What options does an IRL driver have with a stuck throttle? Is there a way to put the gear into neutral? I know F1 has a button for that; would probably blow the engine to kingdomcome, but hey. And I guess there is the ignition switch. I don't know about IRL, but it is part of the dragster survival mantra (read basic training) to know the kill engine procedure by heart in case your brakes fail.
Jim no use 2nd guessing this. He was traveling at a rate of around 300feet per second. So couple that with reaction time and when the spotter told him it was yellow and when he saw the car in front of him it was all over. So if you want to get a feel of this go rent a ride in a NASCAR stockcar at one of the major tracks and you'll see how quick things happen. Us armchair drivers can't get a feel for this so we think there is time to react. You're just driving a rocket and trying to steer but instead all you can do is aim it. Enjoy the ride .
For those talking about yellow "flags" - IRL has a cockpit warning system, so in addition to the flashing yellow lights on the track, there is a flashing yellow light in the cockpit. They are not looking for flags.
Cars arriving at the scene sooner, which means even less reaction time was afforded to them, managed to slow down and avoid the spinning car. We are making excuses.
Steve and others saying 'unavoidable crash' you have to answer this question, with logic please... "I was hard on the brake and downshifting when I saw this blur go by me on the left," said veteran Scott Sharp, who reacted to the yellow light and his spotter's command to slow down. Scott Sharp was obviously ahead of J.D. and between him and Carpenter when the yellow came out and spotters alerted the drivers, on the same track on the same day at the same speeds. We can conclude from these facts that there was sufficient reaction time to do whatever S.S. did, and that J.D. had even more time (with him being behind, and further out from the hazard, than S.S.) How was S.S. able to a) react, b) brake, c) downshift yet J.D. wasn't? Jim
"Will, what is your point? It is a waste of time to analyze race crashes that lead to the ultimate penalty?" Jim, absolutely not. An emotional topic, to be sure, and I was reacting perhaps too emotionally to the Sun Times article and other coverage I've seen that is critical of a sport that means a great deal to me, even though I'm only a "gentleman" participant. I am truly sorry for Paul Dana and his family - like everyone else here - but discussion of driver error brings to mind a little schoolboy Shakespeare learned years ago and probably remembered incorrectly, so, to paraphrase: "If it were so, it was a grievous fault, and grievously hath Caesar answered it." Regards, Will [edit: looked up the quote and corrected it]
What if it were not the drivers fault at all? What if the driver was following [erroneous] instructions? I ask again; are the driver to pit conversations taped?
