"Trunk Impaired 318" (matteocscaptura)
08/10/2014 at 22:16 • Filed to: None
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"Trunk Impaired 318" (matteocscaptura)
08/10/2014 at 22:16 • Filed to: None | 2
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As Im sure many of you saw today, there was quite the action at Watkins Glen and with so much down time for the red flags the tracks safety was brought into question. Ryan Newman even called it antiquated and unsafe. However, NASCAR and their drivers do nothing but make things worse for themselves. I will admit that the safety technology at Watkins is not quite up to spec with today's ovals but then again the speeds are significantly reduced for most of the track. However, Indy and Grand Am/IMSA have all raced here before the "safety changes" were made at roughly the same speeds that NASCAR does and yet they never had/have any issues. Now if NASCAR ran the boot then we wouldn't be here in the first place, and they CAN run the boot, Tony Stewart and Lewis Hamilton did a few years ago, IN THE RAIN, for Mobil Seat Swap and there were zero issues. Now after the past few years with incidents in the same area they gave the NASCAR guys more runoff area for "safety". However, if you're a NASCAR driver if the asphalt is there you're going to use it as part of the track despite the fact that it isn't. That runoff area is what facilitated todays major incident. Also, if you watch the drivers who aren't as competent on a road course they treat it just like they do an oval race and beat up and hit each other. As we see year after year, if you race like that on a road course bad things are going to happen. Now sadly, because Watkins Glen is owned by the ISS aka the France family aka NASCAR it will inevitably be changed to suit the reckless nature of NASCAR which is a damn shame because its Watkins fucking Glen, the first name in American racetracks.
jvirgs drives a Subaru
> Trunk Impaired 318
08/10/2014 at 22:25 |
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I don't think that will happen. Robin Pemberton made a pretty clear point that the track is multi-purpose and NASCAR is only their one weekend a year. He mentioned the areas that needed the safer-barrier, i.e. turn 7, got it. The ARMCO worked as designed but the issue really is with the tire barrier which shot Newman back onto the track. At that spot on the track, I don't think a safer-barrier would be a good decision there and from the sounds of it NASCAR will "evaluate" it but I don't think it will change.
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Trunk Impaired 318
> jvirgs drives a Subaru
08/10/2014 at 22:28 |
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I really hope that it doesn't, I do like seeing NASCAR here, granted its not F1 but its usually a good race, I just can't stress enough that a lot of the drivers need to treat it with a lot more respect than what they currently do
Racing Archivist
> Trunk Impaired 318
08/10/2014 at 22:33 |
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Well said. glad us Glen Region guys are speaking out.