This was bad... [NASCAR]
#1
I was watching the NASCAR Nationwide race earlier today at Talladega. Knowing Talladega, there was going to be a large wreck at some point (Carl Edwards' last lap wreck in 2009, the 2003 wreck on lap 5 involving 27 cars, the list is enormous) and having watched the Nationwide race at Daytona, a similar track earlier this year, I knew it would involve fast cars trying to move into places that just weren't big enough.


I didn't know it would be THIS bad, though.

After a wreck that could have taken out 10 cars with a few laps to go merely resulted in two cars sliding around the track, the field restarted with Kyle Busch and Joe Nemechek side by side with Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick behind them. Coming down the backstretch on that lap, Micheal Annett drove up between the duos of Busch-Keselowski and Nemechek-Harvick, being pushed by Joey Logano. Nemechek and Busch moved closer together, Keselowski and Harvick followed, and Keselowski collided with Annett.

This is the result.

Watching it as it happened in real time, it was obvious that Eric McClure hit the wall extremely hard -- as the announcer put it, "What a vicious hit!" Normally, even after the hardest hits, drivers will just get out, shake their head, and take the mandatory trip to the in-field care center -- such as Elliott Sadler's hard crash at Pocono two years ago.

This time, there was a conspicuous lack of driver exiting the car as the safety crew came around and took down the window net.

The safety crew came around and took down the window net.

It's NASCAR Wreck 101: When you crash out of a race and can't drive around, either to get back in the race or onto pit road, you lower the window net to tell the safety workers you're okay.

Never in the 9 years I've watched NASCAR has a driver not lowered the safety net.

For the next ten minutes, there was no official word on McClure's status, but the crowd of 10 or so NASCAR officials by his car was not an encouraging sign. Eventually they relayed that he was conscious and talking to the safety crew members, but it was another 5 minutes before they cut off the roof of his car, put him on a stretcher, and airlifted him to a Birmingham hospital.

Never in the 9 years I've watched NASCAR has a driver not walked away from a crash under his own power.


There's still no official word on his status, but I (along with thousands of other people, I assume) am waiting and hoping he's not seriously injured. When you crash so hard they have to replace the wall, it was a hard hit.
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#2
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#3
(05-06-2012, 12:31 AM)Tyler Wrote:

You react like that, to someone who may very likely have a broken back.

:thumbdown:
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#4
And this is why Nascar is for idiots
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#5
(05-06-2012, 03:09 PM)Duck Wrote: And this is why Nascar is for idiots

And this is the first time in 9 years (that I am aware of) a NASCAR driver has not walked away from his car after a crash.

Do you know how many football players, hockey players, etc. get seriously injured every year? Compared to those sports, NASCAR is very safe.
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#6
Let's watch people drive in circles for 3 hours.
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#7
(05-06-2012, 03:47 PM)Glome Wrote: Let's watch people drive in circles for 3 hours.

Nah, let's watch people throw a ball at a stick for 3 hours.
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#8
(05-06-2012, 03:47 PM)Glome Wrote: Let's watch people drive in circles for 3 hours.

I like car racing but I honestly think that's all NASCAR really is, sorry Qwerker. Sad
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#9
(05-06-2012, 03:49 PM)Qwertygiy Wrote:
(05-06-2012, 03:47 PM)Glome Wrote: Let's watch people drive in circles for 3 hours.

Nah, let's watch people throw a ball at a stick for 3 hours.
Then we can go watch people kick a ball into a net for 3 hours.
(Honestly I'm not saying anything bad about nascar, I find it boring to watch sports on TV.)
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#10
You may want to watch the race today, then, Franco -- Talladega is usually one of the more exciting races even when there are no wrecks like the one in the OP. There were 30-something lead changes in the race yesterday, a pass in the last 500 feet for the win, and it was only about 3/4 the length of the one today. They may go in circles, but better to go in circles and have a lot of passes/back and forth/anyone can win than have a weird blobby shape where one guy laps everyone twice.

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