For those watching the Daytona 500...........

[Paul McGaha]

Well,

There's something you don't see every day.

One of the race cars hit a truck with this big jet engine in the back of it that's used for drying a wet track.

The fire from the jet engine is probably going to damage the track.

PHM

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I went to the shop to clean some cosmoline off of some drawer slides I'm dry fitting. I came back into to fill my coffee cup and found that.

[Bill Wyko]

I'm watching that too. Holy smokes, what a fire!!!

[Matt Meiser]

Have they done any racing? I was eating dinner a couple hours ago and every time I looked up at the tvs in the restaurant there was a caution.

[Anthony Whitesell]

There's been a lot of firsts for this running of the race.

I once saw a two car jet car drag race from Canada. The light turned green, one car went the other exploded. Right there on the starting line. The driver came walking out like something from a movie. In terms of impressiveness, this one pretty well matches it.

[Paul McGaha]

I think they're going to call the race and #36 is going to win it.

Matt they're on lap 160 out of 200 so yeah they got a fair amount of it in.

PHM

[Matt Meiser]

Brilliant move on the one officials part, running under the plume of fuel running down the track as it catches on fire.

[Bruce Page]

Jaun Pablo...'nuff said..

[Bill Huber]

Jaun Pablo...'nuff said..

+4 on that, he is a loose canon on the track.

[Kevin W Johnson]

Jaun Pablo...'nuff said..

Jaun Pablo Bodine? Maybe? Back when there where two Bodine's on the track, one or both of them was guaranteed to cause a caution.

But yeah, he seems to be centered around some of the more dumb incidents on the track.

[Van Huskey]

Quite a conflagration!!!

I hate this time of year, only one of the holy trinity of motorsports has started... MotoGP and F1 are yet to start, only WRC has. Yep, I said it. Let the flames begin.

I feel this way even though I learned to build engines as a kid in Bud Moore's shop, he was the first non-driver to be elected to the NASCAR HOF excluding the France boys.

[Paul McGaha]

A pretty famous shop. For decades the #15 team. I think at one time (maybe when he was just getting started) Dale Earnhardt drove for him.


Quite a conflagration!!!

I hate this time of year, only one of the holy trinity of motorsports has started... MotoGP and F1 are yet to start, only WRC has. Yep, I said it. Let the flames begin.

I feel this way even though I learned to build engines as a kid in Bud Moore's shop, he was the first non-driver to be elected to the NASCAR HOF excluding the France boys.

[Zach England]

They use trucks with jet engines on them to dry the track? Seriously?

[Paul McGaha]

Zach, The jet engine isnt propelling the truck. It's mounted on the back of the truck with the jet exhaust pointed down at the track. To dry a wet track. The truck drives around the track real slow, maybe 5 miles per hour, under its own power.



They use trucks with jet engines on them to dry the track? Seriously?

[Zach England]

Zach, The jet engine isnt propelling the truck. It's mounted on the back of the truck with the jet exhaust pointed down at the track. To dry a wet track. The truck drives around the track real slow, maybe 5 miles per hour, under its own power.


Yeah, I sort of assumed that much. I figured it would work like a giant blow dryer. It's sort of like the asphalt equivalent of a zamboni?


But a JET ENGINE? Couldn't a giant fan achieve the same thing?

[Anthony Whitesell]

Yeah, I sort of assumed that much. I figured it would work like a giant blow dryer. It's sort of like the asphalt equivalent of a zamboni?


But a JET ENGINE? Couldn't a giant fan achieve the same thing?

And to turn this giant fan, what would you use? Really that's all the jet engine is. A giant fan with a motor attached.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

and a jet engine..... ...it's blowing hot air which helps dry the track too. Warm or hot air will dry the track faster than cold air just pushed by a fan.

There was no logical argument for that jet engine to be hit by a driver/car under a yellow flag. Absolutely no logical reason. Juan Pablo ought to be forced to drive for the rest of the season with a sign covering the hood of his car that says "I'm an irresponsible idiot".

[Jason Roehl]

A jet engine is pretty much the most efficient way to move lots and lots of air. And it heats it in the process, which helps with drying.

Keep in mind, too, that these are the huge turbines off a 747, they're more than likely small or mid-sized helicopter turbines.

