'Jimmie Johnson Apologizes To NASCAR'

[Panther_99FS]

http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-jimmie-johnson-apologizes-for-questioning-nascar

 

[wombat666]

Why no NASCAR mandated or supplied speed limiter Ed???
Once again, our V8 series runs a mandatory limiter, if a driver is not quick enough to switch it 'on' at the lane entrance or too quick to hit 'off' at the exit he usually collects a drive through.
It's not rocket science and it still places the onus squarely on the driver.

 

[Panther_99FS]

Wombat.
I defer your question to Cazzie or EasyEd.....

 

[Cazzie]

Panther, that is as complicated as the rest of NASCAR's politics. I can remember the days when there was no pit road speed and believe me, it was a combat zone, not that it is not the same today, just a slower paced entry and exit combat zone. At one time, the cars had a mark on the tach for the RPMs in third gear for entering the pits and exiting, but that is now the call of the CC generally (they have no speedometers). IMHO, 50% of all pit road speeding penalties are all subjective callings. Except for Robbie Gordon, who is as notorious at pit road speed violations as he is on the track. A poop shoot is a poop shoot for all that. Apologies to the Bard. The sytem is antiquated at best, there should be a more proper way to ID speeding (magnic readers) and there should be a better way for the driver to know how fast he is going. All of us have been on the Interstate at 75 to 80 mph and had to exit and know how hard it is to discern one's speed once you slow down. Imagine how hard that is for a race driver.

Caz

 

[PRB]

Well, there are electronic timing points in the track on pit road, and NASCAR publishes exactly where they are on each track. If your time between two timing points is too small, it means you were speeding. It’s very simple and 100% accurate. Now, if you want to say that NASCAR will penalize Robby Gordon when he speeds, but not penalize Jimmie Johnson when he speeds, you have a story that might sell, not that I’m buying it, necessarily… What these drivers are doing now is trying to speed between the timing points, which can get you ahead of a competitor by the time you reach the next timing point. It’s risky, which means you get caught speeding more. You can go as fast as you dare between the timing marks, as long as your time between the two points doesn’t equal a speed that is too fast. I do think they could use a better way for the driver to know how fast he is going (why no speedometers?), but that wouldn’t have helped Jimmie Johnson on Sunday, because he knew he was speeding on purpose, trying to pull the “go fast between the timing marks” trick. He should ask Kyle Bush how to do that…

 

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

PRB covered it pretty good. NASCAR relies on drivers to know what they are doing - not depend on switches. Right now it involves drivers calibrating what gear they want to be in on pit road with rpm with speed. I see nothing wrong with this system other than efforts to reduce the skill needed by going to limiters or some such. Jimmie made a dumb rookie mistake - it happens.

Notice also that he apologised - smart - don't pizz people off - not officials or other drivers when your going for number 6 - smart.

-Ed-

 

[wombat666]

NASCAR relies on drivers to know what they are doing - not depend on switches.-Ed-

Well Ed, it doesn't work.

And as an afterthought, if NASCAR relies on the drivers to know what they're doing then let's get into it fully and do away with the radio 'coaching', perhaps even the 'spotters' should go as well.
Then the wheelmen would really have to know how to manage their racing.
I would be first in line to vote the system out of ALL motor racing as well, MotoGP manages with ye olde 'Pit Board'.

 

[Ferry_vO]

Since about the only piece of electronics inside a NASCAR is the radio, I guess would be impossible to install a pit limiter..?

 

[PRB]

After listening to Johnson talking about this, I’m confused about how the “speed trap” on pit road actually works. Does it A) simply measure the car’s speed at each timing point, or B) time the car at each timing point, then do a Speed = Distance/Time calculation to determine the speed between the points? I always thought it was B, but the way these drivers are attempting to “game the system” now is to go like heck between the timing points. Well, that “strategery” would only work if the system measured actual speed at the timing points, or they would have to slow down a lot before they got to the next timing point, to make their average speed between the timing points legal.
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Another thing to remember is, if the pit road speed is 35, NASCAR gives them a 5 MPH buffer, so the real speed limit is 40. Drivers, being racing car drivers after all, don’t set their tachometers to light up at 35, but 40! So there’s no room for the slightest misjudgment.

 

[Terry]

After listening to Johnson talking about this, I’m confused about how the “speed trap” on pit road actually works. Does it A) simply measure the car’s speed at each timing point, or B) time the car at each timing point, then do a Speed = Distance/Time calculation to determine the speed between the points? I always thought it was B, but the way these drivers are attempting to “game the system” now is to go like heck between the timing points. Well, that “strategery” would only work if the system measured actual speed at the timing points, or they would have to slow down a lot before they got to the next timing point, to make their average speed between the timing points legal.
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Another thing to remember is, if the pit road speed is 35, NASCAR gives them a 5 MPH buffer, so the real speed limit is 40. Drivers, being racing car drivers after all, don’t set their tachometers to light up at 35, but 40! So there’s no room for the slightest misjudgment.

The answer is "B". Your example is right, no room at all for error. They are trying to hedge in the block where their pit stall is by stomping the brake at just the right instant coming in and playing drag racer on the exit. It's a touchy game they play with the sensors, so when they loose they should just shut up and take it like an adult.