Cars catching air

Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV.

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> Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched > the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the > series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally > airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land > on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. > Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a > stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this > just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV.

It the show that car achieved the altitude completely due to aerodynamics. Even with "Stuck" flaps, I doubt the car could stay in the proper aerodynamic position long enough to achieve the altitude shown. Did you notice when it landed on the fence post, it had no forward momentum. On the other hand, I have no doubt that a car at 180+ mph that is bouncing, rolling, tumbling could bounce in a way to launch itself up over a fence. BTW there are no "really cool" car crashes. Especially those that cause a leak of "brake fluid". mykey

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>> Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched >> the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the >> series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally >> airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land >> on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. >> Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a >> stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this >> just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV. >It the show that car achieved the altitude completely due to >aerodynamics. >Even with "Stuck" flaps, I doubt the car could stay in the proper >aerodynamic position long enough to achieve the altitude shown. Did you >notice when it landed on the fence post, it had no forward momentum. >On the other hand, I have no doubt that a car at 180+ mph that is >bouncing, rolling, tumbling could bounce in a way to launch itself up >over a fence. >BTW there are no "really cool" car crashes. Especially those that cause >a leak of "brake fluid". >mykey

Crashes are cool - it's the resulting injuries that suck. One of the best lines in Fast Track was in a later episode when they are all watching the race on TV waiting for a liver donor and Becket says 'I'm almost hoping for a wreck" and the bartender says - "yeah you and 5 million other spectators. They want a wreck for death's sake - you want a wreck for life's sake". Makes you wonder if racers are really that tight that they would discuss donating organs before a race on the chance they might wreck.

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> > Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched > > the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the > > series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally > > airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land > > on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. > > Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a > > stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this > > just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV. > It the show that car achieved the altitude completely due to > aerodynamics. > Even with "Stuck" flaps, I doubt the car could stay in the proper > aerodynamic position long enough to achieve the altitude shown. Did you > notice when it landed on the fence post, it had no forward momentum. > On the other hand, I have no doubt that a car at 180+ mph that is > bouncing, rolling, tumbling could bounce in a way to launch itself up > over a fence. > BTW there are no "really cool" car crashes. Especially those that cause > a leak of "brake fluid". > mykey

Craven almost cleared the fence at Talladega in '96. I remember a race when a car did make it up and over -- PolePosition#3- IVGA #4882 Visit my pages: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/4578/index.html "If you don't believe, you don't belong." -- Alan Kulwicki's Credo

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> Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched > the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the > series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally > airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land > on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. > Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a > stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this > just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV.

Well, I happened to be sitting in the Moss-Thornton section at Talladega when Neil Bonnett took out a good portion of the fence in front of me. I was about 5 rows off the fence, and it scared the living hell out of me. thank goodness for the three huge (about two inch diameter) cables running the length of the stands. if not for them, I'm not quite sure I would be here today. race was red flagged for quite some time while the fence was repaired. I am trying to remember....either this was right before the restrictor plates, or right after. Also, I was at Tally when A driver went over another car and out of the track in turn one, landing on the access road. and don't forget ricky craven's hang time on the newly heightened fence in turn one the next year, three cars went up under him while he was up, snd he came down on EI's deck lid. as a Talladega native, I have seen LOTS of airborne cars,,, Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace (over and over).... and yes, I would say some of these cars were around 8 feet in the air. (Before the plates) Restrictors seem to have imposed an altitude limitation of around 3 to 5 feet :) -- Sit down,,Strap in,,Shut up,,Hang on,,Go fast,,Turn left,,Kiss Trophy Girl GGGGGGgoooo #3,,,31,,,28,,,94,,,6,,,5,,,18,,,8,,, Handy^man

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> >> Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched > >> the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the > >> series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally > >> airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land > >> on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. > >> Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a > >> stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this > >> just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV. > >It the show that car achieved the altitude completely due to > >aerodynamics. > >Even with "Stuck" flaps, I doubt the car could stay in the proper > >aerodynamic position long enough to achieve the altitude shown. Did you > >notice when it landed on the fence post, it had no forward momentum. > >On the other hand, I have no doubt that a car at 180+ mph that is > >bouncing, rolling, tumbling could bounce in a way to launch itself up > >over a fence. > >BTW there are no "really cool" car crashes. Especially those that cause > >a leak of "brake fluid". > >mykey > Crashes are cool - it's the resulting injuries that suck. One of the best lines > in Fast Track was in a later episode when they are all watching the race on TV > waiting for a liver donor and Becket says 'I'm almost hoping for a wreck" and > the bartender says - "yeah you and 5 million other spectators. They want a > wreck for death's sake - you want a wreck for life's sake". > Makes you wonder if racers are really that tight that they would discuss > donating organs before a race on the chance they might wreck.

I heard that also, but wasn't following the story close enough to know what was going on at that moment. I couldn't figure out how a wreck would keep some frogs alive. That was in the frog story wasn't it? mykey

>Crashes are cool - it's the resulting injuries that suck. Good line - that's why I like car crashes sometimes in computer games. NFS 1 had the best ones yet, IMO. I had a few replays of cop chases that looked more movie scenes than a video game, with some very spectacular and realistic crashes. Most arcade games that have crashes - like Carmageddon - make the cars way to artificially light, which takes away from the crashing. Joe

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>> >> Just curious as to how airborne a stock car can actually get. I just watched >> >> the Fast Track marathon on Showtime Saturday (very good show btw) and in the >> >> series opener this car spins 180 and goes backwards for a bit then goes totally >> >> airborne - does a complete 360 flip and several 360 twists and proceeds to land >> >> on a fence post impaling the car and the driver before bursting into flames. >> >> Since the car nearly cleared the fence I was wondering if its possible for a >> >> stock car to get enough altitude to actually land in the crowd or was all this >> >> just embellishment to make a really cool car crash on TV. >> >It the show that car achieved the altitude completely due to >> >aerodynamics. >> >Even with "Stuck" flaps, I doubt the car could stay in the proper >> >aerodynamic position long enough to achieve the altitude shown. Did you >> >notice when it landed on the fence post, it had no forward momentum. >> >On the other hand, I have no doubt that a car at 180+ mph that is >> >bouncing, rolling, tumbling could bounce in a way to launch itself up >> >over a fence. >> >BTW there are no "really cool" car crashes. Especially those that cause >> >a leak of "brake fluid". >> >mykey >> Crashes are cool - it's the resulting injuries that suck. One of the best lines >> in Fast Track was in a later episode when they are all watching the race on TV >> waiting for a liver donor and Becket says 'I'm almost hoping for a wreck" and >> the bartender says - "yeah you and 5 million other spectators. They want a >> wreck for death's sake - you want a wreck for life's sake". >> Makes you wonder if racers are really that tight that they would discuss >> donating organs before a race on the chance they might wreck. >I heard that also, but wasn't following the story close enough to know >what was going on at that moment. >I couldn't figure out how a wreck would keep some frogs alive. That was >in the frog story wasn't it? >mykey

Yes but they were talking about Stevie's dad who needed the liver. All the racers had earlier stated that if they "bought it" in the next race the would donate their liver to him. So everyone was huddled around the tube to see who would die. Fortunately a miner died in some freak accident so no racers were harmed in this episode. On a happier note: the frogs were saved by the music of the multi-talented Dr. Beckette and his father.