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

Well, you can call it a racing deal, but again respecting your fellow drivers goes along way!! 

Slo-Mo Video: Gravel taking out Smith for $50,000.

http://youtu.be/B2w3xAJ1JnU

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

As I watched this video, stoped it watched frame by frame, it looks as if Gravel has Smith sideways before the turn! 

Bingo! 

Watch the lap before and how much ground Gravel closed on Stevie going into 1 once Stevie made his move to entry.  Gravel was peeling off of Stevie going into 1and keeping his speed up. This time Gravel was much closer, which was going to be critical to stay even off of 2 and make the pass off of 4. Maybe Stevie lifted sooner or tagged the brake to hit his marks only Stevie knows if that is the case. Either way there wasn't enough time for Gravel to lift and get on the brakes to miss him completely. Compounded with the fact that Stevie was already making the turn for enty which put him at an angle to be hooked.  The fact that Gravel didnt totally run over the top of him is somewhat impressive to me.

Most of the fans blaming Gravel  have never sat behind the wheel and have no clue how quick the closing rate is in a race car at 130 mph. Cut the kid some slack. He owned it, apologized, which else can he do? 

If what you are saying is true, Gravel could have lifted as well!!  If He owned it, he should have been able to pass him without contact!!  Plan and simple!!

You don't see it too often in sprint car racing, where a guy spins another out from behind. Normally it's a slide job gone wrong, or something more serious.

It'll be a good debate going forward and certainly good for the rivalry.

I have to agree, I just see this as one driver running into the back of another! Again alittle respect goes along way!

Unfortunate.

Gravel clearly show alot of contrition in victory lane so you can tell it wasn't intentional.  His comment of racing for an inch makes alot of sense if you understand that he wanted to be as close to Stevie on entry as possible.  If Stevie lifted a little sooner than the previous lap's entry it caught Gravel by surprise and he had no chance to miss him.

Just hard racing.....Stevie was trying to not make a mistake and hit his marks. Gravel had his elbows up and was racing hard trying to get by...... I think its really nothing more than that.  

Fans make it seems so easy, but from the seat it's not that easy and decisions are made at a split second. Some work and some don't.

Well, in victory lane the deal is done, Gravel could have been lieing thru his teeth!! We will never know!! Did he go and talk to Stevie after the race???

  I just don't see running into another car on a front strecth go hard racing!!  good hard racing would have been the two of them going at it and the best car winning!!

  We will never know whom had the best car!  all we do know is one car ran into another!! We can only judge what really happened in the seat of the 83!

Wow, you're really bitter.  You must be from PA!

not bitter, just saying how I see that video!  Just like yourself!

Wow all this bitching and moaning about nothing. If you cant see that Smith checked up on entry you're completely blind by homerism. For Christ sake take this loss like men and lick your wounds then move on. There is nothing to see here folks.

Cheers!

Yep, only a matter of time till the asses came out of the closet!!

Man what a great witty reply. Do yourself a favor go watch that video a dozen times over and this time take off the blinders.

Cheers!

Thanks to google I can add this:

1 mph = 17.6 inches per second

120 mph = 2,112 inches per second

Smith braking from 2112 inches per second to, say, maybe 90 mph/ 1580 inches per second

And Gravel approaching Smith at, say, 2,000 feet per second

=not a whole hell of a lot of time to react

When you throw the math at it, it's a wonder it doesn't happen more often.

These guys can drive!

I have a hard time looking out the window at 35 mph and not hitting the car in front of me.

ran out of talent?

IF it was intentional it took tons of talent to pull off such a smooth move.

to indy and beyond!!

Why am I not surprised at many of the names deep in a clown fest with Cubic Dollars in this thread?

I'm from central PA and can honestly say I don't have any idea if anyone was at fault but I'm over it, I think Gravel's victory lane speech was as honest as it could be, he said he was ashamed of what had happened, and I believe he was was telling the truth, the whole thing sucks but thats racing for ya, BUT..... how about that race and track surface WOW that made up for the one lane stinkers from earlier this year, that was one of the best races I have ever seen at Williamsgrove, great job to the track and crew, excellent race !!!!!

Well what I see is two driver running two different over lapping lines. One running low through the corners one running high though the corners. But saying that as we all have been taught from Bicycles through road racing. The front car has the line till you are up to there door panel.

What I see is someone running to close and not remembering what the front car has done each lap. This looks like a stock car move on pavement using the crome horn. They were in the middle of the track when this happend not up on the high line so...