This was from back in the days when the guy who showed up with the fastest car, could win. Back in the days before NASCAR took "racing" out of "racing".
For the reason why restrictor plates are used, check any of the number of videos of Bobby Allison's crash at the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega. Had his car got into the crowd, hundreds, if not a couple of thousand of people could have been killed. That's why restrictor plates are used, because they can't let the cars get over 200 MPH for any length of time.
@cjs3872 Build the fences higher and stronger and let them race! In fact, that was Bill Elliott"s exact quote about the restrictor plate when it was first used.
Except you can't build them high enough. How many times has it been proven that stock cars can't race at constant speeds over 190-195 MPH, because when they get backwards, they basically become airplanes because air gets underneath the car. A car can literally get 20-30 feet in the air (at least the top of the car when it's flipping and rolling), which is higher than even the Talladega catch fence. That was a problem in the 1980s, and it's still a problem today.
@cjs3872 There are alot of ways to protect the fans without restricting the cars. First, they can build the fences as high as they want, second, move the seats further back away from the racing surface and go higher in the top rows. With all of the technology racing has developed since the 80's (when racing was racing), I can't believe the only way they come up with safety for the fans is by dumbing down the cars!
But if a car, or parts of a car got over the catch fencing, the forward momentum could propel them as far as the top of the grandstands. A case of this occurred at the 1987 Indianapolis 500, when a tire came off a car and was struck and hit a fan in the last row of the grandstands in turn three, killing him. That's why they could never alow to even risk a car going into the stands. Not only would the car go into the stands, but could reach the top of the grandstands.
@cjs3872 Anything can happen at anytime, at any track. In 1979 at a 1/2 mile in CT (Stafford) a modified launched into the fourth turn grandstands, and took out some people. I was there that night and in fact that modified was going about 73 mph, not 190. My point is not to let the cars go as fast as possible, it's to restrict them in other ways (smaller engines ect) so they may not be going as fast, but you would still have good racing.
Well, after Bobby Allison's crash at the 1987 Winston 500, they actually tried smaller carburetors before going back to the resrtictor plates. But when Ken Schrader's car got airborne at the end of the 1987 Firecracker 400, NASCAR realized that they were still going too fast (Bill Elliott's 204 MPH qualifying lap at Talladega for the Talladega 500 proved that), so the restrictor plates returned. They had been used to slow down the big 429 CI engines in the early 70s.
And let's not forget the incidents at Talladega in the mid 1990s where the cars actually got OVER the fence in the first turn. In 1993, Jimmy Horton flew out of the racetrack, so catch fencing was built above the wall after that, and Ricky Craven actually flew higher than did Horton, but was kept inside the track due to the catch fencing. Then in 2010, a simliar incident happened in turns 3 and 4 at Talladega at the end of a Nationwide Series race there.
And let's not forget Geoff Bodine's crash in the Truck race at Daytona in 2000, exactly one year before Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash there. And as close as the cars run at Daytona and Talladega, and with the way the cars get airborne, even at 185-190, the cars can literally go over top of each other, as was the case with Neil Bonnett's and Carl Edwards' crashes in front of the grandstands at Talladega, which caused them to get into the catch fencing.
@cjs3872 Friend I don't need the history lesson. What is your solution to the boring racing that has been at the plate tracks in the recent past? If people don't feel safe sitting in the stands then either stay home or go to the go-cart track!
I actually believe what we had last year is much better than what we've had in the past, because you could actually pass. In previous years, what you had was a situation where you could often predict who the winner was going to be, and that was whoever was in front after the final pit stops, because you simply couldn't pass. Also, the two-car tandem draft eliminated blocking, which was the root cause of many of the huge wrecks you had in the past.
The only problem I have with what you had last year was the premeditiated partners. To me, that was wrong, but it was much better than in years past, where, if you were in the top five, but not leading, you were effectively stuck where you were running, because the draft was actually working in reverse, hindering the trailng car, instead of aiding it. But the way to get rid of the push-draft is to shorten the rear spoilers, which NASCAR is apparently doing.