[Paul McGaha]

and a jet engine..... ...it's blowing hot air which helps dry the track too. Warm or hot air will dry the track faster than cold air just pushed by a fan.

There was no logical argument for that jet engine to be hit by a driver/car under a yellow flag. Absolutely no logical reason. Juan Pablo ought to be forced to drive for the rest of the season with a sign covering the hood of his car that says "I'm an irresponsible idiot".

Agree with that. You would almost have to see that to believe it. Under a caution, That truck moving real slow llike that up at the top of the track and the car finds a way to hit him ???

I think Juan needs a drug test.

PHM

[Zach England]

and a jet engine..... ...it's blowing hot air which helps dry the track too. Warm or hot air will dry the track faster than cold air just pushed by a fan.

There was no logical argument for that jet engine to be hit by a driver/car under a yellow flag. Absolutely no logical reason. Juan Pablo ought to be forced to drive for the rest of the season with a sign covering the hood of his car that says "I'm an irresponsible idiot".


Who pays for that?

Every time I see a NASCAR car it is like the whole thing is covered in sponsors' stickers and labels.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Who pays for that?

Every time I see a NASCAR car it is like the whole thing is covered in sponsors' stickers and labels.

It's like any sporting event.....the sponsors pay advertising dollars to advertise on the cars or sponsor a car, the fans in the stands pay, then there is the television revenue, and the television company makes advertising dollars.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

On a different note...............

I needed a father/son outting for me and my oldest son, a local deputy sheriff. So.....3/16 we fly to Knoxville and we'll be in Bristol for the Nextel and Sprint Cup races on 3/17 and 3/18.

Would you believe the deaf guy (me) is taking his Bose noice cancelling headphones? I am!

[Myk Rian]

They use trucks with jet engines on them to dry the track? Seriously?
Yep. Here's a video of it.
Montoya ought to have stayed in open wheeled cars.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-daytona-500-fire-juan-pablo-montoya-022712

Uh, Ken. It's Nationwide now. But that's OK. Some people keep calling it Busch league.
I take ear plugs when we go. Bristol can be especially brutal on the hearing.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Myk.....sorry. Obviously I watch Sprint Cup and not the other but............ since we are traveling so far we decided to attend both races.

If it really gets bad Myk, I will turn off my cochlear implant and remove my hearing aid from the other ear and hear "nada". The noise cancelling headphones allow me to remove constant source noises and still hear people speak, announcers etc. Primarily I use them when flying. It removes the jet noise but allows me to hear the crew announcements.

[Bryan Morgan]

What are the odds of a guy hitting a safety vehicle under a yellow flag?
.
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.
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Juan in a million! hahahahaha!


But seriously, something broke in his car. He complained of a vibration through all the gears and when he tapped the brakes the car spun out. So maybe a brake rotor was broken or the rear diff locked up or something. The same thing happened to his team mate later in the race so it seems they got some bad parts from somewhere.

[Bryan Morgan]

Juan Pablo ought to be forced to drive for the rest of the season with a sign covering the hood of his car that says "I'm an irresponsible idiot".

We listen to both Bowyers and Harvicks radios during the races. Both of them hate driving around the 42 and have their spotters try to get them away from him. One of the guys at work says the 42 is his favorite driver.... now I can tease him about it all day! Bowyer has JPMs old crew chief and even he makes fun of him on the radio!

[Paul McGaha]

Too funny Bryan...


What are the odds of a guy hitting a safety vehicle under a yellow flag?
.
.
.
.
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Juan in a million! hahahahaha!


But seriously, something broke in his car. He complained of a vibration through all the gears and when he tapped the brakes the car spun out. So maybe a brake rotor was broken or the rear diff locked up or something. The same thing happened to his team mate later in the race so it seems they got some bad parts from somewhere.

[Bruce Page]

What are the odds of a guy hitting a safety vehicle under a yellow flag?
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.
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Juan in a million! hahahahaha!



That made me LOL! Thanks Bryan.

[Bruce Page]

On a different note...............

I needed a father/son outting for me and my oldest son, a local deputy sheriff. So.....3/16 we fly to Knoxville and we'll be in Bristol for the Nextel and Sprint Cup races on 3/17 and 3/18.

