The clamps sliding together is how the cable shock absorbers work - they are clamped together in hoops, or coils. Pull or push on a single section of coil, and that section pulls the other coils - against the resistance of the clamps - shut to lengthen the spot that got pushed/pulled. As it fights the resistance...it slows the object that hit it.
My state (Maryland) is doing this now on rock slide fences as well as at the ends of guard rails.
Hugh - good to know. I was at a restaurant and couldn't hear the audio. I thought the comparison was weak, and I stated so but then erased it before posting.
I don't expect a huge over reaction by NASCAR or the track(s). Some slight improvements to the gated areas of the fence, but I wouldn't expect much more than that. You're much more likely to get hit in the face with a baseball at an MLB game than a race car part at a NASCAR race.
I was at this race. I was siting before the start/ finish line and from my angle I could see the truck snapping each fence post as it rolled along it. Took hours to repair. Also, notice the fence back then. No overhang to speak of.
Well back OT.....You doubters about Danica.....Do you think she is real yet? Or are there still asshats thinking that Nascar would have held up 499.7 miles of driving for her to do well?
looks like she got stuck behind the wrong car on the last lap. would have been nice for her to hold on to 3rd. either way, she did well. would like to see her win one soon.
we'll see how she does on the short tracks. probably no better than she has in the past. daytona requires much more luck than skill - i.e. trevor bayne, david ragan
IMO, Looked like 500 miles of parade laps. Danica did better than I thought she would. Her shuffle back on the last lap was more bad luck than anything else.
We'll see how she does during the rest of the season.
I am not a fan of NASCAR.. I do like WSB, MotoGP and AMA racing. That said, I am a huge fan of putting engineers, mechanics, technicians, and all of the support staff to work. With jobs for motivated people, who pay their taxes, who provide a service for a mass market. Lets face it, NASCAR is big business.
Some of the fan base may not be of the most educated demographic, but don't knock them.. they may be the people who provide you the services that you rely on. I even know people with Master's Degrees in Engineering who are die hard fans.
I think my issue with NASCAR is the same issue I have with HOG, and HD - the fashion show.
I just don't....*care*. And I don't care for the (stereotyped) class of people involved in it either.
Is talent required to build, certify, and drive the cars? Yep.
Is it a halfway decent set of rules, bent on equality between drivers? Sure, ok.
Does the overall persona of "the audience" disgust me? Yes. Yes it does. And I'm OK with that. Yes, there are exceptions to the stereotype...but by and large, I just don't care for the group as a whole.
Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 09:36 am:
My dad used to watch NASCAR and drag racing. Personally, the only racing I've ever been able to watch and enjoy is motorcycle road racing and maybe the occasional auto road race like like V8 SuperCars, SCCA, ect. But you don't see as much of those on TV.
I'd put NASCAR and drag racing in with that category of sports "I'd love to do that but it's boring to watch." I've had the chance to drag race (albeit very slow) but never been on a circle track. I can appreciate the engineering behind it and honestly I'd enjoy watching a program detailing the building of a NASCAR more than seeing them race. I've been to one race at Talladega that was rained out after a few laps. It was much cooler seeing it in person but it wasn't anything I'd pay a lot of money to see again... I'd rather go to an AMA race. And I'll be all about some MotoGP an WSB if they build that track in Texas.
Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 10:38 am:
Circuit of the Americas is already open and has hosted an F1 race.
Anyone who stereotypes NASCAR fans is really just wearing their ignorance on their sleeve. To base your opinions of millions of people on "Talladega Nights" is just as short sighted and ignorant as saying you're just like the guys on "Sons of Anarchy" because you ride a motorcycle. I expect a little more from the people on this forum. I guess I was wrong.
Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2013 - 04:55 pm:
OMG- dangit but I miss watching South Park!
My frickin cable "package" allows for "Honey Boo Boo", all the Kardashian krap and "Lizard Lick Towing", along with some SUPER lame-ass show about a taxidermy competition (?!?!?)... but no South Park.
HAAAAAATE paying that bill. The only upside is that it allows me interwebz access to bitch about it here...
Admittedly...I avoid races like I avoid bike weeks. However...I sell RV's, and we get a lot of race fans as customers.
As I stated in my original post...there are exceptions. But, the majority by far live up to the stereotype. Hate to say it...but that's been my experience.
Now, I'm not being detrimental and saying they're all losers or anything like that. It's just not a pastime that I get into, that's all. I also don't frequent the ballet...I guess I'm going to come across as a ballet-basher now too.
And I've never seen "Talladega Nights", so I can't base much on that.
Saying you dislike NASCAR is one thing, but to stereotype millions of people based on a few dozen you tried to sell a camper to is nothing short of ignorant. It's the same as you being judged as a motorcycle rider based on what people see at a bike week. There are extremists in every demographic of life, and as a rule the vast majority aren't represented by the stereotype.
Based on the tens of millions of dollars a company has to pay to get on a race car, and the hundreds of millions of dollars TV networks spend to air the races, there must be something about "that group of people" that the motorcycle racing fans don't.
All that being said, I'd still rather go to a dirt track