@cjs3872 we can agree to disagree then. I sat in the stands at Daytona last year and was bored out of my mind until the last 2 restarts. Not my idea of better. I would rather see the old days of 3 - 5 cars finishing on the lead lap than having the traffic jams that have resulted in the restrictor plate / lucky dog / wave around era.
As a matter of fact, I've got the 1980 Daytona 500 on now, and that race wasn't the most exciting ever, except for the speeds, as everyone spent the day content on following Buddy Baker, and only two cars finished on the lead lap in that race. So I guess you'd like to see Daytona 500s like 1975-'77, when only 14-17 cars finished and the competition wasn't that fierce (it was in 1976, but not in '75 and '77), rather than the competitveraces of the 1980s and early 90s.
After all, it wouldn't be very exciting to see most of those capable of winning out of the race by halfway, as was the case in 1984-'85. In fact, I've got the 1984 race on my channel, and there were quite a number of contenders that didn't even make it to halfway, and the attrition was even worse in 1985. And let's remember that many fel the phantom cautions to tighten up the field began in 1985, when Bill Elliott dominated the important races that year.
Actually, his engine blew with five laps remaining. Yet, so many top cars were run out of the race by Bill Elliott, that Bonnett still finished tenth. In fact, just past the halfway mark, there was only one previous Daytona 500 winner and one previous series champion left in the field. The only previous Daytona 500 winner left was Buddy Baker, and the only previous series champion left was Darrell Waltrip, although Terry Labonte did briefly return in the second half of the race.
I only know NASCAR from about 1997 forward. I am from up north and never would have watched this stuff as an 10 year old in Feb of 85. Watching this is amazing. These old school videos show just what a different, more exciting version of the sport it was back then. It was undoubtedly more dangerous though.
It is pretty clear that no sport has changed more in the last 25 years than NASCAR.
This...was a glorious race. You brought your best, and if you kicked the field's rear, it was their responsibility to get better to beat you. Enough of this current COMMUNIST crap.
Larry Widmer who used to build engines and modify cylinder heads for Roger Penske. These are the same design heads that Bob Glidden used to dominate Pro Stock about this time in the 80's. Its call Soft Head, he has his own web site called the Old One, he also called FWD Drag Racers to put wheelie bars on their cars to improve 60ft times. He designed the heads that Bill ran in this era. Its all about torque, its not horsepower.
The thing about the Elliotts is that in 1984 they had won some races, but NOBODY was ready for what they would do in '85. If it happened today...well it couldn't. NASCAR wouldn't let it happen.
@negtype13 yeah bill elliot was a beast at daytona and talladega. lots of the times he'd have a 20 second lead on everybody. same with earnhardt. him and elliot sometimes lapped the whole field
This was from back in the days when the guy who showed up with the fastest car, could win. Back in the days before NASCAR took "racing" out of "racing".
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
this was real racing... fords. #9 ruled. miss this racing..
myfordranger 2 months ago
@Aussieisbest94
For the reason why restrictor plates are used, check any of the number of videos of Bobby Allison's crash at the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega. Had his car got into the crowd, hundreds, if not a couple of thousand of people could have been killed. That's why restrictor plates are used, because they can't let the cars get over 200 MPH for any length of time.
cjs3872 2 months ago
@cjs3872 Build the fences higher and stronger and let them race! In fact, that was Bill Elliott"s exact quote about the restrictor plate when it was first used.
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
Except you can't build them high enough. How many times has it been proven that stock cars can't race at constant speeds over 190-195 MPH, because when they get backwards, they basically become airplanes because air gets underneath the car. A car can literally get 20-30 feet in the air (at least the top of the car when it's flipping and rolling), which is higher than even the Talladega catch fence. That was a problem in the 1980s, and it's still a problem today.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@cjs3872 There are alot of ways to protect the fans without restricting the cars. First, they can build the fences as high as they want, second, move the seats further back away from the racing surface and go higher in the top rows. With all of the technology racing has developed since the 80's (when racing was racing), I can't believe the only way they come up with safety for the fans is by dumbing down the cars!
