I thought I would offer a disclaimer as to the quality of my insight, sage advise and technical ramblings;
Just after providing my expert opinion as to how Kyle should enter turn 2 at Talladega to have maximum exit speed from turn 3, he totaled another one of Felix's cars exiting turn 3. I believe that was 1991. He told me later to stick with the motorcycles before I killed somebody!
Just kidding, I've been fortunate to be able to spend time with some of the legends in Nascar and NHRA. My most prized picture is of my son at 6 or 7 being given a high five by Alan Kuwiki (misspelled) the year he was killed. Dale Earnhart Sr. kidnapped Jason one year. He came running up, grabbed him up and said "come on boy, I'll let you sit in a real racecar" That was after Benny Parsons had asked Jason who his favorite driver was and he said "Dale Earnhart and anybody racin' Darrell Waldrip" and Darrell was standing there, that's when Kuwiki gave him the high five. Jason's even helped Kenny Berstein pack his chute. Kenny said he was the only person he had every let help him pack his chute (Now he was 7 yrs old, mind you!). He got to be honorary Crew Chief with the Star Motorcycle racing team at Bandemiere Speedway in Denver one year when he was about 10. During that same weekend (his first close-up exposure to drag racing) we were just settling in about four rows up at the 100ft mark on Fri night about dusk. Jason lingered at the fence. A top fueler had a blower explosion right in front of him with parts and piece flying everywhere. I dove down 4 rows to grab him, completely deaf from the explosion, thinking he has pooped his pants - when I grab him he's got this ear to ear grin - wide eye and excited. He goes "Dad, do they all do that?!" I couldn't peel him away from the fence for the rest of the evening, sometimes I would see him shiver when they launched. His face was black when we got home and he wanted to leave it on. I knew then that I may have created a monster in my own image...very scary to think about1
Another funny note: I ask Bobby Allison why he thought so many women were into racing and Nascar in particular. He responded "Well, even my Mama looks over at the guy next to her at the redlight and thinks..."yea, I can take 'em!" Motorsports are kinda like handguns. As we say in America, "God didn't create all men equal, Samuel P. Colt did!"
Quote from Patrick Bedard on slowing open wheel racing speeds: "All a racer is trying to do is put a lap on the undertaker... and I've never heard one ask for a slower car to do it with yet!"
Since I returned from Vietnam with a zero give-a-shit factor I have sought eleven-tenths in everything I do and I have the decrepid body to prove it! As hobot sorta said in that hobot way, it's not if you're going to fall down, its when. I feel that I'm an excellent street rider and have never had a solo accident or caused one, yet I have been run over about every way a car looney could think of to run over a motorcycle. I've even been hit, actually run da hell over...while parked in a parking space with no one else around. Westminster Mall in Denver which is a huge parking lot to be zeroing in on me! - the lady was fumbling with a baby in the back seat moseying across the mall parking lot and ran over the bike from the side with me sitting off to the other side waiting on a friend.
There's just nothing like the smell of burning bean oil, the tears from the fumes of exploding nitro-methane or just that sound of high compression and lumpy cams. Once it gets in your blood it can take all your money. I lost everything (wife, car, the dog, my business etc.) chasing a record when I was in my twenties and didn't learn a damn thing from it! Even Karts are a big money hole!
Mike
