Funny or sad?

Outstanding line from tonight's Simpsons (UK) Homer to dying Grim Reaper: Aw Death, we're gonna miss you so much. You made NASCAR racing exciting!

Mac wrote: > Outstanding line from tonight's Simpsons (UK) > > Homer to dying Grim Reaper: Aw Death, we're gonna miss you so much. You made > NASCAR racing exciting! > > Very black humour. -- Gerry Aitken© ...and a friend shall lose a friend's hammer. - Book of Cyril, chapter 6, verse 16 This e-mail has been scanned for all known viruses by a fish called Colin.

I caught that one too. It's like a lot of things in the simpsons, very 'clever'. I doubt anyone would dispute that a lot of people watch NASCAR purely for spectacular solo crashes and multi-car wreck mayhem, which by-n-large is done without anyone even recieving more than minor injuries. However as we know all to well, there are safety concerns and the drivers are putting their lives on the line every week. Any motorsport involves that element, as does boxing, skiing, cycling and plenty of other sports, and i wouldn't suggest any average american would state the possibility of seeing a fatality as an extra element of the excitement. I think they're also calling into question the rather lacklustre (slow to none existant) actions of NASCAR to make the sport safer and listening to what the drivers say, almost as if they believe most people think like Homer J. On a separate note, it's also the Nascar episode at Springfield Speedway where Maude Flanders dies getting knocked off the back of a grandstand... I wonder how that came about as an idea. Laters Jon "Gerry Aitken�" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... Mac wrote: > Outstanding line from tonight's Simpsons (UK) > > Homer to dying Grim Reaper: Aw Death, we're gonna miss you so much. Youmade > NASCAR racing exciting! > > Very black humour. -- Gerry Aitken� ...and a friend shall lose a friend's hammer. - Book of Cyril, chapter 6, verse 16 This e-mail has been scanned for all known viruses by a fish called Colin.

"Jon G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:FBRtb.1085$[email hidden]... > I caught that one too. > > It's like a lot of things in the simpsons, very 'clever'. I doubt anyone > would dispute that a lot of people watch NASCAR purely for spectacularsolo > crashes and multi-car wreck mayhem, which by-n-large is done withoutanyone

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> even recieving more than minor injuries. However as we know all to well, > there are safety concerns and the drivers are putting their lives on the > line every week. > > Any motorsport involves that element, as does boxing, skiing, cycling and > plenty of other sports, and i wouldn't suggest any average american would > state the possibility of seeing a fatality as an extra element of the > excitement. I think they're also calling into question the rather

lacklustre > (slow to none existant) actions of NASCAR to make the sport safer and > listening to what the drivers say, almost as if they believe most people > think like Homer J. > > On a separate note, it's also the Nascar episode at Springfield Speedway > where Maude Flanders dies getting knocked off the back of a grandstand...I

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> wonder how that came about as an idea. > > Laters > Jon > > "Gerry Aitken�" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > news:[email hidden]... > Mac wrote: > > Outstanding line from tonight's Simpsons (UK) > > > > Homer to dying Grim Reaper: Aw Death, we're gonna miss you so much. You > made > > NASCAR racing exciting! > > > > > > Very black humour. > > -- > > Gerry Aitken� > > ...and a friend shall lose a friend's hammer. - Book of Cyril, chapter > 6, verse 16 > > This e-mail has been scanned for all known viruses by a fish called Colin. > >

I thought I might get flamed for posting the quote because motorsport fans would be deeply offended by the idea that death in a race can ever be a source of humour, and would think I endorsed the Groening view that motorsport was only watched to see carnage. On the contrary, as a very young man I cried when I saw the footage of Gilles Villeneuve dying a terrible death. At the risk of attracting flames, I think that safety in NASCAR CART and IRL is a disgrace. American drivers die at a frightening rate and yet nobody does anything about it. Part of the problem is that an oval track can't suddenly sprout run off areas. But can't the cars be stronger? Or something. OK I don't know a lot about it, and I'm 4000 miles away in Britain, but what do people around here think? btw I admit that using methanol was a great step forward before fuel tanks became more or less indestructible. Can't fault you guys on that one.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:39:40 -0000, "Mac" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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> >At the risk of attracting flames, I think that safety in NASCAR CART and IRL >is a disgrace. American drivers die at a frightening rate and yet nobody >does anything about it. Part of the problem is that an oval track can't >suddenly sprout run off areas. But can't the cars be stronger? Or something. >OK I don't know a lot about it, and I'm 4000 miles away in Britain, but what >do people around here think? > >btw I admit that using methanol was a great step forward before fuel tanks >became more or less indestructible. Can't fault you guys on that one. >

Not a flame, but you will note that softer walls and HANS devices are recent additions to the various North American oval series. Plus have we had a Nextel Cup or Busch fatality since the HANs were implemented? Stock car racing has never been safer. IRL on the other hand- I think the Renna incident may be a scary omen, one which the IRL seems to be ignoring... John DiFool

"Mac" wrote...