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
But if a car, or parts of a car got over the catch fencing, the forward momentum could propel them as far as the top of the grandstands. A case of this occurred at the 1987 Indianapolis 500, when a tire came off a car and was struck and hit a fan in the last row of the grandstands in turn three, killing him. That's why they could never alow to even risk a car going into the stands. Not only would the car go into the stands, but could reach the top of the grandstands.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@cjs3872 Anything can happen at anytime, at any track. In 1979 at a 1/2 mile in CT (Stafford) a modified launched into the fourth turn grandstands, and took out some people. I was there that night and in fact that modified was going about 73 mph, not 190. My point is not to let the cars go as fast as possible, it's to restrict them in other ways (smaller engines ect) so they may not be going as fast, but you would still have good racing.
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
Well, after Bobby Allison's crash at the 1987 Winston 500, they actually tried smaller carburetors before going back to the resrtictor plates. But when Ken Schrader's car got airborne at the end of the 1987 Firecracker 400, NASCAR realized that they were still going too fast (Bill Elliott's 204 MPH qualifying lap at Talladega for the Talladega 500 proved that), so the restrictor plates returned. They had been used to slow down the big 429 CI engines in the early 70s.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
And let's not forget the incidents at Talladega in the mid 1990s where the cars actually got OVER the fence in the first turn. In 1993, Jimmy Horton flew out of the racetrack, so catch fencing was built above the wall after that, and Ricky Craven actually flew higher than did Horton, but was kept inside the track due to the catch fencing. Then in 2010, a simliar incident happened in turns 3 and 4 at Talladega at the end of a Nationwide Series race there.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
And let's not forget Geoff Bodine's crash in the Truck race at Daytona in 2000, exactly one year before Dale Earnhardt's fatal crash there. And as close as the cars run at Daytona and Talladega, and with the way the cars get airborne, even at 185-190, the cars can literally go over top of each other, as was the case with Neil Bonnett's and Carl Edwards' crashes in front of the grandstands at Talladega, which caused them to get into the catch fencing.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@cjs3872 Friend I don't need the history lesson. What is your solution to the boring racing that has been at the plate tracks in the recent past? If people don't feel safe sitting in the stands then either stay home or go to the go-cart track!
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
I actually believe what we had last year is much better than what we've had in the past, because you could actually pass. In previous years, what you had was a situation where you could often predict who the winner was going to be, and that was whoever was in front after the final pit stops, because you simply couldn't pass. Also, the two-car tandem draft eliminated blocking, which was the root cause of many of the huge wrecks you had in the past.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
The only problem I have with what you had last year was the premeditiated partners. To me, that was wrong, but it was much better than in years past, where, if you were in the top five, but not leading, you were effectively stuck where you were running, because the draft was actually working in reverse, hindering the trailng car, instead of aiding it. But the way to get rid of the push-draft is to shorten the rear spoilers, which NASCAR is apparently doing.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@cjs3872 we can agree to disagree then. I sat in the stands at Daytona last year and was bored out of my mind until the last 2 restarts. Not my idea of better. I would rather see the old days of 3 - 5 cars finishing on the lead lap than having the traffic jams that have resulted in the restrictor plate / lucky dog / wave around era.
chuckflynnjr 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
As a matter of fact, I've got the 1980 Daytona 500 on now, and that race wasn't the most exciting ever, except for the speeds, as everyone spent the day content on following Buddy Baker, and only two cars finished on the lead lap in that race. So I guess you'd like to see Daytona 500s like 1975-'77, when only 14-17 cars finished and the competition wasn't that fierce (it was in 1976, but not in '75 and '77), rather than the competitveraces of the 1980s and early 90s.
cjs3872 1 month ago
@chuckflynnjr
After all, it wouldn't be very exciting to see most of those capable of winning out of the race by halfway, as was the case in 1984-'85. In fact, I've got the 1984 race on my channel, and there were quite a number of contenders that didn't even make it to halfway, and the attrition was even worse in 1985. And let's remember that many fel the phantom cautions to tighten up the field began in 1985, when Bill Elliott dominated the important races that year.
