{"id":89239,"date":"2022-10-06T22:43:15","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T22:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/appeal-panel-gives-william-byron-his-25-points-back\/"},"modified":"2022-10-06T22:43:15","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T22:43:15","slug":"appeal-panel-gives-william-byron-his-25-points-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/appeal-panel-gives-william-byron-his-25-points-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Appeal panel gives William Byron his 25 points back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Two drivers have missed races this year after hard rear-end crashes.  Kurt Busch has been out since an incident in qualifying at Pocono in July.  Alex Bowman backed hard into a wall at Texas and will miss Sunday&#8217;s race at the Charlotte Roval (2 pm ET, NBC).<\/p>\n<p>Other drivers have noted that the hits they&#8217;ve taken in the Next Gen car are among the hardest they&#8217;ve felt in a Cup car.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I crashed it (at Auto Club Speedway in practice), I thought the car was destroyed, and it barely backed the bumper off.  It just felt like somebody hit you with a hammer,\u201d Kevin Harvick told NBC Sports.<\/p>\n<p>The three most crucial parameters in determining the severity of a crash are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How much kinetic energy the car carries<\/li>\n<li>How long the collision takes<\/li>\n<li>The angle at which the car hits<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Angle<\/h3>\n<p>The last of these factors requires trigonometry to explain properly.  You can probably intuit, however, that a shallower hit is preferable to a head-on \u2014 or rear-on \u2014 hit.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_202361\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-202361\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-202361\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click for a larger view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When the angle between the car and the wall is small, most of the driver&#8217;s momentum starts and remains in the direction parallel to the wall.  The car experiences a small change in velocity.<\/p>\n<p>The larger the angle, the larger the change in perpendicular speed and the more force experienced.  NASCAR has noted that more crashes this season have had greater angles than in the past.<\/p>\n<p>Busch and Bowman both had pretty large-angle hits, so we&#8217;ll skip the trig.<\/p>\n<h3>Energy \u2014 in pounds of TNT<\/h3>\n<p>A car&#8217;s kinetic energy depends on how much it weighs and how fast it&#8217;s going.  But the relationship between kinetic energy and speed is not linear: It&#8217;s quadratic.  That means going <em>twice<\/em> as fast gives you <em>four<\/em> <em>times<\/em> more kinetic energy.<\/p>\n<p>The graph shows the kinetic energies of different kinds of race cars at different speeds.  To give you an idea of \u200b\u200bhow much energy we&#8217;re talking about, I expressed the kinetic energy in terms of equivalent pounds of TNT.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-202363\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=720%2C405&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A vertical bar graph showing kinetic energies for different types of racecars and their energies \" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png 1600w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=200,113 200w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=320,180 320w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=610,343 610w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=800,450 800w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=280,158 280w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=123,69 123w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=128,72 128w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=1506,848 1506w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=195,110 195w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/ke_nextgen_tnt_v2.png?resize=150,85 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A Next Gen car going 180 mph has the same kinetic energy as is stored in almost three pounds of TNT.<\/li>\n<li>Because IndyCars are about half the weight of NASCAR&#8217;s Next Gen car, an IndyCar has about half the kinetic energy of a Next Gen car when both travel at the same speed.<\/li>\n<li>At 330 mph, Top Fuel drag racers carry the equivalent of six pounds of TNT in kinetic energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>All of a car&#8217;s kinetic energy must be transformed to other types of energy when the car slows or stops.  NASCAR states that more crashes are occurring at higher closing speeds, which means more kinetic energy.<\/p>\n<h3>Longer collisions > shorter collisions<\/h3>\n<p>That seems counterintuitive, doesn&#8217;t it?  Who wants to be in a crash any longer than necessary?<\/p>\n<p>But the longer a collision takes, the more time there is to transform kinetic energy.<\/p>\n<p>A pitting car starts slowing down well below it reaches its pit box.  The car&#8217;s kinetic energy is transformed into heat energy (brakes and rotors warming), light energy (glowing rotors), and even sound energy (tires squealing).<\/p>\n<p>The same amount of kinetic energy must be transformed in a collision \u2014 but much faster.  In addition to heat, light and sound, energy is transformed via the car spinning and parts deforming or breaking.  (This video about Michael McDowell&#8217;s 2008 Texas qualifying crash goes into more detail.)