NASCAR Wreckers

“We fought hard. We overcame adversity,” said McDowell after the race. “We were in position there to have a top 10 and we just got caught up in a wreck. Not sure exactly what happened, just got hit from behind, ran into the No. 10 and she spun. It was just one of those chain reaction deals. I will have to go back and see. Everyone did good, the Thrivent Financial Chevrolet was up front, got some TV time, was running hard, unfortunately, we didn’t get the finish.”  [1]

Here’s the video of the wreck Michael McDowell #95 (pictured above) caused, by slamming into the Danica Patrick’s #10 car in the middle of a pack at 190 MPH at Talladega:

Patrick called it the “hardest hit of her career.”  Matt Kenseth #20 was flipped and tumbled several times.  One announcer feared Kenseth was going to hit the catch fence, which doesn’t ‘catch’ much of a car flying at 190 MPH. Physicists hired by NASCAR to study aerodynamics, have stated that 150 MPH is the limit for preventing cars from being lifted into the air when suddenly turned.

Automobile Physics

It’s pretty clear in this interview that she’s NOT okay after being wrecked by McDowell, she simply fears being fined by NASCAR, for speaking out over a reckless idiot who doesn’t belong on the same race track:

Note: Any wrecked driver should be immediately tested for concussion, if driver safety actually matters.

The issues are clear, and yet NASCAR (like the NFL on concussions) takes a ‘wait and see’ approach to participant safety. NASCAR fears: 1) loss of revenue; and 2) more than anything else, the redefinition of their sport.  There are major egos involved here.

Driver safety had never been much of an issue, until Dale Earnhardt was killed at Daytona in 2001. This prompted NASCAR to finally get with the program, which the rest of motorsports had already adopted– finally modernizing safety features for their cars & drivers. [2]

Now ‘stock car’ racing reaches 195+ MPH at it’s fastest super-speedways (Talladega & Daytona), and this is with restrictor plates.  All-out speeds without plates is 230+ MPH. [3]

Rusty runs unrestricted

Stock car racing is defined as ‘bump & run’ style. This is different from ‘open wheel’ racing, such as Indy car, which is from where Danica Patrick came.  Patrick ran an unofficial practice lap at Indianapolis Speedway, at a micro-second under 230 MPH– which is still the record for a woman.  Arie Luyendyk is the fastest lap ever– at 239+ MPH.  [4]

On just casual evaluation, Patrick’s driving skills are clearly superior to two-thirds of the NASCAR field, and arguable one of the best.  She’s either 1) been given a slower car & team, or 2)  gets wrecked whenever she’s having a good run.

Top NASCAR photo: Talladega

Racing is a team sport, and every NASCAR Sprint Cup driver has an 8-man team:

Front Tire Carrier
Front Tire Changer
Rear Tire Carrier
Rear Tire Changer
Jackman
Gasman
Spotter
Crew Chief

The top 6 listed are the pit crew, responsible for refuelling, new tires, chassis adjustments & on-track repairs. The spotter is posted high in the stands, and uses binoculars to communicate by radio with the driver– an extra set of eyes, with a panoramic view of the race.

The crew chief is the equivalent of the head coach in American football. He coordinates the race plan with the driver, the racing equivalent of the quarterback. It is ultimately the driver who takes responsibility for the race, as each must repeatedly make split-second decisions on the track.

Problems occur when crew chiefs (or other team members) get an ego over who should be in charge.  Every position on all 40 Sprint Cup teams every week is occupied by a man.  Danica Patrick is literally the only woman in NASCAR, and she faces challenges within her own team that no other driver has.

NASCAR comes from the South, and southerners are not known as good losers.  This is traditionalized today by the cheatin’ SEC in college sports. Historically it goes back to Booth assassinating Abraham Lincoln, and losing the Civil War which ended chattel slavery.  This is what Danica Patrick (from the midwest, who represents driver safety & civility) is up against.

