is everyone safe at arizona

[Mike Brogniez]

A tragic and shocking day for the family of the deceased.
How can NHRA prevent this in the future and make it safer for spectators?

[Alan Roehrich]

I'm sure they'll be looking for the reason the wheel came off. It happened last year with a AA/FC, I think it was Wilkerson's kid, and they found the wheel wasn't torqued.

[Michael Kilduff]

Originally Posted by Mike Brogniez

A tragic and shocking day for the family of the deceased.
How can NHRA prevent this in the future and make it safer for spectators?

I noticed last year at Indy that the pro side pit grandstand was rebuilt-it was a good deal higher and noticeably shorter. I wondered then if it was rebuilt that way for safety.

Using tethers on the wheels may be a solution, I think IRL type cars use something similar.

[Rick Carlson]

About the two Super gassers that "lost it" Saturday evening...do you know who they were?
And, were the drivers OK, or did they recover and not crash?

[W J]

I'm sure tracks will soon be sporting the high "catch fences" that Nascar uses at their event venues to keep cars, parts, wheels, etc. on the track and out of spectator areas....an accident of this magnitude (it's already splashed everywhere on the major news networks this morning) is going end up costing everyone involved in this sport considerable $$, and sadly enough, probably tarnish the sport's reputation by our critics even more than it already has been.....WJ

[Duster 7695]

The two Super Gassers were able to recover and keep their cars off the wall. That was better than the poor driver who crashed Sunday evening before they stopped the race.

I believe that the cold track temperature and the NHRA policy on track preparation probably had a lot to do with the problems that plagued the race. The track becomes very tricky when it is cold. When the cold conditions exist we usually change the way the track is prepped. We change the VHT and Methanol ratio from 50/50 to 75/25 or even 80/20. That usually helps a lot. But when the track temperature drops into the 60 or 50 degree range the prep only lasts a short time

NHRA has a policy that all National event track preparation is the same at every track. They do this so they have a level playing field at all tracks at all National Events. They always use a 50/50 ratio of VHT and Mehanol. That works great almost all of the time at almost all of the tracks. Unfortunately that not the case in Phoenix. I understand why they have this policy and I agree with it.

There was also a lot of discussion about a dip in the left lane at 1000 feet. That must be fairly new because it was not there before. It could have something to do with the problems the Pro Stockers and sportsmen had in that lane. Another consideration is the fact that the Top Fuelers and Funny Cars only run to 1000 feet. They stop laying down rubber at that point, and may even pull a bit off when they deploy their chutes. There seem to be a lot of questions that should be addressed.

I hope NHRA and the track find a way to address the issues and get them resolved. It is in everyones best interest to make sure events like the ones that happened this weekend never happen again.

Raul

[Floyd Staggs]

U tube video of the crash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...o&feature=youtu.be&a

[Mark Yacavone]

[tpoh815]

Originally Posted by Mike Brogniez

A tragic and shocking day for the family of the deceased.
How can NHRA prevent this in the future and make it safer for spectators?

They may make the tracks put up huge fences like Nascar!

[Jason Oldfield]

These cars need wheel tethers. NHRA has been playing with fire for years regarding flying wheels and tires. Anybody know where Larry Dixon's wheel and tire ended up?



I think this was 2000, or 10 years ago, and this was not the first instance of a wheel flying away. I believe there was one at Indy too, because I remember watching the video and thinking to myself, "Thank God that was before they started pitting the sportsmen all the way down there or somebody most certainly would have been killed."

Of course, I probably shouldn't even be posting this because next thing you know NHRA will create a rule that states that EVERY car needs to have wheel tethers, and any sportsman racer found to be racing without wheel tethers will be suspended and fined $27,000...