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This is one of those events that I'm of several minds about: 1) This is what keeps people outside the scene interested and taking note - NASCAR absolutely shoul

This is one of those events that I'm of several minds about: 1) This is what keeps people outside the scene interested and taking note - NASCAR absolutely should publicize and play up this moment, it brings a lot of folks to the sport. It was incredibly awesome. 2) A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. 3) The best course forward is to leave it alone and legal in this moment, publicize it, but also treat it as the formation of some new rules. Side note, Nascar 2005, which he referenced as one of his inspirations for this, is one of my favorite gamecube games. I remember picking it up and playing it for hours on end, the soundtrack was awesome, and it didn't feel like an EA cash-grab at the time. Man how times have changed... Edit: Extra info - the 11 of Hamlin has previously made it into the chase for the champion ship by _intentionally wrecking drivers_ , so by and large a huge part of the fan base believes he got what was coming to him.

BooneJS 4y ago
You could penalize it but if he had to do it on the next turn his sidewalls would have blown out. It’s definitely something to add to the end of race all-chips-in bag of tricks.
joshmlewis 4y ago
It's definitely being played up so I think they did something right. My friends (who aren't Nascar fans) sent it to me, it was all over Twitter and Facebook, and now here in the #1 spot on the site I least expected it to show up.
- werid 4y ago
  saw it on tiktok from official nascar account
backtoyoujim 4y ago
The sidewall of the track should have some way to impart boost.
- Moto7451 4y ago
  That’s not too far off from how Darlington and a few other tracks work. If you “ride the cushion” of air between the car and the wall you can drive faster than being a few inches away from the wall or rubbing the wall.
  - tempestn 4y ago
    I definitely don't think you want people doing this every race, but you could leave it alone for now and see if that becomes an issue before worrying about it too much. It's possible that now that people know it's a possibility, they'll simply defend the outside line out of the last corner, which could shut it down fairly effectively.
    - aasasd 4y ago
      Seems to be almost exactly what happened in one race, except the dude behind actually rode the wall: https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar-wall-ride-at-darlington-video/ https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar... (from another comment in this thread).
    - Moto7451 4y ago
      Running the cushion is not what Ross Chastain did. At Darlington and a few other tracks you ride as close as you can to the wall without much more than the occasional tap. If your paint is scraped up but the body panels aren’t bent you did it correctly. Many years ago they used to put 2x4s in the fender walls to protect them but now this requires car control.
- muraiki 4y ago
  Formula E has “attack mode” sections that temporarily boost the electric car’s power by 30kW: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/attack-mode https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/attack-mode
  - dotBen 4y ago
PointyFluff 4y ago
- baby 4y ago
  I think people should have the right to enjoy something that's unrelated to politics without bringing politics into the mix
paimoe 4y ago
> A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. Reminds me of an England v Italy rugby match a few years back where Italy completely abused the offside rule that resulted in England, seemingly, wanting the rules changed after that match (though Eng still won). https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/feb/26/england-suggest-italys-no-ruck-innovation-could-kill-rugby-union https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/feb/26/england-sugges...
BadOakOx 4y ago
> 2) A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. I don't watch Nascar, but as from comments from other places, there is nothing new with it. It has been known and attempted by others now and then [1]. It is a high risk high reward move and this time it turned out good. If it wasn't regulated so far, I don't think it will be. [1] e.g. from just a year ago: https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar-wall-ride-at-darlington-video/ https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar...
- wiredfool 4y ago
  There was the 3" fuel line issue a decade or more ago. When limiting the size of the fuel cell to x gallons, they neglected to specify the size of the fuel line. More fuel capacity is an advantage late in the race, allowing for the potential to not have to pit for a splash of gas or have to drive as conservatively. Well, a 3" line has a couple of gallon capacity if it extends the length of the car, and at one point, someone won because of it, and then had it discovered in the technical inspection.
  - arwineap 4y ago
    You're thinking of Smokey Yunick, and that's just a taste of his antics Check out the "reverse torque special" where he reversed the direction of his engine, so the tq pull would naturally turn him in the correct direction for nascar Or when he modified the roof and raised the floor to get a more aerodynamic car Or when he qualified with wheel covers, and cut them out before the race ( rules didn't stipulate you had to cut them before qualifying ) The guy was a legend, and I think racing would be much more interesting if we had more of him
    - sokoloff 4y ago
      Or placed an inflated basketball in the fuel tank when it was going to be measured for capacity, only to deflate the basketball for the race. Or load the car with cold (more dense) fuel. Or (allegedly) race a 15/16ths scale car with a matching 15/16ths scale street car strategically parked in the track parking lot so the scrutineers could compare against a stock car and see that it matched. Or built a race engine with the correct size cylinder in the easiest to measure location and oversized cylinders in every other position. Other racers had special lead-filled radios and overweight helmets that would be in the car for tech, then get changed out before qualifying. Or lead shot filled in the frame rails and a wax seal or threaded fitting to keep it in. Darrell Waltrip tells a hilarious story where the threaded seal was in the jack point and NASCAR jacked the car to go look for it. Moving bars of Mallory (tungsten, basically) from the right to left after passing tech. Another racer was caught with a 22 gallon tank (20 was the limit at the time), apologized and agreed to change it. (He changed it to a 28 gallon tank.)
Cthulhu_ 4y ago
While they could argue it's a safety issue, at the same time it's a risky move, and it could end up in the car crashing and being out of the race entirely, so it's a bit self-managing. I mean if they start equipping cars with side wheels then it becomes a different matter, but I'm pretty sure the cars are already tightly regulated.
mawise 4y ago
> A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. That's exactly what happened in the cycling world when UCI decided they needed to ban the "supertuck"[1] [1]: https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a35566614/uci-supertuck-ban/ https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a35566614/uci-supertuck-ban...
- 1-more 4y ago
  My tinfoil hat theory is that it's a handout to manufacturers to sell dropper posts to road cyclists. Aero profile dropper? Money printer.
  - Cockbrand 4y ago
    This has actually happened - pro road cyclist Matej Mohorič won Milan-San Remo in 2022 with a dropper post [1]. Apparently it was a standard round post, though. [1] https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/dropper-post-road-bike/ https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/...
    - 1-more 4y ago
      oh yeah sorry I should have mentioned that this incident inspired the theory. Only round dropper posts currently exist and are made by third parties, but I could see frame builders making proprietary aero ones.

