts (causing the HANS device to be ineffective), something may have impacted Eric's helmet.
We're all in shock over this and everything is just speculation. Marshall and Bee have let us know that Eric is in the best possible place to recover from this. We'll just have to pray and wait for the best.
We're all in shock over this and everything is just speculation. Marshall and Bee have let us know that Eric is in the best possible place to recover from this. We'll just have to pray and wait for the best.
yoda
Nitro Member
I'm all about safety for the drivers and so what if soft walls take a little extra time to repair if it can keep drivers out of the hospital then i say go for it. Although if goodyear made a tire that could hold up that would help. I think the safety of the drivers should be looked at again. Maybe new padding that holds the drivers helmet from moving at all side to side. Also why not have a guard that won't let the throttle from hanging open. Hello why this is not a rule yet i don't know. Safer walls could still help on a side impact if designed properlly. I say lets get some info from everyone to help resolve some issues.
Thanks for your time Tony Derhammer
Tony, I hope you understand that the safety of all involved with organized drag racing is priority number one with the crews, manufacturers and sanctioning bodies of the sport. To snipe at Goodyear shows that you have little understanding of the situation at hand.
There is no information as of now that states that Goodyear has not made a tire that did not or does not hold up. The company and the teams are constantly monitoring the performance and conditions of their product, and for you to imply that they do not reflects your lack of knowldge of what actually is involved.
Read some more of the posts and come to a better understanding of some of the subjects discussed here (in particular, the reasons why soft walls would NOT work for our particular application like they do in NASCAR), or actually check out the products used by the teams (such as the various safety devices applied within the drivers compartments of most of the teams currently) before you come here and start making uninformed commentary regarding such subjects. You'll find that many of the posters here are extremely intelligent regarding the sport, and that they pay high complements to the teams and manufacturers that actually get these cars down the track.
Everything that requires attention has that attention from someone that has the qualifications to do so.
Just a Qiuck note about the padding in the roll cage area, There is padding there, Special padding that is, The Problem does not lie there, The problem is, The human Body is going xxx MPH, The car and body hits a Wall and stops from XXX to 0, The Brain has no where to go inside the skull and bounces around, Thats the problem, Just Keep praying for Eric and His Family Please. Just My 2 Cents
r2
Nitro Member
O.K. First of all, I want to say that everything that Martin posted, I could not agree with more...
Donie brings up another very good but obvious point...
I would just add that, the XXX MPH to 0 is acually an XXX to a minus XX0...
Another issue that was brought up in the post that Martin responded to concerning padding on the sides, so the drivers head cannot move at all; is not an option much less, any safer... The team I work with in NTF are the reason that the Laderal pads were made mandatory in Nostalgia Fuel Racing... If you have seen the pictures of Mark Malde hitting his head on the front bar of the roll cage, you know what I am talking about... However, the HANS device is not mandatory YET!! However many wear them, as every driver should... The problem with Mark not wearing one is, he cannot get in the car with those pads in there, let alone get out... We cannot even put the standard neck collar (useless) but mandated, on him until he is in the car... I might also mention that what Donie is talking about with the brain inside the skull, also goes for ALL of your internal organs... I'm not sure if your eyes would even stay in their sockets if you did not close them... JMO as well, we a little bit of experience on top of that...
Last edited:
cephus
Nitro Member
We all know the danger in this sport but NHRA should take all steps to increase the safety of the drivers and crew members, i think soft walls
would be a good move, but NHRA don't want to spend any money out of
their pockets, also why does Goodyear keep screwing with the tires if we
have one that works. look at the last 2 accidents with tire issues somthing
don't add up. it's a shame but i have always said it's all about money and bottom line!
Bama Boys
would be a good move, but NHRA don't want to spend any money out of
their pockets, also why does Goodyear keep screwing with the tires if we
have one that works. look at the last 2 accidents with tire issues somthing
don't add up. it's a shame but i have always said it's all about money and bottom line!
Bama Boys
Thats the risk you take when you climb into one of these cars....They haul the mail and they can bite you but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
I understand that everyone wants the perfect world but thats life when you take these kind of risks...
Suck it up and look @ whats been accomplished, not what has'nt...
I understand that everyone wants the perfect world but thats life when you take these kind of risks...
Suck it up and look @ whats been accomplished, not what has'nt...
Jim Curtis
Nitro Member
If a dragster got loose and bumped the soft wall, I'm guessing it might grab the tire when it bends in. I don't know if I would like the idea.
Dead on Larry!!
To my knowledge, none of the Force team members use a HANS device. They use a competeing device that is not held in place by the shoulder harnesses but instead use a strapping system around the body of the driver.
handsome
Nitro Member
i think everyone needs to accept the request on the mendlen family and stop all the speculating , and ideas on how and what nhra needs to do. you weren't there. are you a brainsurgeon, if not quit implying what happened from what you have read about from other accidents. also give the soft walls a break. its all over the internet about people jumping up and down saying WE NEED SOFT WALLS. THIS ISN'T NASCAR. THOSE CARS GO 150 TO 180 MPH. NOT 330 MPH. just stop speculating and saying YOU have the idea to save the world and just pray for eric.
Kelly Andersen
Nitro Member
Post deleted. Its just one of those subjects nobody's gonna agree on. It's not worth causing hard feelings over!!!! Get well soon Eric!!!!!!
Last edited:
Just like the Darrell Russell tragedy, everyone is determined to see that something like this will never happen again. While it's Noble to consider what could make our sport safer, lets remember these cars are going over 260 MPH at half-track! When racers have lost they're lives going 120-130 MPH, is there ANY way to make 300 MPH Drag racing totally safe? Impossible!