<\/p>\n<p>The force a collision produces depends on how long the car takes to stop.  Compare the force from your seat belt when you slow down at a stop sign to what you feel if you have to suddenly slam on the brakes.<\/p>\n<p>To give you an idea of \u200b\u200bhow fast collisions can be, the initial wall impact in the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt Sr.  lasted only eight-hundredths (0.08) of a second.<\/p>\n<p>SAFER barriers use a car&#8217;s kinetic energy to move a heavy steel wall and crush pieces of energy-absorbing foam.  That extracts energy from the car, plus the barrier extends the collision time.<\/p>\n<p>The disadvantage is that a car with lower kinetic energy won&#8217;t move the barrier.  Then it&#8217;s just like running into a solid wall.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s the same problem the Next Gen car seems to have.<\/p>\n<h3>Chassis stiffness: A Goldilocks problem<\/h3>\n<p>The Next Gen chassis is a five-piece, bolt-together car skeleton, as shown below.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_202364\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-202364\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-202364\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_ExplodedCar_labelled.png?resize=540%2C343&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A graphic showing the five parts of the Next Gen chassis.\" width=\"540\" height=\"343\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-202364\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Graphic courtesy of NASCAR.  Click to enlarge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_202359\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-202359\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-202359 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=320%2C202&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The foam surrounding the outside of the rear bumper\" width=\"320\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png 2771w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=200,126 200w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=320,202 320w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=1024,646 1024w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=1536,968 1536w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=2048,1291 2048w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=195,123 195w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearBumperFoam.png?resize=1713,1080 1713w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-202359\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The purple is energy-absorbing foam.  Graphic courtesy of NASCAR.  Click for a larger view.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That graphic doesn&#8217;t show another important safety feature: the energy absorbing foam that covers the outside of the bumpers.  It&#8217;s purple in the next diagram.<\/p>\n<p>All cars are designed so that the strongest part of the car surrounds the occupants.  Race cars are no different.<\/p>\n<p>The center section of the Next Gen chassis is made from stout steel tubing and sheet metal.  Components become progressively weaker as you move away from the cockpit.  The bumper, for example, is made of aluminum alloy rather than steel.  The goal is transforming all the kinetic energy before it reaches the driver.<\/p>\n<p>Because the Next Gen car issues are with rear impacts, I&#8217;ve expanded and highlighted the last two pieces of the chassis.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-202360\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=720%2C540&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"The rear clip and bumper, with the fuel cell and struts shaded\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png 3297w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=200,150 200w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=320,240 320w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=1024,768 1024w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=1536,1153 1536w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=2048,1537 2048w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=195,146 195w, https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/NBC_2022_10_06_Collisions_RearSection.png?resize=1439,1080 1439w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The bumper and the rear clip don&#8217;t break easily enough.  The rear ends of Gen-6 cars were much more damaged than the Next Gen car after similar impacts.<\/p>\n<p>If your initial thought is \u201cJust weaken the struts,\u201d you&#8217;ve got good instincts.  However, there are two challenges.<\/p>\n<p>I highlighted the first one in red: the fuel cell.  About the only thing worse than a hard collision <em>and<\/em> a fire.<\/p>\n<p>The other challenge is that a chassis is a holistic structure: It&#8217;s not like each piece does one thing independent of all the other pieces.  Changing one element to help soften rear collisions might make other types of collisions harder.<\/p>\n<p>Chassis are so complex that engineers must use finite-element-analysis computer programs to predict their behavior.  These programs are analogous to (and just as complicated as) the computational fluid dynamics programs aerodynamicists use.<\/p>\n<h3>progress takes time<\/h3>\n<p>An under-discussed complication was noted by John Patalak, managing director of safety engineering for NASCAR.  He told NBC Sports&#8217; Dustin Long in July that he was surprised by the rear-end crash stiffness.