BooneJS 4y ago

You could penalize it but if he had to do it on the next turn his sidewalls would have blown out. It’s definitely something to add to the end of race all-chips-in bag of tricks.

joshmlewis 4y ago

It's definitely being played up so I think they did something right. My friends (who aren't Nascar fans) sent it to me, it was all over Twitter and Facebook, and now here in the #1 spot on the site I least expected it to show up.

werid 4y ago
saw it on tiktok from official nascar account

backtoyoujim 4y ago

The sidewall of the track should have some way to impart boost.

Moto7451 4y ago
That’s not too far off from how Darlington and a few other tracks work. If you “ride the cushion” of air between the car and the wall you can drive faster than being a few inches away from the wall or rubbing the wall.
- tempestn 4y ago
  I definitely don't think you want people doing this every race, but you could leave it alone for now and see if that becomes an issue before worrying about it too much. It's possible that now that people know it's a possibility, they'll simply defend the outside line out of the last corner, which could shut it down fairly effectively.
  - aasasd 4y ago
    Seems to be almost exactly what happened in one race, except the dude behind actually rode the wall: https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar-wall-ride-at-darlington-video/ https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar... (from another comment in this thread).
  - Moto7451 4y ago
    Running the cushion is not what Ross Chastain did. At Darlington and a few other tracks you ride as close as you can to the wall without much more than the occasional tap. If your paint is scraped up but the body panels aren’t bent you did it correctly. Many years ago they used to put 2x4s in the fender walls to protect them but now this requires car control.
muraiki 4y ago
Formula E has “attack mode” sections that temporarily boost the electric car’s power by 30kW: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/attack-mode https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/attack-mode
- dotBen 4y ago

PointyFluff 4y ago

baby 4y ago
I think people should have the right to enjoy something that's unrelated to politics without bringing politics into the mix

paimoe 4y ago

> A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. Reminds me of an England v Italy rugby match a few years back where Italy completely abused the offside rule that resulted in England, seemingly, wanting the rules changed after that match (though Eng still won). https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/feb/26/england-suggest-italys-no-ruck-innovation-could-kill-rugby-union https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/feb/26/england-sugges...

