>>>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100310/ap_on_sp_au_ra_ne/car_nascar_edwards_penalty
>>>
>>>..because in F1 they actually race the cars without intentionally smashing into each other! duh!
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>>That's because they know if they so much as touch wheels in open-wheel racing, they go flying - instantly.
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>>That's how Gilles Villeneuve bought it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Z8V8RvRX0
>
>Thankfully no fatal F1 crashes since the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix when Ayrton Senna died. The cars are faster, the cockpit is open, and needless to say the F1 cars also handle better and corner MUCH faster than a nascar vehicle. We can thank Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA for trying to keep things safe... unlike the bozo's at NASCAR who think it's a good idea to "mix it up" at 180+ mph.

Apparently NASCAR cars used to be based on 2 designs that dated from something like the '50s. A few years back all cars standardized on the so-called "Car Of Tomorrow", which is essentially a purpose-built race car. Beyond engines and decals there's not a lot of difference between "Fords" and "Chevys" and "Dodges". But make no mistake - they are serious race cars, they have to be to run close to 200mph.

The biggest difference between F1 and NASCAR is downforce. F1 generates so much downforce the cars can corner consistently at something like 3 gs. An important part of being an F1 driver is physical fitness to be able to withstand the constant g-forces. An average driver loses something like 5 lb during a race.

I prefer road courses to speedways where everyone is just turning left. I can see that the latter is a better experience for fans in the stands, they can see more of the action more of the time.

I'm amazed at how well both types of cars protect drivers in the event of a crash. It's just stunning that a driver can crash like the NASCAR crash the other day and walk away completely uninjured.

What worries me the most with NASCAR is hazard to spectators. Safety fences are getting better but who's to say they'll always stop a car going at that kind of speed? Even a small shard going through the fence at that sort of speed could kill someone in the stands.

74Z8V8RvRX0