Absorption System for Cars UPDATE 4: Speedway Motorsports Inc. president H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler, with assistance from others in the motorsports industry, has been working over the past several months on developing an impact absorption system for NASCAR race cars and plans to present it to the public within the next two weeks. The system would utilize a yet-to-be-named material to be placed in the front end of cars to help absorb the energy of a frontal impact. Winston Cup series director Gary Nelson said Saturday that NASCAR has been involved in a project of its own regarding a front-end impact absorption system, as well as additional testing of new “soft wall” technology. Wheeler, who hopes to display his work before the May 19 Winston all-star race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway, said he is excited the prospects of his project. See full story at That’s Racin'(5-6-2001) UPDATE: Humpy Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowe’s Motor Speedway, says he plans to unveil an impact absorption system for stock cars next week. “I think that’s what these cars really need, the ability to absorb more shock when they hit the wall, particularly the right front,” Wheeler said Tuesday during a break in NASCAR testing at the 1.5-mile speedway. NASCAR’s four deaths in the last year all came in frontal impacts with the vehicles mainly striking the wall with the right front. Questions have been raised that the front of the car is too rigid and that energy in a crash is transferred from the car to the driver, causing serious injuries in some cases. Indy cars absorb energy by having pieces fly off during a crash. Wheeler said his system is more complicated because there is more frontal area on a stock car than an Indy car. Wheeler says the system is being computer tested and then will be sled tested. “We need to eliminate totally the lethal part of this sport, and that’s what everybody’s objective should be,” he said. “If it isn’t, they need to change their objective. I don’t think we’ll ever eliminate injury because this is a contact, high-speed sport, but I do think we can eliminate the lethal part of it.”(Roanoke Times )(5-9-2001) UPDATE 2: H.A. Humpy Wheeler, president and general manager of Lowes Motor Speedway, and representatives of Lew Composites will be on hand to unveil a new safety concept Wednesday, May 16, at 2:00 p.m. in the Winston Cup garage area at Lowes Motor Speedway. The new safety concept, which can be adapted to virtually any type of full-bodied racing car, is designed to absorb energy during a frontal impact, thus reducing the G forces a driver sustains(LMS PR)(5-15-2001) UPDATE 3: New safety technology, potentially life-saving for stock-car drivers in frontal collisions with concrete walls, could be installed in NASCAR cars within a month. Engineers are working to develop crushable materials that would act as high-impact padding inside the fronts of the cars, and the findings potentially could radically reduce, if not eliminate, the need for energy-dissipating “soft walls.” Humpy Wheeler will unveil a test project using carbon fiber composite materials today at his company’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The material could be installed in Winston Cup cars by June, Wheeler said. More promising long range is a material called stabilized aluminum foam, tested at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and being developed for racing by Canadian-based Cymat Corp. Project manager George Daszkowski said the earliest his company’s “crash box” could go into use would be by next February’s Daytona 500. See the Orlando Sentinel for more on this story and an image of how it works(5-16-2001) UPDATE 4 – the Humpy Bumper: In an effort to address growing safety concerns about Winston Cup and BGN race cars, Wheeler on Wednesday unveiled a new bumper-like safety device he hopes will diminish driver impact in a high-speed frontal wreck. Several months ago, Wheeler approached Paul Lew, a Las Vegas-based engineer, designer and manufacturer in composite materials. Wheeler said he was looking for something that would help absorb the energy of a frontal impact, but still fit under the skin of a NASCAR stock car with minimum modifications. The result of Lew’s work was displayed Wednesday – a bumper-like unit called the “Humpy Bumper” that would fit neatly in the front of the car, just as a bumper in a passenger car does. The device weighs 16 pounds and would cost approximately $6,000 per unit to manufacture. It is designed to absorb the energy of 20- to 30-degree frontal impacts. The bumper will break under certain force, but would also withstand the common bumps and rigors of normal racing. Wheeler said Wednesday NASCAR officials were sent plans of an early version of the project and are welcome to examine it at any time. Winston Cup series director Gary Nelson was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but when told earlier this month about the project, he said NASCAR was working in a similar area and was involved in additional “soft-wall” technology. See full story and quotes atThat’s Racin’ and more at the Lowes Motor Speedway site, including Diagram – Revolutionary Racing Safety Device Unveiled, and also at NASCAR.com including some pictures: Wheeler unveils bumper system to improve safety (5-17-2001)