Would you believe the deaf guy (me) is taking his Bose noice cancelling headphones? I am!
Ken, I am soooo jealous! I would love the go to a Bristol race! LOML & I have Uniden race scanner headsets that let you listen in on your favorite drivers during the race. They work really well to muffle the track noise.

[Myk Rian]

What are the odds of a guy hitting a safety vehicle under a yellow flag?
.
.
.
.
.
Juan in a million! hahahahaha!

I love it. LOL

[Rick Moyer]

I'm not a Montoya fan but I don't get why everyone is banging on him for this. Did you watch it? His car obviously broke and it shot him towards the jet drier. Nothing he ((or anyone else for that matter) could have done.

btw, Bryan, I liked the joke. very good!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

He was accelerating faster than necessary just to catch up to the pack under a yellow. When there are safety crews on the track, one needs to temper their urge to get to the front.

[Ron Natalie]

NASCAR is still in the dark ages with regard to safety (as compared to places like the NHRA).

When I worked at Old Dominion we'd dream of having something like that to dry off the track. Using it to blow debris away is sort of like using a 5HP saw to cut toothpicks. Blowing off the track worked fine with a blower without needing the BTUs and power of the jet engine.

[Bruce Page]

NASCAR is still in the dark ages with regard to safety (as compared to places like the NHRA).

When I worked at Old Dominion we'd dream of having something like that to dry off the track. Using it to blow debris away is sort of like using a 5HP saw to cut toothpicks. Blowing off the track worked fine with a blower without needing the BTUs and power of the jet engine.
Whoa! There’s a huge difference between drying and blowing off debris from a 1300 foot 2 lane drag strip and accomplishing the same thing at a 31°, 5-lane, 2½ mile tri-oval.

It took a tragedy in 2001 to get the ball rolling but NASCAR is now the safest high speed motorsport on the planet. Just ask Danica Patrick who hit the wall nearly head on at 150+ mph last Thursday and then qualified for the Nationwide pole on Friday.

[Myk Rian]

I'm not a Montoya fan but I don't get why everyone is banging on him for this.!
Probably because Juan is involved in (or causes) so many crashes. Drivers really do try to stay away from him. The man is a danger on the track.

[Ron Natalie]

Whoa! There’s a huge difference between drying and blowing off debris from a 1300 foot 2 lane drag strip and accomplishing the same thing at a 31°, 5-lane, 2½ mile tri-oval.

I'm not talking about the composition of the track or drying it. I don't fault them for wanting to put the jet dryer into double duty, just that it's not required.



It took a tragedy in 2001 to get the ball rolling but NASCAR is now the safest high speed motorsport on the planet. Just ask Danica Patrick who hit the wall nearly head on at 150+ mph last Thursday and then qualified for the Nationwide pole on Friday.
Maybe the ball is rolling, but it's not moving too quickly. They have progressed further in protective gear, etc... but the issue I was getting at is they still abdicate safety to each venue. Some are good and some are bad. You're better off crashing at a place like Michigan (at least back when Penske owned it) versus Martinsburg or Bristol. You get a faster and better class of emergency response there. No Safety Safari in NASCAR.

[Myk Rian]

just that it's not required.
Would you rather wait for the sun and wind to dry a track? Those jet dryers do it in minutes.
You cannot run those cars on a wet, or even a damp track.

I don't get your second statement. No safety safari?
There is no comparison. You don't do 200 mph at M-burg or Bristol.

[Paul McGaha]

The announcers said the Juan Pablo Mentoya was driving his car within the rules. If so, I think they need to change the rules to help protect the safety people.

You just cant have what happened last night happen.

PHM

[Van Huskey]

It took a tragedy in 2001 to get the ball rolling but NASCAR is now the safest high speed motorsport on the planet. Just ask Danica Patrick who hit the wall nearly head on at 150+ mph last Thursday and then qualified for the Nationwide pole on Friday.

Safest, no sorry can't agree, better than it was but F1 is statistically safer and in places their speeds are higher on a road course than NASCAR is on ovals.

