NASCAR - How Safe is It?
Founded in 1948, NASCAR was based on the idea of races with cars that anyone can purchase.
It was meant to be different from other racing circuits where only special built cars could compete.
In the early years, safety was not a priority for NASCAR drivers.
With seatbelts made of rope, windows that had glass in them and with no roll bars, the cars were sometimes rented for the weekend of the race.
The first modern addition was use of specialized tires, when Pure Oil Company developed a tire intended to be used for car racing back in 1952.
The same year, it became mandatory to add roll bars and the movement away from stock cars to high performance cars we see racing today began.
Not only were the cars changing, but also the racetracks.
While the first races took place on dirt tracks, in 1950 the first superspeedway track was built in Darlington, South California.
The newer tracks were both wider and longer, with higher banks.
Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959 and immediately became the most famous track for stock car racing.
The Winston Cup Series was established in 1972 after R.
J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company partnered with NASCAR.
The next period was dominated by Dale Earnhardt who was to become the most popular racer, winning 76 races and finishing in the top ten for 428 times.
Unfortunately, Dale Earnhardt died in a tragic accident in 2001.
His death inspired a move towards additional safety standards on all the cars.
And thanks to these new safety standards, no driver has been killed on the track since 2002.
Each car is inspected before a race to check for compliance with safety rules and regulations.
The top five finishing cars are re-inspected after the race.
Since the introduction of the Car of Today, the body of the car is similar to the other cars, while inside there are different engines and setups.
The conditions of the track, or car and tires are checked by each crew's chief.
Wall crews have to wear helmets, full fire suits and gloves.
The driver restraint system was one the main concerns and changes were made to the neck and head support systems.
The track barrier systems were changed to better absorb the shocks.
The efforts to reengineer the cars led to the design of a program called 'The Car of Tomorrow'.
Such a car would be safer and more cost-efficient to manufacture.
Teams wanted improved front and rear bumpers and fire suppression systems.
But a more comprehensive change led to a highly standardized car with over 200 defined points, standardized chassis and body.
The Car of Tomorrow holds down the costs because there is no need of multiple versions of a car.
With improved safety and reduced vehicle costs, the new vehicle standard is used on the tracks today.
The universal car will force the teams to focus on more advanced engineering but the most important thing for the future of NASCAR will be if fans like what they see.
NASCAR is now a multi-billion dollar industry, with 100 races every year, and is the fastest growing spectator sport in US.
It was meant to be different from other racing circuits where only special built cars could compete.
In the early years, safety was not a priority for NASCAR drivers.
With seatbelts made of rope, windows that had glass in them and with no roll bars, the cars were sometimes rented for the weekend of the race.
The first modern addition was use of specialized tires, when Pure Oil Company developed a tire intended to be used for car racing back in 1952.
The same year, it became mandatory to add roll bars and the movement away from stock cars to high performance cars we see racing today began.
Not only were the cars changing, but also the racetracks.
While the first races took place on dirt tracks, in 1950 the first superspeedway track was built in Darlington, South California.
The newer tracks were both wider and longer, with higher banks.
Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959 and immediately became the most famous track for stock car racing.
The Winston Cup Series was established in 1972 after R.
J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company partnered with NASCAR.
The next period was dominated by Dale Earnhardt who was to become the most popular racer, winning 76 races and finishing in the top ten for 428 times.
Unfortunately, Dale Earnhardt died in a tragic accident in 2001.
His death inspired a move towards additional safety standards on all the cars.
And thanks to these new safety standards, no driver has been killed on the track since 2002.
Each car is inspected before a race to check for compliance with safety rules and regulations.
The top five finishing cars are re-inspected after the race.
Since the introduction of the Car of Today, the body of the car is similar to the other cars, while inside there are different engines and setups.
The conditions of the track, or car and tires are checked by each crew's chief.
Wall crews have to wear helmets, full fire suits and gloves.
The driver restraint system was one the main concerns and changes were made to the neck and head support systems.
The track barrier systems were changed to better absorb the shocks.
The efforts to reengineer the cars led to the design of a program called 'The Car of Tomorrow'.
Such a car would be safer and more cost-efficient to manufacture.
Teams wanted improved front and rear bumpers and fire suppression systems.
But a more comprehensive change led to a highly standardized car with over 200 defined points, standardized chassis and body.
The Car of Tomorrow holds down the costs because there is no need of multiple versions of a car.
With improved safety and reduced vehicle costs, the new vehicle standard is used on the tracks today.
The universal car will force the teams to focus on more advanced engineering but the most important thing for the future of NASCAR will be if fans like what they see.
NASCAR is now a multi-billion dollar industry, with 100 races every year, and is the fastest growing spectator sport in US.
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