Nashville CART race?

[SevenGrain]

One rumor gaining some momentum has CART looking into racing at Nashville Super Speedway in the fall. The race would fall between the German 500 and the Mexico City Race. CART officials are concerned that the current schedule has four consecutive races out of the country, and it is becoming increasingly possible that the race at Chicago Motor Speedway may be cancelled.

The Chicago facility is in a state of near bankruptcy and is seeking to have their CART sanction fee lowered. I cannot see CART lowering the fee, as it opens up a can of worms, since several other promoters are unhappy with the amount of the sanction fee.

[Emfa]

Why do sanctioning fees continue to be such a source of grief - are they the only source of income that CART has? I hope that this is something that Mr. Pook is looking at.

[Arneal]

Whats up with Chicago? I seem to remember that the first year it was run (2000?) it was considered a big success. Now it is near bankrupt? Sad.

[Emfa]

I recall reading just recently about some of Chicago's troubles, although I can't remember all the details (got a brain like a sieve). The attendance has plummetted (too strong a word?) since the first race (1999). They also counted on the Nascar trucks bringing in some good income, which I don't think has really happened and now there is talk about the trucks going to the other Chicago track. Yes, it's a sad state.

[Dr. Austin]

There is no way. No way, ever. Some of the silver crown drivers experienced dizzyness there. The CART cars are just too damm fast to run there. If they even try to go to Nashville, they had better get out the "24 Handfords and yank off the turbos.

They are going to have another Texas on their hands. The IRL cars were running similar speeds to the ones they ran at Texas, so it is fair to assume that the CART car will be running CART Texas-style speeds. And the race track is the same length. Do the math. Hopefully they will run an adequete test first if they are going to try to race there.

[enemy-ace]

I don't know much about the Nashville track, but wasn't it the lateral g's that were the main problem at Texas due to the high banking? Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Dr. Austin]

I don't think it was the banking itself that caused the problem, just the constant centrifigul force tugging on the body. The banking just allowed higher speeds.

Daytona has higher banking and there has never been this kind of problem. Daytona is a much larger track, so the turns are not as tightly radiused, therefore, lower centrifigul force, lower g-force.


The problem is the banking allows the cars to go faster through the turns, and with the tighter radius, more g's, more centrifigul force, more vertigo. Actually, it is the sustained high g-loading that was causing the medical problems. They were turning almost the entire lap. The body can take a higher g-loading for brief periods, but at Texas, they were loaded almost the entire lap.


They (The IRL) are turning the same kinds of lap times at a circuit (Nashville) that is the same length as Texas. Unless the corners are radically different in their radius, I expect CART to have the same kind of problems. I sure hope not, because that was the ugliest scenerio I've ever seen in motorsports.

CART is going to have to do something or they will be running 230-235mph at Nashville. The cars are just too damm fast ( I NEVER thought I would EVER say something like that). It would be interesting to take one to the speedway without the Handfords. 275mph?

For the record, I supported the CART drivers for walking away from Texas. You can't race if you are unconcious. There was no decision to be made. It was impossible to race under those conditions and there was not enough time to find a sure solution. But CART dropped the ball by not having a proper test there first. Hopefully they will have learned from that.

[KC]

Nashville Superspeedway is a track designed to host stock cars. The track has 18 degrees of banking. In comparison, Fontana has 14 degrees of banking and the CART cars are travelling at incredible speeds there. Rumors are in motion about this track because Dover Downs Entertainment has the lease on the track. Pook used to run DDE before he took over the CART CEO seat. Mayeb next year when CART adopts the IRL spec engine formula they can host a CART race, but with this years equipment its not going to be possible. Too much centrifigul force on banking that high for 850 plus horsepower cars.

[Arneal]

Originally posted by Dr. Austin
I don't think it was the banking itself that caused the problem, just the constant centrifigul force tugging on the body. The banking just allowed higher speeds.

The banking was the problem at Texas. TMS is banked at 24 degrees which not only allows for higher speeds but creates significant vertical g's. I remember reading that the vertical component was between 3.5 and 4.5g's when CART ran there. On an unbanked track the verical force would be zero and the vertical forces would increase with increased banking.

All these vertical loads drive blood from the brain thus causing lightheadedness. Because there really aren't straights at TMS the drivers were subject to these loads on a nearly continuous basis.

I don't know what the Nashville track layout is, but 18 degrees isn't necessarily going to be a problem. If TMS were banked at 18 degrees there may not have been a problem their either.