A not so typical walk away accident in F1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtrzvwayniM&feature=related

That said there is a wee bit more money in F1 even with the spending caps. It is not just the cars themselves but the measures they use to protect their drivers in terms of safety procedures and usually even though the tracks are longer safety personel and the F1 DOCTOR are on the scene at incredible speed. F1's led doctor travels to all the tracks and is staged at the end of the pit lane in a specially prepped Mercedes stationwagon (read faster than AMG fast) with a professional race driver at the wheel to get him to the accident ASAP. The level of safety equipment and personnel is massive. In F1 they can often clear a 2-3 car accident in turn one and have the local yellow off before the cars get back around to the front straight at full racing speed. NASCAR as with all motor sports moves in spurts when it comes to safety, we all just hope there isn't another tragedy to start the spurt.


I have never been a JPM fan, when he was in F1 but he was one of the most aggressive drivers and as a result fun to watch on occasion. But I am not sure he was as dangerous as NASCAR's king of the chrome horn DE SR. The accident was a one off but a pretty memorable one.

[Pat Barry]

F1 saftey is really a joke IMO. They drive close to 200 mph in open cockpit with graphite composite debris all over the track. They drive close to 200 mph in a driving rain. NASCAR is infinitely safer for both the drivers and the fans.

[Anthony Whitesell]

Probably because Juan is involved in (or causes) so many crashes. Drivers really do try to stay away from him. The man is a danger on the track.

I agree JPM was. I think he's better. But I say there is someone on the track worse, and proves it more often than not. To keep things polite. Let's just leave this where it lies.

It's funny the things you think of while doing the mundane part of WWing, such as spreading glue. Remember this one:

When you go back out on the track I want you to hit the pace car.
Hit the pace car?
Hit the pace car!
Why?
We'll you've hit every other thing out there. I just want you to be perfect.

If you don't remember...Days of Thunder...Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) talking to Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) through the car window during a pit stop.

[Myk Rian]

Or Chad Knaus telling Jimmy that if he wins the race, back the car into the wall to smash it in.

I think things are staying polite.

[Anthony Whitesell]

They are. But if we start trying to determine the biggest ding-dong on the track, we're liable to start a virtual fist fight. It would be just as bad as comparing the presidential candidates.

[Ron Natalie]

Would you rather read my posts rather than just putting words in my mouth?
There weren't drying the track in this incident, they were using it to blow crud off the track. As I stated, I don't fault them for using the jets since they already had them to dry the track, but they are way overkill to remove debris/speedy driy/whatever.

NHRA travels with there own safety crew, fire, rescue, etc. to each venue. They call it the safety safari.
NASCAR leaves it up to the the tracks and you can get anything from a very finely tuned well planned response (like the Penske and many of the other Indy tracks) to the Bubbas from the local volunteer fire department. You'd be better off crashing into the wall at 200 MPH at MIR than at 80 at Bristol is my point.

[Anthony Whitesell]

That used to be the case but OSHA (yes our government) has mandated training and efficiencies for those crews. The playing field from track to track is much more level than it used to be.

[Kevin W Johnson]

As I stated, I don't fault them for using the jets since they already had them to dry the track, but they are way overkill to remove debris/speedy driy/whatever.

NHRA travels with there own safety crew, fire, rescue, etc. to each venue. They call it the safety safari.
NASCAR leaves it up to the the tracks and you can get anything from a very finely tuned well planned response (like the Penske and many of the other Indy tracks) to the Bubbas from the local volunteer fire department. You'd be better off crashing into the wall at 200 MPH at MIR than at 80 at Bristol is my point.


So you'd put people on foot with backpack blowers on, so they can get run over by race cars circling the track under caution? If they used anything other than the jet dryers to remove debries, they'd have to throw the red flag, it would simply take too long.

What you call overkill, would take HUNDREDS of people on foot to clear the debries from a 2.5mile track with 31 degree banking, and wouldn't be nearly as effective.

I think your "bubba's" comment is very disrespectful to all those who volunteer at fire and rescue dept's everywhere, but even more so to those in rural areas. It really smacks with a lack of respect, and is a cheap shot. And I dare say you have nothing to prove your point at about the quality of response or lack there of at Bristol, or any other track. All the people who work safety response teams at the track on race day are trained to handle racing situations. They don't just throw anyone out there and say here you go.

[Bruce Page]

This thread has run its course.