Since she is a woman, a large group of people (called women) care about her safety. Many educated & young men care too. This frightens NASCAR, as they fear losing their sport to a new demographic, which will redefine it in a way they don’t prefer.  It’s much easier for them to keep letting Danica Patrick be a crash test dummy, until she’s killed or quits.

As far as Patrick winning a race, or consistently running top 10– that will not be allowed. It’s clear to anyone who follows these races. that any good-ol-boy-of-the-week will be allowed to wreck her a high speed– without penalty. [5]

Brian France :CEO NASCAR

This comes down to Brian France & Richard Petty, who own NASCAR in every sense.  Also notice how all this nonsense is broadcast, either by FOX or NBC.  As long as these prejudices are allowed to rule, driver’s will continue to be dangerously be wrecked, until someone is permanently crippled or killed.  These charlatans will only shed crocodile tears, unless it’s one of their truly-favored saints who is victimized.  Unfortunately martyrs remain dead.  Apparently, Danica Patrick counts for less-than-most (if not at all) in the estimation of NASCAR, FOX and the rest of this corporate parasitism.

Top NASCAR photo: Talladega

Of course, all their lies are simply attempts to put reality on its head.  For example, the NASCAR All-star race to be held in Charlotte later in May, is an annual showcase event where the fans vote-in their favorite driver. Guess who now wins (in a landslide), year-after-year?

Vote Danica!

NASCAR still tries to sell everyone that Dale, Jr #88 is their most popular driver; to the point where he’s probably embarrassed by much of it.

Jr loses wheel

Dale, Jr tweets steering wheel fail

This writer respects Earnhardt, who is probably the most-loved figure among NASCAR’s traditional base, but Danica is a global icon. No other NASCAR figure can claim that.

Big Bill

Brian France has run NASCAR since his father died in 2003.  He was born and raised as his grandfather Bill France, Sr ran upstart NASCAR with an iron fist.  Big Bill died of Alzheimer’s in 1992, turning NASCAR (by now a multi-billion dollar industry) over to his son Bill, Jr.  NASCAR today has huge clout.  [6]

Steve O’Donnell (shown above) is now NASCAR’s #2 man. [7]  Since Brian France is a redneck, a slicker more polished pitch-man is now required in this sophisticated & modern age we live.  O’Donnell’s job is to blow smoke up everyone’s ass, whenever there’s a serious issue making NASCAR look bad.

Blabber & Smoke

‘Everyone’ includes the drivers, media, and fans; and the issues pertaining to driver safety range from dangerous racing speeds to intentionally wrecking to lug nuts. [8]

NASCAR apologists 1

As you can read below, sometimes even their top spokesman reveals too much (for which they always later correct– by deleting).  Steve O’Connor explains, “With each incident, you never want to learn through those instances but you always do.”

NASCAR apologists 2

NASCAR (the France family) takes virtually all the money from it’s races. That’s why all the teams have sponsors wrapped all over their cars and patched on their uniforms, as they are necessary to pay all the expenses for these high-performance cars and its specialized personnel.  Prize money available for the teams is only a small fraction of what NASCAR rakes, and it doesn’t come close to covering any team’s expenses.

danica-patrick-natures-bakery

NASCAR will only change for the better when its fans & drivers & teammates join together. and take this form of racing as their own, as it shouldn’t be a whim of wealthy, ignorant, and drunken prejudice.  The lives on the track and in the stands, and the enjoyment of all its fans are worth much more to human society.

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Three-Wide Madness @ Talladega

Geico 500 @ Talladega (188 laps) restrictor plate race, 33-degree banking in the turns, 3-degrees in backstretch.  Sometimes ‘4-wide’ racing on the longest (2.66 mile) tri-oval in NASCAR. SAFER barriers inside & out. Talladega has 5 lanes and is a ‘wild card’ race, which means any good driver in a decent car can win. Weather: 80 degrees and overcast, with rain threatening

12:50:  “Drivers, start your engines!”    Note: it used to be “gentlemen,” but somebody changed all that.

