Dangerous Left Turns

If you haven’t seen this video, you must watch. Even if you’re not a car enthusiast, you must watch.

If you haven’t seen this video, you must watch. Even if you’re not a car enthusiast, you must watch.

Michael McDowell was taking practice laps at the Texas Motor Speedway. This is NASCAR, so he was going about a gazillion miles per hour. He was also in the ‘car of tomorrow.’

NASCAR has really stepped up their safety efforts, but I just can’t imagine how McDowell lived, much less walked away. Twenty minutes later he was being interviewed and laughing about what he had just experienced!

I have never seen anything like this before. Like I said, watch the video.

4 thoughts on “Dangerous Left Turns”

  1. If you think about it, race cars in Nascar are always pointed at a wall as they attain speeds of 200 mph, and for an entire race, they steer away from the wall by turning left.

    This video proves that the addition of Saffer Barriers in the wall structures, cars engineered to absorb and deflect impact from the driver, and the Hans Device combine to vastly reduce not just fatalities, but most major injuries…but not all.

  2. When you look at that video, and compare it to the video of the crash that ultimately took Dale Earnhardt’s life [http://youtube.com/watch?v=YnkiizZ22lk], Michael McDowell’s crash looks way worse.

    Like what Gary said, barriers, the way the cars are designed, and the Hans Device help a lot.

    I believe it was proven that Dale Earnhardt was not wearing the Hans device when he crashed.

  3. As someone involved with the sport locally, I am glad to see Mike survived this wreck, and barely got a scratch.

    But I’m still wondering why John Blewitt III had to die last summer at Thompson. Those modifieds (which run under the same NASCAR umbrella the Cup cars do) are dangerous machines based on old technology, and virtually nothing has been done to improve their safety.

    When will NASCAR wake up and start thinking about redesigning the modifieds?

  4. Unreal crash! I don’t watch racing and saw this on ESPN. It is a Miracle he wasn’t killed. Those new head restraints apparently work well.

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