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Login to post Forums » Off-topic discussion » Fatality in Mexico NASCAR race

June 15, 2009 3:57 p.m. mel_horn HalfDork

I didn't even know NASCAR had a series in Mexico, explained in last part of article

(From AOL news)MEXICO CITY (July 14) - A Mexican driver died on Sunday in a crash during a NASCAR race in the state of Puebla, NASCAR Mexico said on its Web site. Carlos Pardo, 33, who was leading the race in the last lap, lost control of his car when he was hit by another driver, sending him crashing against a barrier. Pardo was posthumously awarded the victory after Sunday's race concluded due to time limit expiration. In accordance with the series rule book, the finishing order reverted back to the last completed green-flag lap. "Carlos Pardo was a tremendous competitor and person," said Chad Little, Director of Racing Development, NASCAR Mexico. "On behalf of everybody in the NASCAR family, our thoughts and prayers go out to Carlos' family and friends." Pardo had competed in 74 NASCAR Mexico Series events with 10 career wins and claimed the 2004 series championship. He also competed in the 2006 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Mexico City. NASCAR, the major auto-racing league in the United States, sanctions a Mexican version run by a joint venture. Racers in Mexico, where the league is operated by entertainment giant CIE and privately-held firm Selca, do not compete with American drivers.
June 15, 2009 5:56 p.m. NYG95GA SuperDork

If you've ever been to Mexico City, you know that the NASCAR series is held every day, on a street course.

Mostly run in a haze of smog... no rules.
June 15, 2009 9:55 p.m. aussiesmg Dork

How can you make NASCAR even more third world ........???
June 15, 2009 11:06 p.m. Yavuz New Reader

Video of the crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t46o2CtwyaY

Who thought it was a good idea to put a wall there like that?
June 15, 2009 11:54 p.m. BobOfTheFuture Reader

Yikes! looks like that wall is stratigically placed to kill people... its like a head on collision..
June 16, 2009 12:28 a.m. fiat22turbo SuperDork

I'm thinking they put the wall there to keep them from going too low on the apron. It is a piss poor way to accomplish that.

Amazing how slow some of these people in charge of the tracks learn about the danger of poorly located walls on a race track.
June 16, 2009 8:23 a.m. Ian F HalfDork

Good lord.

All the COT tech in world wouldn't have saved anyone in that wreck... damn... the car just stopped too fast... I don't want to imagine what his internal injuries must be. I agree... bad wall design.
June 16, 2009 9:40 a.m. Karl La Follette Reader

when earnhardt hit the wall i think the nascar scene went after schrader ? for putting him there . the driver that put this guy is in for the same treatment , wow that car disintegrated .
June 16, 2009 10:50 a.m. Ian F HalfDork

There were some calling for (I think it was him...) Schrader's head, but at the same time, crying about Earnhardt getting put into the wall was a bit hypocritical considering how many times he had done it... they want to win, they're racing hard and things happen fast... it happens... the drivers 'could' do it intentionally much more often, but they also know they have to race the same group of guys the following week...
June 16, 2009 11:16 a.m. slefain Dork

I couldn't tell if those were concrete barriers or water filled barriers. Either way the person who laid out that track and the barriers is to blame.
June 16, 2009 11:20 a.m. Duke Dork

Water barrels in front of concrete. What a brutal impact. RIP, sir, though I didn't know you.
June 16, 2009 12:00 p.m. bamalama Reader

Ian F wrote:

There were some calling for (I think it was him...) Schrader's head, but at the same time, crying about Earnhardt getting put into the wall was a bit hypocritical considering how many times he had done it... they want to win, they're racing hard and things happen fast... it happens... the drivers 'could' do it intentionally much more often, but they also know they have to race the same group of guys the following week...

Sterling Marlin was the guy getting the death threats and everything else. I don't think Jorge Goeters is going to fare much better either. Some of the comments on YouTube were pretty harsh.
June 16, 2009 1:53 p.m. Ian F HalfDork

bamalama wrote: Sterling Marlin was the guy getting the death threats and everything else. I don't think Jorge Goeters is going to fare much better either. Some of the comments on YouTube were pretty harsh.

Right... hard to believe that was over 8 years ago now...

Yeah, I would suspect the guy is going to get strung up by his HANS device... but simple fact is auto racing is dangerous... things go wrong... once in awhile someone dies. For better or worse, that's part of the reason people watch it.
June 16, 2009 5:59 p.m. confuZion3 Dork

That was the most brutal thing I've ever seen. I've never seen that happen to a car. Wow. The cage was just a pile of bent and broken steel tubes!

Poor guy. What a stupid place for a wall. Blame the track safety guys if you want, but ultimately, the driver is the one who decides whether a track is safe to drive on or not.
June 16, 2009 7:17 p.m. Will Reader

Having a wall there borders on criminally stupid. 90 degrees to the racing line, just inside of the racing surface? How can you build that and NOT assume someone will plow into it at full speed? NASCAR should be ashamed of itself for sanctioning a race with a danger like that.

Yes, ultimately it's up to the driver to decide if he's willing to take the risk, but asking a racer to face that level of risk seems wrong too.
June 17, 2009 2:10 a.m. Wally UberDork

bamalama wrote:

Ian F wrote:

There were some calling for (I think it was him...) Schrader's head, but at the same time, crying about Earnhardt getting put into the wall was a bit hypocritical considering how many times he had done it... they want to win, they're racing hard and things happen fast... it happens... the drivers 'could' do it intentionally much more often, but they also know they have to race the same group of guys the following week...

Sterling Marlin was the guy getting the death threats and everything else. I don't think Jorge Goeters is going to fare much better either. Some of the comments on YouTube were pretty harsh.

Most people saw it for what it was. A man making the ultimate sacrifice so Mikey Waltrip could finally win a race. Sad that it had to come to that but it was the only way Mikey would win one outside of an act of God, which is how he one his other two.
June 17, 2009 12:29 p.m. John Brown MegaDork

Michael Waltrip was the only graduate of the Ernie Irvin School of Drivin'
June 18, 2009 2:14 a.m. Wally UberDork

Never thought of the two together but they both do turn my stomach,

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