MattDC

Yet NASCAR is heavily sponsored by numerous alcohol brands. Oh delicious irony.

substructure

You wanna know what's more ironic?

They banned cigarette ads and sponsorships but kept the booze. How many people die from smoking and driving?

Namenda

Here's a question...what's more dangerous--smoking a cigarette, or sitting in the front row at a NASCAR race, inhaling all the exhaust fumes?

NASCAR---killing brain cells, one lap at at time.

hos13

Shane Hmiel

Fat Boy

That's less of a decision by NASCAR and more of a decision by the US Government. They've made it so difficult for cigarette companies to advertise that it essentially didn't work with the NASCAR business model any more.

What NASCAR allowed that they had refused for a long time was hard liquor, which is why you now see Crown Royal and Jack Daniels as sponsors.

unterhausen

I think they should openly say what he tested positive for. His explanation sounds like nonsense, but he can get away with it because they aren't saying what he took. NASCAR drivers that are caught are usually taking recreational drugs. I can't imagine too many drugs that will help them other than muscle relaxants.

sac02

If you're driving a racecar and you're relying on your "reaction times" (as previously alluded to in this thread), you're doing it wrong.


I think it is obviously some illeagal drug - coke, meth, etc.

• Mayfeild stated he was taking two allergy medications and has made the argument that they magically reacted in his body to make him fail the drug test.
• The overseer of the testing labratory says, "In my many years of experience, I have never seen a violation like this due to the combination of over-the-counter or prescription products."
• and furthermore describes it as "a drug of concern"

I'm happy to see that they have a drug testing system in place now (I'm not a NASCAR fan, but I'm pretty sure this is a recent thing).

Mac

G60

i'm curious as to why you say that.

sac02

I guess it depends on how you are referring to "reaction time". If you are talking about steering around an accident, or RT at a drag strip, obviously that is important.

But most "racing laypeople" think that a driver need good reactions, to react quickly if the car is oversteering, for example. In reality the driver (if he's doing it right) is not reacting to the car, the car is reacting to his inputs. Vision, anticipation, and knowledge about the car's handling caracteristics, the course, and other drivers are all things I would list as more important than "reaction time" for a successfull race driver. Oh, and at the level where you actually get paid to drive, a knowledge of PR and how to kiss your sponsors' rear.

Mac

Fat Boy

What Sac02 wrote is on the money.

Race drivers work open loop in most situations. As the track or car handling subtly changes lap to lap, they adapt and their inputs are predictive in nature. When a driver goes 'closed loop', that when bad stuff is happening, such as crash avoidance or when there has been a sudden track change (a car in front puts a bunch of oil down).

Think of a really good musician. They don't consciously think about the next note, they just play it. Jazz musicians are a very good example. Stevie Ray Vaughn wasn't thinking this note, then this chord, etc. He was just making music. A good race driver acts in a very similar manner.

Open loop, your mind can process very, very quickly, say, 1,000,000 Hz. Closed loop is much slower, maybe on the order of 1000 Hz. Why any racer (car, bike, lawnmower, etc.) improves with experience is that their mind switches from running closed loop to open. You don't put yourself in bad situations, so you don't have to react to get yourself out of them.

I have yet to see a drug that gives you experience.

Ih8lucky13

You guys are not taking into account a lot of factors

1. A driver is making a ton of constant conscious decisions. (Yes he needs to have a good natural response as well). There are other drivers on the track who are plotting thier positions, and looking for the utmost advantage.

2. If you are fatigued your chance of making a critical error, just in how your postion in a 200 MPH paceline is will be affected. Not to mention safety.

3. Driving a stock car is extremly tiring, and takes a toll on the body, and mind.

4 Amphetamines would be a perfect drug to offset this.

Spreggy

I used to snicker when the local woodchucks would ramble on about how hard it is to drive, but then after Chris Carmichael added a driver's endurance training component to his offerings I figure maybe there's something to it.

Stevie Ray wasn't a jazz musician.

MattDC

Anything that boosts attention and fights fatigue would have a performance enhancing effect for a race driver. It is hard to be predictive of the car's handling if you can't stop thinking about how sweaty your balls are or how much a nap would rule.

Fat Boy

1. Correct. Among these decisions shouldn't be the actual driving of the car, though. The actual driving of the car should happen almost subconsciously.
2. Correct. Physical fatigue tends to compound mental fatigue. Drivers who are physically taxed are much more prone to making mistakes.
3. Moreso than many would believe.
4. Not really. The problem is you race stupid. I've seen guys do it on Red Bull (4-5 cans in an hour). It's the same thing that Joe Parkin's described in 'Dog in a Hat'. You end up taking a bunch of chances and it generally turns out wrong. The best race drivers are pretty calm people. The guys that are amp'ed all the time can do some amazing things for a short qualifying run, but if anyone tries to maintain that type of pace over a long race distance, they will nearly always turn the car into a smoldering pile of garbage. Amhpetamines don't add talent or skill.

Fat Boy

Ever see his performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival? Whether you think it's jazz or not, they claim him.

https://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=11034

MattDC

Fat Boy

I bet you a buck it wasn't Adderal he got nabbed for.

MattDC

Fixed

rankin116

Yeah, but they booed him the first year he was there.

Val23708

probably adhd medication

Fat Boy

Oh my god! How could I ever have made such a horrible mistake.

Get over yourself.

Fat Boy

That's true, but only the first.

Fat Boy

For Mayfield? I don't think so. I think it was pot.