Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Phil
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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It's a tricky question. If I'm getting my head correctly around this; The track is counter-clock-wise and the right tyres are larger. At constant speed, the car will naturally drive left slightly (the dimensions of the tires probably match the diameter of the track perfectly). I'd say accelerating the car heavily would get the car in a drift pointing even more to left (outer larger tires spin faster and carry more energy). Though at higher speeds (like during the race) the car would generally drift towards the outside due to centrifugal force and decreasing grip. So using the throttle (perhaps blipping it) would invoke a left side drift to correct the path you're driving.

My little practical test with a pencil and two attached wheels seem to confirm as much...? (though it was rather unscientific, I'll admit :lol:).
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DaveKillens
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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WilliamsF1 wrote:Disagree on the part where car will turn right when you lift
How? Why?

You agree that the application of throttle will produce a counter-clockwise yaw motion. So if the opposite thing happens, would there not be logically an opposite motion?

That huge right tire has more grip than the left. Under the application of throttle the disparity in grip from left to right produces a yawing motion to the left. When the throttle is lifted, the engine braking will decelerate the rear wheels, and once again the difference in grip comes into play, this time producing a yaw to the right.
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.

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Tim.Wright
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Interesting discussion. While the tyre diameter stagger is undoubtedly to act as a differential in the corners, I'm not convinced that applying throttle in a straight line will make the car unconditionally go left.

Consider in this case (straight line, low speed) that you have the left wheel slightly more loaded due to the asymmetric CG and that the inner wheel has a smaller radius, so for a given input torque it will create a higher tractive force at the contact patch compared to the larger diameter outer wheel. These two effects would add together and possibly give the car an initial response yawing to the right before the faster rotational speed of the outside wheel causes the tractive force split to switch sides and give a yaw response into the turn centre.

In a corner at racing speeds the situation is different. There you have load transfer to the outside wheel so it is more likely to be producing a similar or higher tractive force than the inside wheel.

Remember a "diff" (or even a spool) has two jobs with conflicting targets. It needs to give the maximum tractive force (which suggests biasing the torque to the outside wheel) but it needs to keep the car stable on the throttle (which suggests biasing the torque less to the outside wheel). So its not always clear which way the driveline is trying to yaw the car in any given condition.

Spools are quite difficult to analyse in this respect because the wheel torques are somewhat indeterminate. You need to know the vertical load and mu split of the left and right tyres to know which one is giving the most tractive force.
Last edited by Tim.Wright on 12 Aug 2014, 19:36, edited 2 times in total.
Not the engineer at Force India

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Tim.Wright
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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DaveKillens wrote:
WilliamsF1 wrote:Disagree on the part where car will turn right when you lift
How? Why?

You agree that the application of throttle will produce a counter-clockwise yaw motion. So if the opposite thing happens, would there not be logically an opposite motion?

That huge right tire has more grip than the left. Under the application of throttle the disparity in grip from left to right produces a yawing motion to the left. When the throttle is lifted, the engine braking will decelerate the rear wheels, and once again the difference in grip comes into play, this time producing a yaw to the right.
I'd say lifting off would likely give less of a "yaw boost" to the left, but I wouldn't expect it to make the car turn to the right.
Not the engineer at Force India

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strad
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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I can see who knows something about Sprint cars and who doesn't. :roll:
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
Sir Stirling Moss

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ian_s
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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if you suddenly lift off the throttle with a large CI engine, it would be like putting the handbrake on, and send the car into a slide just the same as hitting the throttle would. damned if you do, damned if you don't!

DaveKillens
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Joined: 20 Jan 2005, 04:02

Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Tim.Wright wrote:Interesting discussion. While the tyre diameter stagger is undoubtedly to act as a differential in the corners, I'm not convinced that applying throttle in a straight line will make the car unconditionally go left.

Consider in this case (straight line, low speed) that you have the left wheel slightly more loaded due to the asymmetric CG and that the inner wheel has a smaller radius, so for a given input torque it will create a higher tractive force at the contact patch compared to the larger diameter outer wheel. These two effects would add together and possibly give the car an initial response yawing to the right before the faster rotational speed of the outside wheel causes the tractive force split to switch sides and give a yaw response into the turn centre.

In a corner at racing speeds the situation is different. There you have load transfer to the outside wheel so it is more likely to be producing a similar or higher tractive force than the inside wheel.

Remember a "diff" (or even a spool) has two jobs with conflicting targets. It needs to give the maximum tractive force (which suggests biasing the torque to the outside wheel) but it needs to keep the car stable on the throttle (which suggests biasing the torque less to the outside wheel). So its not always clear which way the driveline is trying to yaw the car in any given condition.

Spools are quite difficult to analyse in this respect because the wheel torques are somewhat indeterminate. You need to know the vertical load and mu split of the left and right tyres to know which one is giving the most tractive force.
That is a very viable theory, but in all respect, it does not align with real-world observation. In the following video of Jac Haudenschild, pay careful attention at 2:25. He hammers the gas, and the car immediately turns left.

http://youtu.be/L6AHPvhe3NM
Racing should be decided on the track, not the court room.

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Tim.Wright
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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DaveKillens wrote:
Tim.Wright wrote:Interesting discussion. While the tyre diameter stagger is undoubtedly to act as a differential in the corners, I'm not convinced that applying throttle in a straight line will make the car unconditionally go left.

Consider in this case (straight line, low speed) that you have the left wheel slightly more loaded due to the asymmetric CG and that the inner wheel has a smaller radius, so for a given input torque it will create a higher tractive force at the contact patch compared to the larger diameter outer wheel. These two effects would add together and possibly give the car an initial response yawing to the right before the faster rotational speed of the outside wheel causes the tractive force split to switch sides and give a yaw response into the turn centre.