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> > <snip> > At the risk of attracting flames, I think that safety > in NASCAR CART and IRL is a disgrace. American drivers > die at a frightening rate and yet nobody does anything > about it. Part of the problem is that an oval track > can't suddenly sprout run off areas. But can't the cars > be stronger?

Sure, the cars can be made stronger, but then they transfer all the engergy of the impact to the driver. The car is supposed to buckle and disintegrate in order to take the brunt of the impact for the driver instead of passing it along to him (actually to the "survival cell", which the driver occupies). > Or something. > OK I don't know a lot about it, and I'm 4000 miles away > in Britain, but what do people around here think? I think the safety record is pretty good, considering the speeds and the intensity of competition involved. The drivers know the risks when they start the race or go for a pass. Jan. =---

You do everything in your power to drive a car safely, but if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, not much will help you. To quit driving however, is not really an option.... "Jan Verschueren" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:vK2ub.28219$[email hidden]...

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> "Mac" wrote... > > > <snip> > > At the risk of attracting flames, I think that safety > > in NASCAR CART and IRL is a disgrace. American drivers > > die at a frightening rate and yet nobody does anything > > about it. Part of the problem is that an oval track > > can't suddenly sprout run off areas. But can't the cars > > be stronger? > > Sure, the cars can be made stronger, but then they transfer all the

engergy > of the impact to the driver. The car is supposed to buckle anddisintegrate

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> in order to take the brunt of the impact for the driver instead of passing > it along to him (actually to the "survival cell", which the driver > occupies). > > > Or something. > > OK I don't know a lot about it, and I'm 4000 miles away > > in Britain, but what do people around here think? > > I think the safety record is pretty good, considering the speeds and the > intensity of competition involved. The drivers know the risks when they > start the race or go for a pass. > > Jan. > =--- > >

The question I would have is.... What more can the IRL really do ? They are basically driving torpedo's with wheel's attached. There isn't much room for much of a protection cage. Short of installing Airbags everywhere, and having the car turn into a Canole in an accident, I don't see what else they can do. Soft walls would not have helped in either of the recent IRL incidents. -Larry "John DiFool" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 21:39:40 -0000, "Mac" <[email hidden]> wrote: > > > > > >At the risk of attracting flames, I think that safety in NASCAR CART andIRL > >is a disgrace. American drivers die at a frightening rate and yet nobody > >does anything about it. Part of the problem is that an oval track can't > >suddenly sprout run off areas. But can't the cars be stronger? Orsomething. > >OK I don't know a lot about it, and I'm 4000 miles away in Britain, butwhat > >do people around here think? > > > >btw I admit that using methanol was a great step forward before fueltanks

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> >became more or less indestructible. Can't fault you guys on that one. > > > > Not a flame, but you will note that softer walls and HANS devices are > recent additions to the various North American oval series. Plus > have we had a Nextel Cup or Busch fatality since the HANs were > implemented? > > Stock car racing has never been safer. IRL on the other hand- > I think the Renna incident may be a scary omen, one which the > IRL seems to be ignoring... > > John DiFool >

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 19:46:37 -0500, "Larry" <[email hidden]> wrote:

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>The question I would have is.... What more can the IRL really do ? > >They are basically driving torpedo's with wheel's attached. There isn't >much room for much of a protection cage. > >Short of installing Airbags everywhere, and having the car turn into a >Canole in an accident, I don't see what else they can do. > >Soft walls would not have helped in either of the recent IRL incidents. > >-Larry

Well, I have seen suggestions that they tone down the aero package to reduce downforce, or even (horrors!) reduce horsepower, up to and including restrictor plates. >shrug< John D

But they already have that. It's called the Infinity Pro Series. don "John DiFool" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Well, I have seen suggestions that they tone down the aero package > to reduce downforce, or even (horrors!) reduce horsepower, up to > and including restrictor plates. >shrug< > > John D >

"don hodgdon" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:gPeub.4511$Ue4.4470@fed1read01: > But they already have that. It's called the Infinity Pro Series. > > don > And Jason Priestly can attest that hitting the wall wrong with a 400hp car is not much different than hitting the wall with a 700hp racer. dave henrie

Got a spontaneous laugh from me! :) ............. still giggling. "Mac" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:zOPtb.1000$[email hidden]... > Outstanding line from tonight's Simpsons (UK) > > Homer to dying Grim Reaper: Aw Death, we're gonna miss you so much. Youmade > NASCAR racing exciting! > >