Wow - NHRA did something!

[flash]

The US Nationals racing at 1000ft is blasphemy!

Indeed !!!

 

[clwill]

Its a good thing, but I think they need to go one step further. The cement walls should have maybe some of those trash can looking barriers filled with water or sand, to stop a straight on hit from a vehicle..........it is nice to see them get this done for this race and the other tracks starting to do what they can also. Id like to see the myth busters do some testing, that would be interesting on what they would come up with as alternative stopping ideas.

They said the people who did the SAFER barriers for Indy/NASCAR were involved, so I assume what we see there is not simply concrete, but something like that. Just guessing, but I think that's safe to assume (bad pun... ).

 

[Alan]

Now let's install it at every track that has a questionable runoff, and go back to 1320 next year.

Wonder if Head played a part in this design.....

 

[FC138fan]

The high speed crashes into the sand pit I've seen show the car skipping over the sand (and if it did grab, wouldn't the car flip?).

The sand works at medium to slow speeds, but for those catastrophic failuers (as in Kalitta's case) the car skips over the sand and gets caught in the nets.

That would imply that the nets are a last resort, and would only get used if a car blasts over the sand and into the nets. This means that they would only get used in a high speed impact (meaning the car still has lots of energy to dissapate). Wouldn't water or sand filled barrels meant to dissapate energy (like those seen to protect bridge piers etc.) be safer for the driver then nets? I just think theres gotta be a better way then nets to stop the car.

However - it is a step in the right direction and should be applauded and implemented at all tracks.

Some company should take an old funnycar and blast it through a couple alternate safety devices and prove that it works. Maybe they will find that Scott wouldn't have had a chance with any safety device (other then an open field).

 

[FABMAN]

It's a step in the right direction at least. Every track should have a catch net like that.

This is a great step, they're using the right people Univ of Nebraska. Every track should be making this improvement, Tex Plex is done. Make it mandatory if you want a national event.

 

[Mooseman]

Hey I found this clip on youtube last night and its got a clip of a dragster getting caught in a net and it seems to stop it pretty good , I know its an old video but if the new nets stop the cars as well as the one in the video things should be ok if an accident happens .

YouTube - drag racing follies

 

[Bobby Bennett]

That was Jeg Coughlin Sr. in Columbus.