Pit Stop's

[flamehothead]

I don't know how many Formula-1 fan's there are here but I wanted to get an opinion on something. Whenever Formula-1 driver's are getting ready to come in for a pit-stop the have a switch they turn on it activate's a light on the back of the car. Why couldn't Nascar put something like this in the back window and when they are on the backstretch they could flip the swithch and turn the light on. This would let anyone behind you know that you were coming in. The light is bright enough to run in the sun. It is a LED light which I am sure all of the truck driver's know how bright they are. If you are behind a semi next time look at his brakelight's most of them are LED.

[KurtBuschFan]

It would be a great idea....could prevent alot of problems.

[Busch Babe 899]

Taillights have been proposed before, but other than if they ever run in the rain, they won't be used, because it's just another way someone could fake someone out. Some sort of light would be good...better still, the driver planning to pit should get down to the inside lane WHEN IT'S CLEAR, NOT when another car is coming up on him fast in that inside lane...but that's just my opinion...oh, and Mark Martin's.

Thank GOD for the SAFER barriers...Mark hit so hard, I thought for sure he would be injured, his car went at least 4 feet in the air...and he climbed out and stood on the window and saluted the fans. Thank God.

[Chris]

hhuumm...
I don't know about a driver flipping a switch showing he is pitting...
good thought in theory... could be do-able.
I mean I KNOW it's do-able,... some drivers would complain they have their hands full already and thats something 'extra' they have to do,... so maybe they would do it and maybe not...

Just connecting it to the brake pedal wouldn't do any good... they are on the brakes all the time,... not sure.
Some guys could even use it as a 'fake'... turn it on knowing they are not coming in... (places like Daytona and Dega) this could be used to an advantage... then say they changed their mind.

Of course if you turn it on,.. you gotta remember to turn it off,... kinda be like the guy driving down the road with his turn signal on... LOL

Some type of something should be able to be done...  of course if Yeley had been where he SHOULD have been (on the very bottom groove) there never would have been this problem.
ACtually Nascar may have to step in and solve the problem (and they could if it gets to be a problem)
Currently when you EXIT the pits you have to stay below the yellow line until you reach turn #2 then blend in with traffic on the track.
If Nascar makes a rule where you have to be below the yellow line STARTING in turn #3 and OFF the racing surface then this kinda thing CAN NOT happen.

[Dustcloud]

That would have to be a carefully worded rule. I can just see every guy who blows a tire in the wrong place getting a penalty:-). Or drivers intentionally blocking people going for the pits. How would that be for a passive-agressive way to get back at a driver who makes you mad?

[Chris]

well..
common sense (as far as tires) would come into play...
if a driver had to pit at the last minute because of a flat,.. officials would see he didn't follow the rules but pitted because of safety reasons,.. and IF he did indeed pit and DID have a flat the penalty could be waived... if he did NOT have a flat then a 'pass threw' penalty could be issued...

As far as other drivers not allowing other drivers to get to the bottom,.. that would be taking them out of the normal 'fastest' line in most cases,.. so it would be a detriment to do that,.. so I doubt it would happen much, if any.

What I was looking at is it would make a defining line where drivers pitting SHOULD be... and there would be no 'guessing" who is pitting and who is not.

[Tyyrus]

I AGREE CHRIS , AN IDIOT LINE IS PROBABLY THE WAY TO GO , WITH ALL THE PROTECTIVE (CACOON) EQUIPT. AROUND THE DRIVER , REAR AND EVEN SIDE VISION IS AT A
PREMIUM. AS FOR A DRIVER ACTIVATED SWITCH (STEERING WHEEL MOUNTED) FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS , THIS WOULD BE QUITE BENEFICIAL DURING NIGHT RACES OR DARK OVERCAST WEATHER CONDITIONS , PERHAPS AMBER RATHER THAN CONVENTIONAL RED TO INDICATE A DRIVER WITHOUT POWER OR PITTING.
JUST FOOD FOR THOUGHT , BUT SOMETING IS WARRANTED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED , THEIR
NOT DRIVING BACK IN THE 50'S OR 60'S , SOME OF THE COOKIE CUTTER TRACKS SPEEDS ARE APPROACHING THE SPEEDS OF FORMER SUPERSPEEDWAY TRACKS...TY !!

[Chris]

SOME OF THE COOKIE CUTTER TRACKS SPEEDS ARE APPROACHING THE SPEEDS OF FORMER SUPERSPEEDWAY TRACKS

YEAH... Atlanta (at 1.5 miles) is the FASTEST track on the circuit now.  Texas, and Lowes is close behind.
Wreck there and you hit a TON.... look how hard Martin hit last night,.. and head on too...
Thank God for Soft walls... no thanks to Nascar.
Seems ALL.. (and I mean ALL) the safety innovations have come from someone OTHER than Nascar.  (Jack Roush came up with roof flaps, some college developed safer barriers, Roush also developed a automatic cut off switch if your throttle hangs - has to do with slamming down on the brake peddal, I forget WHO invented the HANS device, SImpson with their fireproof suits, the list goes on and on.)
Funny how Nascar pushes for 'safety' but never invents anything for it...  hhuummm

[AfterShock]

Has or is NASCAR providing any research monies for the study and development of any of the safety systems and/or equipment ?