cjs3872 1 month ago
man i love those old onboard clips, lol Bonnet blew a tire after they say "Why should We" lol
nappa666 4 months ago
@nappa666
Actually, his engine blew with five laps remaining. Yet, so many top cars were run out of the race by Bill Elliott, that Bonnett still finished tenth. In fact, just past the halfway mark, there was only one previous Daytona 500 winner and one previous series champion left in the field. The only previous Daytona 500 winner left was Buddy Baker, and the only previous series champion left was Darrell Waltrip, although Terry Labonte did briefly return in the second half of the race.
cjs3872 4 months ago
man i love those old onboard clips
nappa666 4 months ago
1:17 to 1:20 will make you soupy
nappa666 4 months ago
Back then it was just straight up racing. Now everything is advertising, show, restrictions in speed (restrictor plates), etc.
kalijasin 5 months ago
Total Performance
Machi74005 9 months ago
It's weird seeing the backstretch without the huge grandstand there coming out of turn #2.
fassman316 1 year ago
I only know NASCAR from about 1997 forward. I am from up north and never would have watched this stuff as an 10 year old in Feb of 85. Watching this is amazing. These old school videos show just what a different, more exciting version of the sport it was back then. It was undoubtedly more dangerous though.
It is pretty clear that no sport has changed more in the last 25 years than NASCAR.
jonesyterp 1 year ago
This...was a glorious race. You brought your best, and if you kicked the field's rear, it was their responsibility to get better to beat you. Enough of this current COMMUNIST crap.
VampireYoshi 1 year ago
Larry Widmer who used to build engines and modify cylinder heads for Roger Penske. These are the same design heads that Bob Glidden used to dominate Pro Stock about this time in the 80's. Its call Soft Head, he has his own web site called the Old One, he also called FWD Drag Racers to put wheelie bars on their cars to improve 60ft times. He designed the heads that Bill ran in this era. Its all about torque, its not horsepower.
dj4monie 1 year ago
thwe only thing good about this race was the fact thast bill elliot won,and more importantly,in a FORD!awesome bill,you were the MAN!
74rockon 1 year ago
how bout those fords!! man that t-bird was fast...
myfordranger 1 year ago
i was there for this race it was awesome!!
bobbyandretti 1 year ago
Elliot had some power back then DAMMMMMMMMMM
jake99776 1 year ago
whenever i see a clip of this race, i think of chris economaki's face at 4:24
tvspnd1228 1 year ago
cale was one hell of a driver.
chameleone79 1 year ago
thats right every year is a good year to be a ford fan
cordertl 1 year ago
Can you upload the entire race?
AutoRockinRacing94 1 year ago
The thing about the Elliotts is that in 1984 they had won some races, but NOBODY was ready for what they would do in '85. If it happened today...well it couldn't. NASCAR wouldn't let it happen.
This was real racing.
BSNFabricating 2 years ago 4
@BSNFabricating yes, I enjoyed it back them myself..... Not the pretty boy network !!!
boatinguy1 1 year ago
@boatinguy1 Me too. What made NASCAR special and fun is long gone.
EmperorofCartoons 1 year ago
PUUUUUURREE SPEEED!!!!!!
Even with a restart with 4 to go..as at 5:36 they say "No one's been able to contain Elliott ALLLL afternoon!"
negtype13 2 years ago
@negtype13 yeah bill elliot was a beast at daytona and talladega. lots of the times he'd have a 20 second lead on everybody. same with earnhardt. him and elliot sometimes lapped the whole field
Mr420woo 1 year ago
now thats an ass whoopin
KARTRACE9 2 years ago
Good year to be a Ford fan.
Machi74005 2 years ago
Every years a good year to be a FORD FAN
wolffreek95 2 years ago
RIP: BP!!!!!
jamespic 2 years ago 3
go get them bill u the man
newyorkcentrury 2 years ago
That, my friends, is how you do it. Let your performance be the 'intimidating' factor.
nilla003 2 years ago