In a corner at racing speeds the situation is different. There you have load transfer to the outside wheel so it is more likely to be producing a similar or higher tractive force than the inside wheel.

Remember a "diff" (or even a spool) has two jobs with conflicting targets. It needs to give the maximum tractive force (which suggests biasing the torque to the outside wheel) but it needs to keep the car stable on the throttle (which suggests biasing the torque less to the outside wheel). So its not always clear which way the driveline is trying to yaw the car in any given condition.

Spools are quite difficult to analyse in this respect because the wheel torques are somewhat indeterminate. You need to know the vertical load and mu split of the left and right tyres to know which one is giving the most tractive force.
That is a very viable theory, but in all respect, it does not align with real-world observation. In the following video of Jac Haudenschild, pay careful attention at 2:25. He hammers the gas, and the car immediately turns left.

http://youtu.be/L6AHPvhe3NM
Fair enough, though when he floors it, the first movement of the steering is to the left, not the right.
Not the engineer at Force India

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

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I won't even dare to argue physics and engineering with this crowd. I will however offer this observation for you to ponder. I am by no means an expert but I have been to plenty of races.

There are only two conditions when I can remember seeing a dirt track sprint turn right. The first common occurance is when the car is barely moving (far slower than yellow flag speed) and the driver exits the track to enter the paddock. The second occasion is when something breaks and forces the car into a right turn.

The cars will drive straight down the straight (imagine that). But if you watch the front wheels you can see the driver working to make the car drive straight. Putting the car on the outside (to the right of a competitor) is more subtle than turning the wheel in the direction intended.

Raleigh
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Pretty clear Kevin would have been hidden behind the 45 car until it passed him (missing him by maybe 2-3 feet), then Tony comes round a little higher and faster with under a second to pick up a guy in black against a dark background and hits him.

Got sympathy for Kevin's family and friends but little for the fool who ran into fast moving traffic to shake a fist and died.

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strad
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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I'm not sure of your point but I can tell you from my limited time in the seat of a sprint car that you battle them to go straight and that when you hit the gas hard like to try and miss something/someone on the right, the rear wants to step out to the right.
They spend a lot of time trying to get out from under you.
Also I again point out that the wing has a large lip the extends downward on the right side blocking much of your view to the right front.. most also have a dirt/rock screen.
Y'all can think what you please but I think it was just a terrible accident.
To achieve anything, you must be prepared to dabble on the boundary of disaster.”
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notsofast
notsofast
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Joined: 10 Oct 2012, 02:56

Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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I think this video gives a reasonable impression of the limited view that strad mentioned.

I know nothing about Sprint Cars, but just based on some of the videos I watched, I gotta say that I've got a lot of respect for the guys who manage to keep them on the track, lap after lap. I can see why racers from other series might enjoy the challenge.

jz11
jz11
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Tim.Wright wrote:Interesting discussion. While the tyre diameter stagger is undoubtedly to act as a differential in the corners, I'm not convinced that applying throttle in a straight line will make the car unconditionally go left.

Consider in this case (straight line, low speed) that you have the left wheel slightly more loaded due to the asymmetric CG and that the inner wheel has a smaller radius, so for a given input torque it will create a higher tractive force at the contact patch compared to the larger diameter outer wheel. These two effects would add together and possibly give the car an initial response yawing to the right before the faster rotational speed of the outside wheel causes the tractive force split to switch sides and give a yaw response into the turn centre.
given, solid axle connecting both wheels (no diff), enough traction for both wheels, I cannot imagine how you could get the car yaw right at any time during a blip on the throttle, torque difference isn't enough, speed difference of the rim of each wheel would matter more, that's my opinion

scenario I can imagine here is that he blips the throttle to point the nose left, induce a little slide, and as a result would move to a slightly smaller radius trajectory, just when the initial directional change is happening (if the blip was so hard as to brake the traction entirely, which probably happened), the back of the car will slightly step out, and a moment later, the whole car has moved to a tighter radius trajectory

I understand your reasoning, but I don't think it applies to a car that is specifically designed to go left

having driven only normal dirt buggies with same diameter tires on each side and solid rear axle, they are pain to turn under no power, inducing a little slide is like the only way, only other comparison I have would be a racing cart on dry slicks on a wet track, you can't turn the thing without braking rear traction at all, especially on a rubbered in racing line

Moxie
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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Raleigh wrote:
Got sympathy for Kevin's family and friends but little for the fool who ran into fast moving traffic to shake a fist and died.
I think its fair to say we all have done something stupid when we were young. He may have been a nice youn man, but he let his anger get the best of him. It is a shame, even though his actions during those few moments were very unwise.

@strad
I gather that there are many people in this forum that are unfamiliar with dirt track sprint cars. I wanted to explain the unusual nature of turning right. Having never driven a sprint car I was hesitant to go out on a limb and claim more than my observations, thank you for verifying that my impressions were correct.
Last edited by Moxie on 13 Aug 2014, 01:32, edited 1 time in total.

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bdr529
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Re: Tony Stewart involved in fatal sprint car incident

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strad wrote:I can see who knows something about Sprint cars and who doesn't. :roll:
I was thinking the samething, but The World of Outlaws is not for everyone, and lets face it they only race in US, Canada and down under so not alot of people can get to see them.
As for me I go a couple of times every summer, My local track is 20min away Ohsweken Speedway. Tony Stewart was their last summer He raced in the Brickyard 400 on a sunday and then flew up to canada to race sprint cars on monday/tuesday night, had a pretty big wreck on the monday but was good to go for the next night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no5EXYbXGPE