The air bags, seat belts and other safety features in your personal vehicle are designed to protect you in crashes up to 35 mph. In NASCAR however, where speeds often exceed 180 mph, the car and driver have to withstand crashes that produce more than 25 times more force than those at 35 mph. With four drivers having been killed on the track since 2000, safety of drivers has become a primary concern for NASCAR. While many drivers complain about new restrictions and safety measures, it is clear that NASCAR desires to keep the sport safe for all involved while still remaining exciting for the fans. Various pieces of equipment and safety features are standard on the NASCAR circuit. Let’s take a look at the more important ones and give a quick overview of how they work.
Driver Gear
Each driver naturally wears a helmet to protect the vital head area. The helmet is designed to dissipate the energy of a crash over the helmet and keep other debris from making contact with the driver’s head. While drivers are required to wear a helmet, they can choose to use an open-face design or a full-face model. Many drivers choose the full-face design that completely wraps around their head and face to provide them with maximum protection while others choose the open-face design arguing that the full-face helmet restricts their peripheral vision. All helmets are designed with an impact resistant shell, with a layer of foam being next, and on the inside next to the driver’s head, a layer of fire resistant Nomex in case of a flash fire.
Each driver also wears a protective suit made of either Proban or the Nomex material like that which lines the inside of the helmet. Both materials are fire retardant to give the driver protection in the event that flames erupt inside the car. The driver’s gloves, socks and shoes are also made of this material to offer the driver the maximum possible protection.
Instead of a seatbelt like you would have in your passenger vehicle, NASCAR mandates that each driver use a five-point restraint harness. This harness is made from padded nylon webbing and holds the driver securely in his seat during an impact. The seat itself is attached directly to the tubular frame rather than the floorboard to help insure that it stays in place during a crash. The seat is usually custom made for each driver by being form-fitted to his body and will provide wrap-around protection during an impact. The seat will also bend somewhat to help absorb the energy of a crash.
NASCAR has also mandated that each driver wear what is known as the Head And Neck Support System or HANS Device for short. The HANS Device is a semi-hard collar which is made from carbon fiber and Kevlar. The driver wears a collar that keeps the collar held onto the upper body of the driver. The helmet and the collar are then attached by flexible tethers that keep the head from snapping forward or to the side during impact.
The Cockpit
To the left of the driver, the window is covered with a net made of nylon mesh webbing. This window net keeps the driver’s arms inside the car during a crash or roll-over. It also keeps dangerous debris from coming inside the car during an accident. The window net is equipped with a quick release so the driver can take it down easily if he needs to exit the car quickly.
The frame of a NASCAR race car is basically composed of three parts: the front clip, the rear clip, and the middle section which also includes the roll cage surrounding the driver. The middle section and roll cage are designed to be the strongest part of the frame. It will maintain its shape during a crash to offer maximum protection to the driver. The front and rear clips are made from thinner steel tubing and will crush more easily to distribute the force of impact along the frame of the car rather than transferring that force to the driver. Also, in the event of a collision, the front clip is designed to push the engine out of the bottom of the car, rather than back toward the driver.
All windshields are made of Lexan, which is the same polycarbonate used to make fighter plane canopies and bullet proof glass. This material is shatter proof but is easily scratched or dented so the crews cover the windshield with several layers of “tear off” film that they can easily remove during a race to help clear the driver’s vision through the windshield.
The fuel tank or fuel cell is located in the rear of the car and is designed with a steel outer layer and a hard plastic inner layer or bladder. Four braces are attached from the fuel cell to the frame to hold it in place during an accident. The fuel cell is also filled with foam which reduces the sloshing of fuel and the chances of an explosion by reducing the amount of air inside the cell. Check valves are also installed to shut off the fuel in the event that the engine removed from the car during a crash.
Other Car Features
In 1994, NASCAR introduced roof flaps to the cars. These flaps are designed to keep the car from getting airborne during a spin at high speeds. Before these flaps were introduced, cars which spun at high speeds would often lift off the ground and begin to tumble. This usually happened once the car had rotated about 140 degrees. With these roof flaps in place, once a car spins to the point that lift begins to be generated, the low pressure above the flaps causes them to deploy by creating a sucking action, which disrupts the airflow over the roof and keeps the car on the ground.
Another safety feature – albeit a controversial one – is the use of restrictor plates to slow the cars down on several superspeedways. The restrictor plate is a square aluminum plate that is placed between the carburetor and the intake manifold. It has four holes drilled into it with the size of the hole varying between .875 inches and 1 inch depending on the track and NASCAR guidelines. The restrictor plate reduces the flow of air and fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine which in turn reduces horsepower and speed. Implemented in 1998, they were designed to slow the cars down and reduce the number of serious crashes. However, many drivers complain that the restrictor plate is actually the cause of more multi-car crashes due to the tendency for the cars to bunch up and rely more on the draft. With the cars bunched up like they so often are, one car getting out of control often involves several others before the accident has run its course.
Outside the Car
On the track, NASCAR has mandated that tracks install what is known as the Steel And Foam Energy Reduction Barrier, or SAFER Barrier for short. It is also often referred to as “soft wall” technology. This barrier is installed in front of the old concrete walls which line the outside of the track. The SAFER barrier is made of steel tubes welded together. Behind these tubes are bundles of poly-styrene foam, which are placed between the barrier and the concrete wall. This “soft wall” absorbs the energy released during a crash and allows the energy to be dissipated along the wall rather than by the car and driver. It also keeps the car from being propelled back into traffic on the track.
These are just some of the more important features NASCAR has instituted to keep racing safe for the driver. With the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow (COT), which should now be considered the Car of Today due to the fact that it will be used in all NASCAR events in 2008, further driver safety measures have been implemented in the very make-up of the car itself.
While drivers may complain at times, NASCAR is working hard to insure driver safety while at the same time keeping the sport competitive and exciting for the fans. While spectacular crashes will continue to occur, it is hoped that these safety measures will protect drivers from serious injury or death. We don’t want to lose any more of our favorite drivers like we have in the past with Dale Earnhardt, Neil Bonnett, Adam Petty or Kenny Erwin.
No comments:
Post a Comment