<\/p>\n<p>The Next Gen car&#8217;s crash data looked similar to that from the Gen-6 car, but the data didn&#8217;t match the drivers&#8217; experiences.  Before addressing the car, his team had to understand the disparity in the two sets of data.<\/p>\n<p>They performed a real-world crash test on a new configuration Wednesday.  These tests are complex and expensive: You don&#8217;t do them until you&#8217;re pretty confident what you&#8217;ve changed will make a significant difference.<\/p>\n<p>But even if the test goes exactly as predicted, they aren&#8217;t done.<\/p>\n<p>Safety is a moving target.<\/p>\n<p>And always will.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two drivers have missed races this year after hard rear-end crashes. Kurt Busch has been out since an incident in qualifying at Pocono in July. Alex Bowman backed hard into a wall at Texas and will miss Sunday&#8217;s race at the Charlotte Roval (2 pm ET, NBC). Other drivers have noted that the hits they&#8217;ve &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/appeal-panel-gives-william-byron-his-25-points-back\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Appeal panel gives William Byron his 25 points back<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":100264,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bubba-wallace-apologizes-for-actions-at-las-vegas\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":0},"title":"Bubba Wallace apologizes for actions at Las Vegas","date":"October 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"LAS VEGAS \u2014 These fickle playoffs have proved perplexing and frustrating for Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney. For the third consecutive time, Elliott entered a round as the points leader only to struggle and give away part of his advantage. That his 21st-place finish Sunday at Las Vegas is his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":102762,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/lana-del-rey-loses-200-page-book-family-footage-in-car-break-in-deadline\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":1},"title":"Lana Del Rey Loses 200-Page Book, Family Footage In Car Break-In \u2013 Deadline","date":"October 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Grammy nominee Lana Del Rey has learned an important lesson: always back up your work. Del Rey was the victim earlier this year of a car break-in. Her backpack containing her computer, multiple hard drives, and a camcorder were taken. \u201cA few months ago, I parked my car on Melrose\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":101150,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/bubba-wallace-suspended-after-altercation-at-vegas-race\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":2},"title":"Bubba Wallace suspended after altercation at Vegas race","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"NASCAR announced Tuesday that it had suspended Bubba Wallace from the next Cup Series Championship event after his incident with Kyle Larson in Las Vegas Sunday.After Larson's car forced Wallace's car into the wall, Wallace returned the favor by hitting the rear of Larson's car, forcing Larson's car to spin\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":102151,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/lana-del-rey-tells-fans-not-to-listen-to-leaked-songs-from-stolen-devices\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":3},"title":"Lana Del Rey Tells Fans Not To Listen To Leaked Songs From Stolen Devices","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Lana Del Rey has shared a series of video messages on Instagram announcing that her laptop, hard drives, and camcorders were stolen from her car, resulting in the loss of progress on her book and leaks of unfinished songs. In four clips on her @honeymoon IG account \u2014 really one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Entertainment&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":100743,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/column-wallace-ignored-his-own-mantra-in-larson-conflict\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":4},"title":"Column: Wallace ignored his own mantra in Larson conflict","date":"October 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"LAS VEGAS (AP) \u2014 Bubba Wallace adopted the mantra of \u201cPeace. love. Understanding.\u201d to push back against the negativity and vitriol so often hurled his way. There was nothing peaceful or understanding about Wallace's skirmish with Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway over the weekend. Wallace appeared to deliberately\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":101693,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/joey-logano-bubba-wallace-could-have-cost-kyle-larson-his-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":89239,"position":5},"title":"Joey Logano: Bubba Wallace could have cost Kyle Larson his life","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Homestead-Miami Speedway will be Playoff Central for NASCAR this weekend.Playoff races are scheduled in all three national series at the south Florida track, which hosted the Cup season finale from 2002 to 2019.MORE: NASCAR suspends Bubba Wallace for one raceThe second race in the Cup Series Round of 8 is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nascar.nbcsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/10\/GettyImages-1392045006-e1664675083541.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89239"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89239\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}