Or, is the reward for doing such, a contract with NA$CAR to be the "Offical NA$CAR" whatever? And allowed to install or provide said equipment and/or services at no charge to NA$CAR?

Who's paying for the R and D on the C.O.T.?

(Completely Outrageous Tank)

When they race it on Sunday
Where can one buy it on Monday
or Tuesday.
Wednesday?
 

[SMOKEN14]

YEAH... Atlanta (at 1.5 miles) is the FASTEST track on the circuit now.  Texas, and Lowes is close behind.
Wreck there and you hit a TON.... look how hard Martin hit last night,.. and head on too...
Thank God for Soft walls... no thanks to Nascar.
Seems ALL.. (and I mean ALL) the safety innovations have come from someone OTHER than Nascar.  (Jack Roush came up with roof flaps, some college developed safer barriers, Roush also developed a automatic cut off switch if your throttle hangs - has to do with slamming down on the brake peddal, I forget WHO invented the HANS device, SImpson with their fireproof suits, the list goes on and on.)
Funny how Nascar pushes for 'safety' but never invents anything for it...  hhuummm

THE NEW VEGAS TRACK SHOULD BE REAL FAST

[Chris]

As far as the developments by Roush (Roof flaps, and throttle brake) I know he just built them as safety innovations, first to save his own cars, and drivers,.. and then presented them to Nascar.
Nascar approved them for use on all cars,.. but he didn't receive any compenstaion.
Of course Nascar gets 'credit' for all this. Roush don't even get credit for doing it,.. unless some announcer remembers to mention it.
(Not sure about the Safer Barriers,.. they were originally done for Indy Motor Speedway.)

I see Nascar approved the driver exit flaps in the roof of the cars,.. but don't see anyone using them.  Wonder why??

As far as the CoT... I honestly don't know about that.  I think they drew up the 'plans' for that cars,.. but each team had to build their own car to bring to testing and the wind tunnel... I remember in the beginning they kept changing the plans all around, and Roush refused to build a car until they got more settled.  I agreed with him.  WHy build a car,.. Nascar change the plans,. throw that car away, and start over and build another one, go threw that whole process a couple times.
SO that is why they only had 2 or 3 cars at the first few test sessions.  When nascar kinda got their plans more 'in stone' teams jumped in and built cars.
SO unless I miss my guess,.. what money Nascar spent was on planning and design,.. but the REAL money,.. labor, material building the cars... the TEAMS laid out (as usual).  SO nascar just spent a drop in the bucket.

[flamehothead]

I agree Chris 100%. I really don't think that the COT is going to be what we see on the track next season. The car has too many thing's that Nascar can change on it. The Funky new front air-dam new, spoiler And bigger window opening's. I can see Nascar throwing that car away and saying OH here we have something new . I think Dodge has the top car this year and they deserve it. Alot of team's struggled with the Charger body and Penske was one of them. If you remember Rusty ran the Intrepid as much as he could or at least on the D shaped track's. It's the middle of October so that give's Nascar NO TIME AT ALL.

[Chris]

Yeah,.. some of the teams LIKED the Intrepid THIS year,...
Dodge basically told the team owners this:

"We don't make or SELL Intrepids any more,.. we don't want to PROMOTE Intrepids any more,... Drive the Chargers, Like it or NOT,.. It's what we sell NOW"...
SO thats why we never saw any more Intrepids, .... even though Nascar rules allow a car to be ran for 3 years or so after the year it is built.
If some team was NOT getting Dodge factory support,.. they could run an Intrepid if they wanted to....  even if they were getting factory support, but I suspect that support would stop.

[Tyyrus]

HEY CHRIS , THEY CALL IT DELEGATION OF RESPONSIBILITIES..MAN ! NASCAR SEEMS TO BE QUITE EFFECTIVE @ ENSURING ''DUE DILLIGENCE'' ON THEIR PART...EH !! 

P.S. NASCAR HAS JUST POLLED ALL TEAMS AS TO THEIR INTEREST IN RACING THE COT DURING THE''BUD SHOOTOUT'' PRIOR TO TALLEDEGA MANDATORY RACE DEADLINE   
CHECK OUT SHOCKEY'S SUGGESTION...WAY COOL..MAN !!

[AfterShock]

What if they gave a race -----
And no C.O.T.s showed up?

Or fans either?

I can't wait until NA$CAR is forced to comply
with C.A.F.E. rules and demand all race cars
(of tomorrow as well as today --- might even include
yesterday. C.O.T.s and C.O.Y.s) average 29 miles per gallon -- highway,
and 23 miles per gallon -- city.


Might be time to explore the bennies for burnin' corn
squeezins'.
Ya reckon?