Danica Patrick #10 starts 37th, out of 40 cars. Tony Stewart #14 starts middle-of-the-pack and immediately drops to 40th. He’s only starting this race to get his points towards the Sprint Cup Chase, which he has realistically has no chance for which to even qualify. His fragile back is discussed at length, as the SHR #14 team waits for an early caution flag to get Ty Dillon into the car.  Also mentioned, #22 Joey Logano took a hard crash in yesterday’s X-finity race.

Drafting with your teammate is crucial to winning at Talladega.  Dave Moody, Rusty Wallace, Mike Bagly, Kyle Ricky, Alex Hayden, Winston Kelly, Steve Post and Kim Coon are among those calling the action, waiting for the (American Ethanol) green flag to drop.

Lap 10: “3-wide six deep, from 9th on back!”
“Lots of blocking, early at Talladega!”

Lap 16: Matt Kenseth #20 is the race leader, 3 other (JGR) Toyota’s running top 10–  197 MPH laps, 6.7 MPG

Lap 20: 4 Toyota’s in the top 5: Kenseth, Denny Hamlin #11, Martin Truex Jr #78 & Kyle Busch #5

Lap 22: Danica Patrick 17th, Tony Stewart 38th

Lap 28: Danica Patrick in 12th, boyfriend Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. #17 in 13th, and SHR teammate Kevin Harvick #4 in 14th

Lap 30: New race leader, Chase Elliot #24

LaP 31: dANICA RUNNING 10TH

Lap 36: First wave of pit stops

“Wedge adjustments right/left rear, two vs. four tires, Sunoco fuel…”
Patrick’s #10 car has the second pit box.  Bobby LaBonte #32 & Paul Menard #27 cut her off going in & spin her out on pit road.

Danica cut off by Menard & LaBonte

No one hurt, but Patrick’s car is nose-first into the wall.  Minor left-side damage, extended stay in the pits for her.

Extended pit stop

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/video?vid=677348931809

MRN announcer: Why do race car drivers lie so much?
Rusty Wallace: “They just do.”

Lap 41: Kyle Busch #5 race leader, has picked up a plastic bag on his bumper causing all kinds of commotion in the booth.  It isn’t slowing his car down much.
Trevor Bayne #6 & Tony Stewart get speeding penalties in pit road, sending them to the back of the field.  Stewart joins teammate Danica Patrick, now running 40th.

Lap 49: Dale Earnhardt, Jr #88 loses it and crashes!  First (STP) yellow flag of the race. Kasey Kahne #5, Matt Dibenedetto #83 also caught up. Dale Jr immediately interviewed on the track owns it as his mistake, and compares it to his Daytona crash a few months back.

When Dale Jr. had a dead battery a week ago, MRN/PRN announcers all repeated that things like this are ‘best to happen early’.  He finished 2nd that day.  MRN says nothing about this possibility for Danica Patrick.

Lap 52: Danica Patrick up to 37th, one lap down.

Lap 53 : Tony Stewart gets the ‘wave around’ to the lead lap. Ty Dillon is now driving the #14 car. They changed under yellow so they didn’t lose any real track position.  It’s now up to Dillon to work with his SHR teammates. It was 77 seconds on that driver swap.  Honestly, Tony Stewart shouldn’t have been in a race car today.

Lap 57: Once you’re a lap down on a big track like Talladega, you have to get to be first on your lap, and then hope for the ‘luck dog’ caution flag which gets you back on the lead lap.  Michael Annette #48 & Landon Cassill #38 with Patrick, one lap down about to go green.

Lap 58: Caution flag #2 “Recap when we return…” Aric Almirola #43 damaged & Casey Mears #13 out.  Danica Patrick led her lap when the caution comes out– lucky dog Danica back on the lead lap.

Lap 66: Ty Dillon up from 34th to 12th, teammate Danica Patrick 21st.

Lap 70: (MRN cuts to a commercial) “Dale, Jr here for Geico…”  Mute.  No Dale, you’re in the garage.

Lap 73: Patrick 16th, running with Stenhouse Jr & Kevin Harvick #4.   Brad Keslowski #2, Chase Elliot & Austin Dillon #3, running 1-2-3.