BadOakOx 4y ago

> 2) A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. I don't watch Nascar, but as from comments from other places, there is nothing new with it. It has been known and attempted by others now and then [1]. It is a high risk high reward move and this time it turned out good. If it wasn't regulated so far, I don't think it will be. [1] e.g. from just a year ago: https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar-wall-ride-at-darlington-video/ https://racingnews.co/2021/09/06/kyle-larson-attempts-nascar...

wiredfool 4y ago
There was the 3" fuel line issue a decade or more ago. When limiting the size of the fuel cell to x gallons, they neglected to specify the size of the fuel line. More fuel capacity is an advantage late in the race, allowing for the potential to not have to pit for a splash of gas or have to drive as conservatively. Well, a 3" line has a couple of gallon capacity if it extends the length of the car, and at one point, someone won because of it, and then had it discovered in the technical inspection.
- arwineap 4y ago
  You're thinking of Smokey Yunick, and that's just a taste of his antics Check out the "reverse torque special" where he reversed the direction of his engine, so the tq pull would naturally turn him in the correct direction for nascar Or when he modified the roof and raised the floor to get a more aerodynamic car Or when he qualified with wheel covers, and cut them out before the race ( rules didn't stipulate you had to cut them before qualifying ) The guy was a legend, and I think racing would be much more interesting if we had more of him
  - sokoloff 4y ago
    Or placed an inflated basketball in the fuel tank when it was going to be measured for capacity, only to deflate the basketball for the race. Or load the car with cold (more dense) fuel. Or (allegedly) race a 15/16ths scale car with a matching 15/16ths scale street car strategically parked in the track parking lot so the scrutineers could compare against a stock car and see that it matched. Or built a race engine with the correct size cylinder in the easiest to measure location and oversized cylinders in every other position. Other racers had special lead-filled radios and overweight helmets that would be in the car for tech, then get changed out before qualifying. Or lead shot filled in the frame rails and a wax seal or threaded fitting to keep it in. Darrell Waltrip tells a hilarious story where the threaded seal was in the jack point and NASCAR jacked the car to go look for it. Moving bars of Mallory (tungsten, basically) from the right to left after passing tech. Another racer was caught with a 22 gallon tank (20 was the limit at the time), apologized and agreed to change it. (He changed it to a 28 gallon tank.)

Cthulhu_ 4y ago

While they could argue it's a safety issue, at the same time it's a risky move, and it could end up in the car crashing and being out of the race entirely, so it's a bit self-managing. I mean if they start equipping cars with side wheels then it becomes a different matter, but I'm pretty sure the cars are already tightly regulated.

mawise 4y ago

> A lot of times something like this is how you form some new regulations - it's truly one of those "You know, this was excellent but we can't do it again" situations. That's exactly what happened in the cycling world when UCI decided they needed to ban the "supertuck"[1] [1]: https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a35566614/uci-supertuck-ban/ https://www.bicycling.com/racing/a35566614/uci-supertuck-ban...

1-more 4y ago
My tinfoil hat theory is that it's a handout to manufacturers to sell dropper posts to road cyclists. Aero profile dropper? Money printer.
- Cockbrand 4y ago
  This has actually happened - pro road cyclist Matej Mohorič won Milan-San Remo in 2022 with a dropper post [1]. Apparently it was a standard round post, though. [1] https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/dropper-post-road-bike/ https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-gear/bikes-and-biking/...
  - 1-more 4y ago
    oh yeah sorry I should have mentioned that this incident inspired the theory. Only round dropper posts currently exist and are made by third parties, but I could see frame builders making proprietary aero ones.