OT: Horrific crash at Daytona

[pap49cba]

17 spectators injured... some critically

LINK

 

[UConnChapette]

That is horrible. With the speeds those cars travel at, and so little room for error it is a wonder this doesn't happen more often. I don't care how high or strong the catch fence is - when a airborne car meets it going at almost 200 mph, the fence and what's behind it is going to suffer some damage.

I used to be a big NASCAR fan, one of my kids is named - kind of - for one of the stars from the 80's. But I have never had the desire to go to a race in person. Not into it much anymore, and it has been probably 15 years since I have sat down and actually watched a NASCAR race.

Praying for those injured that they have a speedy and full recovery.

 

[Scotter]

Little big of a perfect storm there. A tire got through the fence and into the stands, which I believe caused the more serious injuries. They've done a better job of keeping the cars on the ground, especially since Carl Edwards got airborne and went high into the catch fence at Talladega several years ago.

 

[John Glass]

the total is 28 now

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I don't watch any of the motor sports, and the crashes are a big reason. Of the few I've ever seen, Formula 1 35+ years ago seemed the most interesting.

Would agree with Scotter that safety is improved, so this may indeed be a perfect storm. The chance of injury in the stands, percentage wise, is probably quite small, especially since the capacities are huge (9 of 10 largest "stadiums" I believe). Of course, statistics mean little when you are the one injured (I usually say "in the plane crash").

Prayers for all involved.

 

[EricLA]

Several years ago, car racing was the fastest growing spectator sport in America. Never saw the allure myself. But those (stadiums?) or whatever the raceway is called are always packed to the top so it's clear it's super popular...

 

[Bigpetunia]

I don't know if it's still the fastest growing "sport" in America or not, but I tend to inevitably cite its enormous popularity as a key sign of the relentless dumbing down of our population. Admittedly, the so-called "appeal" of entering some arena for the purpose of watching other people drive cars real fast has always been lost on me. But I think that the only reason people do it (else it would be stultifyingly boring) is for the opportunity to witness big crack-ups, like the one that occurred yesterday, in real time. Indeed, almost every time one sees a NASCAR promo or "highlight" on TV, the crashes are most prominently featured. I guess it has the same kind of sick appeal that turned folks on when the lions devoured the gladiators, except that the spectators in those days remained reasonably confident that the lions couldn't leap into the grandstand. Unfortunately, flying car parts can, and do, just that, so why should we be surprised by the tragic results?

 

[Icebear]

The number of engineering degrees on the infield at a NASCAR event is greater than are involved in any other sport in America. Some of the guys you see going over the walls slinging those tires are Georgia Tech football players with engineering degrees among other schools.

 

[ThisJustIn]

I'm not sure there's a huge difference between the fan fascination with the big crash in racing as the fan fascination with the big hit in football. As to the overall difference between the sports, I'd say football's skill set is more on obvious display than those of the drivers (you rarely see a pudgy driver, so yes, they do have sports-like skills). I, too, don't understand the fascination, but I don't mock it, as some do, 'cause, well... I love women's basketball.

 

[JimGunther]

The headline should be "Engine block does NOT fly into stands"
As mentioned above, the engineering knowledge that's applied - to keep fans safe - at NASCAR tracks is amazing. That said, a few stray pieces flung from a 200 mph race car can do lethal damage.
FWIW: I'm a motorsports fan in general and NHRA Drag Racing in particular and every form of racing is done on-the-edge but the notion that fans (well, real fans anyway) "go for the crashes" is silly. Given that "your guy (or gal)" is as likely to be taken out (and the competition is ) by a wreck, it makes as much sense as watching WCBB for the fouls or (worse) the injury time-outs.

NHRA had their own boomer last weekend when Antron Brown's car exploded at 308. MPH (Yes, over 300 MPH) -- and he walked away.

delayedhttp://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/24230-antron-god-has-control-of-my-life

Certainly one of the scariest crashes I'VE ever seen - never saw an explosion take out BOTH rear tires before. Again, stringent safety rules prevented serious injury.

 

[Scotter]

I'm not sure there's a huge difference between the fan fascination with the big crash in racing as the fan fascination with the big hit in football. As to the overall difference between the sports, I'd say football's skill set is more on obvious display than those of the drivers (you rarely see a pudgy driver, so yes, they do have sports-like skills). I, too, don't understand the fascination, but I don't mock it, as some do, 'cause, well... I love women's basketball.

Football and Hockey are apt comparisons. Do people get a visceral enjoyment out of a big hit? Yes. They also get enjoyment out of a great move with the ball or the puck. The hits highlight the risk involved to go over the middle to make a catch or make a great pass in a car, but if fans only came to races to see big wrecks then they would often be disappointed.

Racing becomes a more interesting sport once you can see the skill involved. For along time I couldn't really appreciate soccer and hockey because of the low success rate of scoring. Most of the time it looked like randomly just kicking or shooting toward the goal and hoping for the best, and I wasn't a fan of random at the time. I liked the organized and conversion rates of basketball and football where the correct play given the situation is going to result in success the majority of the time. Eventually I came to understand the tactics and skill involved in the buildup to scoring chances in soccer, and that helped me understand hockey as well.

For the people who understand the difficulty of getting a car to turn at the fastest possible speed it is just about the crashes. although the crashes are part of the consquences. It is probably helpful to have driven anything as fast as it can possibly go even if it is just a go-kart, and feel that tension of whether you're going to be able to make the turn or not.