Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Phil
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Joined: 25 Sep 2012, 16:22

Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Absolutely shocking. I can't believe Ward ran out on the track - probably out of fury, he wasn't thinking straight and ultimately got him killed. :(

About Stewart - I don't follow any of the American sports and have no history on him or what kind of a person he is, but being suddenly confronted with any driver out on the track running towards you... I can't possibly imagine anything other than pure instinct taking control and an attempt at some form of evasive action? :o

I wouldn't be surprised if perhaps earlier incidents led to this horrific accident... What looked a bit like an unfortunate incident (Stewart drifts into Ward who then touches the side and turns and damages his car) and then see him full of rage getting out of the car and onto the track.... #-o
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Sevach
Sevach
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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On most cars hitting someone with the rear wheels would indicate an accident, on this particular car things might be a bit different... but i still go with accident.


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strad
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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they run a locked rear differential and you steer them with the throttle.
They also run the equivalent of an in or out box with no transmission. The engine is directly connected to the rear end Back when I was young they had a true in or out, these days it's done with the rear end gears but same result,, also they idle at 40MPH.
With the wings the way they are you can see little of the right front.
I can not believe the family is intending to pursue civil charges.
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gray41
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Seriously gutted about this news, I just feel bad for everyone it has effected.
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FW17
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Joined: 06 Jan 2010, 10:56

Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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strad wrote:they run a locked rear differential and you steer them with the throttle.
There is no reason to steer with the throttle during a caution period



Wonder what would have happened if tony was driving that Audi
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DaveKillens
DaveKillens
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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I really believe this was a tragic set of circumstances. I do watch a lot of NASCAR and dirt racing. In fact, something similar happened a few hours earlier at the NASCAR Nationwide race at Watkins Glen. Two cars were fighting for the same corner, one car spun out. The caution was thrown, and when the field passed by that same spot again, it had an ambulance, a couple of wreckers and recovery vehicles on the right side of the track. The driver who lost out in the battle was out of his car, and according to NASCAR rules was supposed to get into the ambulance to be transported to the medical center to be checked out. But he was standing by the back door of the ambulance, and when the field went by, strode out about three meters and gave an arms up "why?" kind of thing to the car he believe offended him.

It's a dirt track, a very tight oval, when the accident happened the caution was thrown, but as seen in the video, those cars travel at a fair bit of speed. So Stewart is following the cars ahead, they are turning left, how could he see through those cars and see someone?
The car ahead of Stewart had to swerve left to avoid Ward, and I do believe Stewart never saw him in time.

It's just so tragic, Ward was only twenty years old.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.

marcush.
marcush.
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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locked diff:
if you are not pushing the thing will not turn in -in fact it will push like a pig and not allow you to turn .With sprintcars radically asymetric tyre (diameters)-stagger the car will just follow a wide corner but not really allow you to make quick direction changes without applying throttle.

NTS
NTS
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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marcush. wrote:if you are not pushing the thing will not turn in -in fact it will push like a pig and not allow you to turn .
Indeed, everybody that has ever driven in karting with sticky tires (e.g. non-rental) will know this effect. Karts have a stiff rear-axle, which means that if you drive at a low speed (for example when: manually pushing it in the pits) it is almost impossible to turn. At higher speeds the kart will lift the inner rear wheel of the ground to allow turning.

This exact same effect causes the dirt racers to stick to a wide circle (different tire sizes) and not allow much steering and maneuvering at low speeds.

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SectorOne
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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WilliamsF1 wrote:There is no reason to steer with the throttle during a caution period
Oh it definitely is when you have a raving lunatic running around on the racing line pointing fingers.
"If the only thing keeping a person decent is the expectation of divine reward, then brother that person is a piece of sh*t"

DaveKillens
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Image

With the huge stagger of the rear wheels, application of the throttle has a huge influence on controlling direction changes of the sprint car. Starting with a baseline of steady-state throttle at the speeds Stewart was traveling at when he encountered Ward, if you suddenly lift, the car will want to turn to the right. If you accelerate, the car will turn to the left.

So let's try to put ourselves in the driver's seat. You are rolling around the track, and suddenly someone appears in front of you, on the right side. If you do nothing a collision seems imminent. If you lift, the car will tend to go to the right, further into the path of the person standing on the track. But if I was in that car, I would hit the gas and yank the steering wheel to the left, in an attempt to avoid the person on the track. To an outside observer, the car would appear to have "revved and fishtailed".
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.

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FW17
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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DaveKillens wrote:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... consin.jpg

With the huge stagger of the rear wheels, application of the throttle has a huge influence on controlling direction changes of the sprint car. Starting with a baseline of steady-state throttle at the speeds Stewart was traveling at when he encountered Ward, if you suddenly lift, the car will want to turn to the right. If you accelerate, the car will turn to the left.
You kidding right!

With outside wheel larger than inside wheel the car will turn to the inside not outside, hit the throttle it will turn more to the inside, the line through the corner is controlled by pointing the front wheels to the outside.

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andylaurence
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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WilliamsF1 wrote:
DaveKillens wrote:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... consin.jpg

With the huge stagger of the rear wheels, application of the throttle has a huge influence on controlling direction changes of the sprint car. Starting with a baseline of steady-state throttle at the speeds Stewart was traveling at when he encountered Ward, if you suddenly lift, the car will want to turn to the right. If you accelerate, the car will turn to the left.
You kidding right!

With outside wheel larger than inside wheel the car will turn to the inside not outside, hit the throttle it will turn more to the inside, the line through the corner is controlled by pointing the front wheels to the outside.
Isn't that exactly what he said? :wtf:

DaveKillens
DaveKillens
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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WilliamsF1 wrote:
DaveKillens wrote:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... consin.jpg

With the huge stagger of the rear wheels, application of the throttle has a huge influence on controlling direction changes of the sprint car. Starting with a baseline of steady-state throttle at the speeds Stewart was traveling at when he encountered Ward, if you suddenly lift, the car will want to turn to the right. If you accelerate, the car will turn to the left.
You kidding right!

With outside wheel larger than inside wheel the car will turn to the inside not outside, hit the throttle it will turn more to the inside, the line through the corner is controlled by pointing the front wheels to the outside.
NIce to see you agree with what I said. The oval turns left. The inside is the left.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.

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FW17
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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DaveKillens wrote:
WilliamsF1 wrote:
DaveKillens wrote:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... consin.jpg

With the huge stagger of the rear wheels, application of the throttle has a huge influence on controlling direction changes of the sprint car. Starting with a baseline of steady-state throttle at the speeds Stewart was traveling at when he encountered Ward, if you suddenly lift, the car will want to turn to the right. If you accelerate, the car will turn to the left.
You kidding right!

With outside wheel larger than inside wheel the car will turn to the inside not outside, hit the throttle it will turn more to the inside, the line through the corner is controlled by pointing the front wheels to the outside.
NIce to see you agree with what I said. The oval turns left. The inside is the left.

Disagree on the part where car will turn right when you lift