Lap 77: Three-wide for the fourth position!  Engines heat up to about 255 degrees today, up from old-school 180 degrees.

Lap 87: Thirty cars separated by just TWO seconds running at 195 MPH, 3-wide at Talladega!!

Lap 91: Danica Patrick up to 13th, Kurt Busch 12th, Stenhouse Jr 10th

Lap 96: Jimmie Johnson #48 loses it.  Chris Beuscher #34 clipped the the right rear and flips airborne. Carl Edwards #99 takes a shot. Third caution, no one knows if the rookie driver (Beuscher) is okay when MRN cuts to commercial…

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/watch-chris-buescher-talladega-geico-500-go-for-horrifying-barrel-roll-wreck-sprint-cup-050116

Lap 97:  Back to the broadcast, still under caution. Chris Beuscher climbs out of the roof of his wrecked vehicle, and take the mandatory ambulance ride. He’s very fortunate.
Austin Dillon damaged.  It’s time to announce the fan’s vote for today’s race winner. Danica Patrick is now the race leader [!], MRN cuts to a commercial.

Lap 100: Patrick pits under caution, teammate Kevin Harvick new race leader. Patrick led for 3 laps, all under caution.

Lap 109: Carl Edwards apparently cuts a tire and slams into the wall, Dale Jr (back into the race) is now wrecked!  Patrick now 29th, with 32 cars now on the lead lap.

Lap 128: Patrick 12th, 5th caution.

Lap 153: 6th Caution, Patrick running 27th.

Lap 159: Kurt Busch #41 gets into #48 Jimmie Johnson’s left rear bumper on the straight-away, turning him sideways into the wall.   “More than half the field eaten alive in that multi-car crash.  We’ve been waiting all day for that one!”  Seventh caution; fuel & four tires for everyone left in the race. Danica Patrick now 11th, with teammate Ty Dillon 12th.  Jimmie Johnson, Brian Scott #44, Kyle Larson #42, Ricky Stenhouse, etc…(17 cars total) out in that wreck.  Running ‘4-wide’ at Talladega.

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/jimmie-johnson-denny-hamlin-talladega-the-big-one-finally-strikes-28-to-go-geico-500-050116

Lap: 166:  8th caution flag for ‘debris on the track’ with Danica Patrick now running 9th. MRN says nary a word about it, lap after lap.

Lap 180:  Michael McDowell #95 ‘bump drafts’ Danica Patrick (running top 10), wrecking her in flames.  Matt Kenseth #20 flips over.  Patrick is first out of her car, walking over to see if Kenseth needs help.  Kenseth hand signals he’s okay. The track is then cleared.  Joey Logano, Paul Menard and Aric Almirola are also out. The ‘big one’ part 2.   NASCAR is ecstatic.  MRN cuts to a commercial…Save big money at Menards!

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/non-stop-carnage-at-talladega-superspeedway-is-no-joking-matter-050116

Lap 184: Still under caution, Matt Kenseth interviewed by MRN. He didn’t see it coming.  Back to green.  Danica Patrick describes hitting hard into an energy-absorbing wall that buckles upon impact. “I would say that’s probably the most scared, trying to hop out of a car with the fire on the inside. I haven’t had fire on the inside before. I have a pretty decent bruise on my arm and my foot, and my head feels like I hit a wall at 200. My chest hurts when I breathe.”

“We all raced to the halfway, then we all raced to the rain that was coming, then we all raced to the end,” she said. “It was like the whole race, you spent it racing like it was the end. There was no moments to relax at all. I’m sure that kind of expanded people’s comfort zones at the end of the race because we were already so used to running close. Some people took it over the edge.”

Lap 188: Checkered flag to Brad Keselowski, caution flag out as cars cross the finish line.  Danica Patrick DNF, placing 24th.  Her haters continue to maintain she sucks.  What really sucked was this race, which was a dangerous joke for all its participants.

Top 12 @ Talladega

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Why Does Danica Patrick Wreck So Often in NASCAR? [1]