Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
Moderators: dirtonly  /  dmantx  /  hosehead

Tracks sometimes place heavy equipment tires as a deterent to keep drivers from cutting the corners through turns 1-2 & 3-4 on ovals. Instead of using such a large tire which do not move and cause great damage to the car and harm to the driver like we have seen when Tony Stewart was part of such an incident in Osky, burying semi tires at an angle is a better choice. 

  Old tires off of semi and burying half the tire at a 45 degree or less angle so they are exposed and pointing to the inside of the turn gets the job done. Painting them white still makes them visible and also keeps the racer from cutting the corner. A tire that is laying there like that poses less of hazard to the competitors instead of the big heavy earthmower size tires are more of hazard then a problem solver.

Tony didn't hit the tire.  He hit another car that bounced off the tire back into his path.  NASCAR writers have been suggesting that dirt tracks should have safer barriers like the big NASCAR tracks.  If Josh Higday had hit a safer barrier instead of that tire what would have happened?  His car would have bounced off the safer barrier and probably into Stewart's path. 

Stan Meissner

Previous post did not SAY tony hit a tire. Best is to not have any stupid fricking tires. Do as Knoxville and other tracks do and cut an inside berm. Better racing when they drive the bottom and ride the berm. Buried tires tear shit up too. 

so do drivers who ride the berm and use the infield as a racing surface.  Usually, it's the other guy who gets torn up by the hero who can't keep his stuff on the racing surface.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

No. They just lean their inside tires on the berm. But at least if you hit the berm with the left front you don't break an axle or worse like can happen when hitting a big tire.

I remember a Gold Cup many years ago where they cut the inner burm.  The track went very dry slick and the only moisture was RIGHT on the bottom.  Sammy figured out, if he put his LF up ON the burm it put his RR in the very inside of the turns and it worked out pretty good for him.

The tires baried in the ground was a big problem back in the day at Kings in Hanford.  I remember cars shooting almost straight up in the air when the cars hit 'em.  About 25 or better years ago.  They learned better and they've been gone ever since.

So you're saying nobody has ever bounced off the berm and destroyed someone else in the process?

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

I'm not an advocate for or against tires so don't get your shorts too far up your arse!

Stan Meissner

Implement tires do suck. The drivers can't really see them and they wreak havoc. We clipped one a few laps into an A-main race at Jacksonville a month ago and destroyed a lot of parts in the front of the car. Even on video the impact did not look that bad, but it knocked the front end out and spun us into the path of oncoming  traffic. Thankfully everyone was able to react and no one else got involved, but it could have been more ugly than it was. Our race started with an implement tire putting someone on their head in the first lap of the A-main. They do need to come up with another solution at tracks that run Sprinters. Sometimes that is where the track is fast and if a driver can't see them it makes it more like a game of Russian Roulette then racing truthfully.

Never hit stationary objects!

I like watching that left front up on the berm and the right rear digging in . Looks like they are twisting the chassis. Also gets another groove . While they are flying around the high side. The PAS is like that and it makes for good racing.

We need more sprint car racing at our home track.

Tires anywhere on a track racing open wheel cars are completly ridiculous.  All they do is get cars torn up and cost racers money.

Those tires are one of the more dangerous hazards of sprint car racing.  Talk to anyone who has been racing for more than a couple of years, and I'm sure they will tell you they had a front end tore off or worse.  An IRA driver's carrer was ended by one of those tires.  Plymouth, WI fairgrounds has or had one of the best infield deterrent.  Haven't raced there in a few years.  They had a small berm but there are are ditches cut at a 90* angle through the corner.  This stops any water from standing and really upsets the car if you get into them.

Sure, that has happened. But you can run against the burm, as Shatz did at the Nationals, and not hurt your car or anybody elses. Hit one of those big tires and at the very least the car hitting it is going to have damage. And they will most always send the car that hit them back up the track.

This thread is funny.  People are upset about tires in the infield?  They're there all night....DON'T HIT THEM!  Should we remove all walls from race tracks too?  I reckon they do more damage than a tire. 

-

What about the open wheel tires on the other cars?  Oh no, they too are tearing up equipment when drivers run over somebody!  We better put full bodies on them and enclose everything!  Some of you people just aren't happy unless you're bitching about something.

do it in the dirt

Will never be a fan of someone using the infield to "race".  Others can be and are.  As much as fans are impressed with the LF being on the berm, others know the implications.  As much as you hate infield tires, I hate that drivers are allowed to use the infield.

The greatest knowledge is to know that you know nothing
at all.

A properly prepared racetrack is the best solution.  If the track is cut and the inside burm is built where it is not an advantage to use, then they will stay on the track.  But obstacles are not a good solution.

Strange, nobody has mentioned inside guard rails yet.  Now let's see where this goes.

was told this driver hit a huge infield tire, lucky to walk away.

You are just NOW figuring that out?