Restrictor plate racing...

[jsharp]

Anyone watch the Nascar "race" today? How sad are these plate races?

Wouldn't it make more sense at Talladega and Daytona if they just drew lots for the cars that were going to end up "crashed"? The 3/4 that drew poorly could then save themselves a bunch of money by packing up and heading home. And the 10 cars left "running" could race for 500 miles.

IMO, it wouldn't be any worse to watch...

 

[salesrep]

But they still draw the biggest audiences. I used to follow a lot closer when Sr. was alive. I just watch it here and there now. Daytona and Talladega being two I try to catch.

 

[jsharp]

They can certainly fit the largest audiences at the long ovals. It might be too that the non-auto racing spectator that Hascar has collected likes to the see the accidents.

Me, I like to watch racing and the plate tracks aren't it...

 

[Shannow]

Why have plates in the first place (I know speed/power), but why do they use restrictor plates.

I reckon they'd be better specifying a lower engine capacity.

The plate engines are more "unique", and therefore costly (diesel like compression ratios, wierd cam timings etc) than the normal race engines, so a smaller capacity isn't really going to cost more than the plate motors.

 

[sprintman]

I used to be big fan of NASCAR but now it's become NAPCAR and it's had it. Who remembers Bill Elliotts 212.809 mph at Talladega way back in 87, Ford of course?

 

[tweeker43]

if i watch, i watch the first 20 laps, take a nap, then watch the last 20 laps.

that way i miss most of the high speed demolition derby that happens in between.

besides, wrc has the coolest wrecks.

 

[OffOrWFO]

Well first I'd like to say that watching todays "big one" was pretty cool.
I'm just a pup so someone tell me what happens when they run a super speedway without a plate? I assume it turns in to a runaway without the RP. Speedway races are pretty dull unless they stack it up alot like they did in the bush race on sat.

You got to look at this from a promoters point of view. What makes a enteraining race to watch? Nascar wouldn't be as popular as it is if they didn't change the rules to make it more exciting. Like DW said no one has an answer. I like the short tracks that the run under the lights on a saturday. I got better things to do on "most" sundays.

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by OffOrWFO:
I'm just a pup so someone tell me what happens when they run a super speedway without a plate?

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What happens is that Bill Elliott's qualifying record of 212 mph still stands after 18 years.
Problem is that Cup cars are made to go forward at 200+ mph but there are problems when they go backward at that speed, i.e. 3500 lb cars lift off like Frisbees. The roof flaps have cut that down somewhat but the plates came in after the same race in 1987 when Bobby Allison's car went airborne in reverse and crashed into the fence in front of the grandstand. Nobody got killed but it was pretty scary.
On the other hand, the result is that cars don't have enough power to get away from each other either and big crashes happen. I say get rid of the plates, build stronger fences and move the spectators back. At the shorter tracks they do not use restrictor plates.
Rusty Wallace was testing not long ago, put in a non-plate motor just for kicks, and turned a few laps at 220. Could've done more with some tinkering but he also said that he wouldn't want to have 43 cars racing at that speed either.
The plates were originally used in the early 70's because the tire technology of the day couldn't hold up to the 200+ mph speeds, then they got rid of them for a while until 1987.
I attend one or two races each year.

 

[bretfraz]

I hate restrictor plate racing with a passion. Hate it, hate it, hate it!! No driving talent or skill required; just mash the gas and drive out your mirrors.

I know how much time and effort goes into building a superspeedway car and to have them wadded up like that race after race sickens me to the core. A good 50 car were totalled this weekend at Talladega. Each superspeedway car costs $150,000-200,000 (not counting intangibles like endless hours in the wind tunnel and costs associated with that). $150K X 50 cars = $7.5 million, and that's a conservative number. Disgusting!!

I agree there is no simple solution to controlling speeds on the large superspeedway tracks. Restrictor plates are cheap, effective, and easy to police (the plates are distributed by NASCAR officials in a very public manner so no one can think one team is getting a larger plate than another team). NASCAR's tried many things in the past to slow the cars and break up the large packs. The current band-aid is 13 gallon fuel tanks to force teams to refuel more often, supposedly to break up the packs often. Like most other ideas, it ain't workin'.

Superspeedway racing might be entertaining but it sure as **** isn't racing!!

 

[joatmon]

Well, if I were king, I would:

1. Get a dozer and fill in the lake at Daytona.
2. Get a dozer and flatten the turns at Talledaga.
3. Eliminate "plates".
4. Write a rule book, give it to the teams, the press, the public. etc. and revise it once a year.
5. Limit field to 24 entries.
6. Don't build more 1.5 mile tri-oval tracks. A zillion of em' are enough.

Is it really racin' when you don't use the brake at least once a lap? It's not rocket science folks.

Well, won't happen, but I do feel better now.

Jack

 

[ALS]

My solution would be a maximum of 5.0 liters or 302 ci engines or even smaller such as 4.6 liters or 278 cubic inch at Daytona and Talladega. Get rid of the restrictor plates and let them race. That would take about 15% to 21% of the engine volume away from them. Same weight car with less engine to push it through the air. That should keep the speeds under 200 mph.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

My solution is to make the field run Holley 390 carbs. This would make tuning much easier, as restrictor plates play **** with the air/fuel ratio. Nascar is using smaller restrictor plates this year.

 

[jsharp]

Jeff Gorden, Mark Martin, and lot of others have said it over and over. You have to take away enough downforce and mecanical grip from the cars that they have to be driven through corners at something less than wide open throttle.

Plates drop the power enough to keep the cars from flying too far if they get turned around at high speed, but do nothing for the other issues. They make it worse...

 

[Shannow]

quote:

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Originally posted by ALS:
My solution would be a maximum of 5.0 liters or 302 ci engines or even smaller such as 4.6 liters or 278 cubic inch at Daytona and Talladega.

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ALS, you do realise that this is the second time that we've concurred.

 

[Steve S]

Racing around in circles is boring to watch.The only excitement is the crashes and I don't like the crashes