Horrific Drag Racing Crash...hmmm....

[BobPalma]

As bad as this is, I can't believe it was any worse than the drag racing crash 'most familiar to us all. See Dan Timberlake's video links in Post #3, below. (Thanks, Dan.)

http://markjrebilas.com/blog/?p=18884&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MarkJRebilasBlog+%28Mark+J+Rebilas+Blog%29

I've looked at those stills several times and cannot imagine the above accident being as violent or horrific as was Ted Harbit's May 9, 2009 crash that destroyed "our" beloved Chicken Hawk and endangered "our" beloved Ted Harbit!



(Chicken Hawk photo courtesy Jack Bleil of Mentor OH.)

RIP, Big Bird. BP

[SN-60]

Bad crash, but the driver's cockpit area DID remain intact. Check the 'Gordon Smiley Indy Crash' on YouTube if one cares to view a REALLY bad crash.

[Dan Timberlake]

These videos make it look like it happened around mid track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y63d6B9UUrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVX0qLF547s

[BobPalma]

These videos make it look like it happened around mid track

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y63d6B9UUrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVX0qLF547s

You're right, Dan; 'looks like he took leave of the controls(!) just after passing the eighth-mile, just like Ted!

Thanks: I've changed my OP accordingly; that was not clear in the stills. BP

[Chris Pile]

Yeah.... I've seen way too many of these "worst case crash" monikers applied to this mess of videos.
I really have seen worse. Someone is overusing their superlatives.

[DEEPNHOCK]

For those that might not have been following the evolution of doorslammer racing the past few years....(outside of PSMC).

The balance between power and speed is quite amazing.
And sometimes the rulebook is not a help.
For example.. Look at a Top Fuel Dragster, and look at the huge wings (front and back)
Several thousand pounds of downforce is used to hold the contact patches of the tires to the ground (for control and traction).
Then... Look at the Fuel funny cars... Especially the huge 'box' spoiler built onto the back of the car.
Same reason.
And the rear wing/spoiler acts like a huge rudder if the car gets 'out of shape'.
But if you drop a class to the alcohol funny cars, you see the spoiler size dramatically reduced.
And the speed drops and the handling is worse.
Now... Drop it down to the 'Pro Stock' and the 'Pro Mod' classes...
Their rear spoiler is just an extension of the body line, as dictated by the rules.
The dragster and funny car wing adds a couple of thousand pounds of downforce.
The pro stock rear spoiler only adds a couple of hundred pounds of downforce, and that that doesn't start working until half track.
Add to that, the rear spoiler adds no directional stability (rudder effect) to the car at all.
So....
Most of the incidents you see on that type of car are from half track on...
If the car gets the least little bit 'out of the groove', the tire with traction will drive the car 'crooked'
And, because of the power levels the engines can produce, the tires are always on the verge of spinning, further exacerbating an already twitchy situation.
The car 'turns', and then things go downhill from there.
And that rear spoiler? Turn the car around and it is just a wing providing lift.
So, when a car does get crossed up, it usually takes off and flies.
Nature of the beast, as long as the rules dictate certain body/spoiler/wing restrictions.
And you know racers... They will interpret the rulebook for a speed/et advantage.
My only bugaboo about the pro mod class is them putting the fuel tank up front.
They are doing it for weight bias, but since they are so twitchy, and most accidents involve nose punching the wall, there are a lot of crushed fuel tank fires, which I am all sorts of against happening.
And don't blame the drivers. They lose traction so fast, and turn so quick (when out of the groove)...
Most of the time there is no 'saving' it from coming around...

And... Tim Tindle was OK after that wreck.

(back to Stude's....)
Jim McCuan did the math on the NASCAR COT rear wing I am using on 'The Black Car'
(This is off of the old Home Depot car way back when Tony Stewart was driving it)
Jim figured that, at 15 degree's angle (the max allowed by NASCAR at the time), the wing would produce 550 pounds of downforce at 150 mph.
Now, it'd be a pipe dream to go that fast (with a Stude engine, which is going into the car)....
But it is nice to know the 'what if' answer ahead of time.
Oh, and NASCAR went away from (and banned and outlawed) the COT rear wing....
Banned them because they caused the cars to 'fly' when they turned around backwards.
That happens a lot more in NASCAR than in drag racing..
Jeff

[bezhawk]

Why are there not break away fasteners on the rear wing? Sort of a one way locking mechanism, where if it got turned around backwards it folds up instead if developing lift.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Why are there not break away fasteners on the rear wing? Sort of a one way locking mechanism, where if it got turned around backwards it folds up instead if developing lift.

For NASCAR, there is/was a kevlar braided tether to hang on to the wing in a wreck, but the adjustment was always locked to prevent the wing angle from changing during the race.
NASCAR still checks every car after every race.
Watch the victory lane celebration at Talledega Sunday.
There will be a NASCAR official standing at the rear of the car to prevent any crew members from messing with the wing/spoiler angle.
Everybody else pulling into pit lane gets checked before going to their trailer/shop area.

As far as my project goes, that's a good suggestion.
I have thought about leaving the front plate bolt(s) only finger tight, and then making the rear bolt(s) plastic ones.
Then, load the car backwards on an open trailer and road test it.
Don't really think 'The Black Car' will be fast enough (or light enough) to take off...but you never know...
I've heard of some Bonneville cars that have something like this, and I know the Dutch Treat LSR Stude Lark project has a NASCAR roof flap system built into the roof.
Stuff to think about 'before', rather than 'after'...
Jeff

[StudeRich]

Both wrecks were horrendous all right, but I don't remember the Chicken Hawk blowing into anywhere near that many pieces though. Of course we did not have good close up stills of the wreck either like this one.

In these stills you can see just about every part of the Car coming apart and orbiting, Battery, Radiator pretty much everything. Maybe that is partially because of a very weak, light, non-Steel Body.

[Jefscoupe]

I'm glad the driver was OK, but what about the photographer? He was right in line with the car.
Obviously, he didn't get hit by the car itself, but pieces had to have been raining down close.
Even with a decent telephoto. Those small pieces can still go a long ways.

[DEEPNHOCK]

Good point.
He is a very well known photographer, and he likes to set up way down at the turn off road onto the return lane.
He was a long way off, and his zoom lens is huge....

But... If you want to see a close call...
Look at Liz Musi, who basically had the same wreck, but from the RH lane....
And the cameraman? Amazing.... (Language warning! Adrenalin makes people talk funny)
Jeff

I'm glad the driver was OK, but what about the photographer? He was right in line with the car.
Obviously, he didn't get hit by the car itself, but pieces had to have been raining down close.
Even with a decent telephoto. Those small pieces can still go a long ways.

[Xcalibur]

By its very nature auto racing is inherently dangerous. Those of us who do it accept this fact-of-life (and, sometimes death) and move on. Or, we could stay in bed all day and die of a heart attack.