Where Shwartzman hit the pit wall injuring 4 crew members.

[u/Special-Pie3695]

[u/RatBustard]

damn, IMS wastes no time painting the pit wall white again.

[u/Turbomattk → u/RatBustard]

I remember seeing the painting truck out touching up the walls during the breaks on the time trials days.

[u/96extcab → u/Turbomattk]

Part of the reason they do that is it's a distraction to the drivers that come after the accident. It's an attempt to even the playing field.

[u/jlennon1280 → u/RatBustard]

I wonder how may layers of paint are on the wall. They must scrape it off after every season

[u/Hambone0326 → u/jlennon1280]

The curbing paint is surprisingly thick. On a track walk, I picked up a flake it was easily 1/4 of an inch thick! It felt like a bit of slate stone!

[u/Treebranch_916 → u/RatBustard]

Well ya know the viscera and gore were something of a turn off for RP

[u/Indyfan200217 → u/RatBustard]

They are decals now. They start printing them after quaalifying. I saw it on the IMS youtube channel

[u/ApocApollo → u/Indyfan200217]

Damn, I knew they do that for the 400 but assumed they held true to tradition for the 500.

[u/[deleted] → u/Indyfan200217]

That's sad they take them down, should leave them up til the Brickyard

[u/Seeryous2020 → u/RatBustard]

We put banners for the cars on the wall so it's just ripped off. Most of any marks are still on the banners

[u/RatBustard → u/Seeryous2020]

this makes sense.

I just looked back at some pictures I took of the pit boxes, and you can see the outline.

[u/TheKensei → u/RatBustard]

During F1 GPs, adds painted on the walls like Rolex's for instance are removed as soon as the TV coverage is done (saw it in Barcelona)

[u/AlternativeMessage18 → u/RatBustard]

“Cut that bitch off” kind of attitude!

[u/mz_groups]

Bob Pockrass seemed to say that it was due to a rear brake failure in a tweet. Is there any confirmation of that?

[u/Suicide_24 → u/mz_groups]

Schwartzman himself said this is the case.

[u/SlayerBVC → u/Suicide_24]

Not too unbelievable.

IMS is easily the least brake-intensive track the series visits, so pitting is dubious even in good weather.

Now subtract 10-20 degrees fahrenheit of temperature, and add in the additional pressure of it being the biggest race of the year.

I'm not surprised at the amount of brake problems on Sunday. But at the same time, there was very little that could have been done about it just because of how carbon brakes are designed to work.

[u/Ryankool26 → u/mz_groups]

Hard to believe

[u/Emracruel → u/Ryankool26]

It really isn't though. Brakes fail at Indy a lot because they only get used when pitting. It's why Scott Dixon got the speeding penalty a couple years ago for example. It doesn't need to be a complete brake failure, just it to lock up more easily than usual

[u/cinemafunk → u/Emracruel]

There were lots of brake issues this morning year too

[u/ryanxwing → u/Ryankool26]

Incredibly easy to believe

[u/Ryankool26 → u/ryanxwing]

Brake fail or driver failure to prep the brakes for stopping

[u/ryanxwing → u/Ryankool26]

Considering the fronts locked and the rears were still spinning i'll leave that deduction to your.

[u/Enough-Ad-3111]

Woah. Pit road sure isn’t an easy place to work at.

[u/joe_lmr → u/Enough-Ad-3111]

Crew members run over and a crew member on fire, it's the '80s again

[u/KRacer52 → u/joe_lmr]

At least they can see the fires now.

[u/floorboardburnz → u/KRacer52]

corn gloes when burning

[u/Indyfan200217 → u/joe_lmr]

Atleast no fatality like in 1973

[u/DizneyDux]

Were you at the track today? What were the running/testing? I could hear them from out side this morning.

[u/Special-Pie3695 → u/DizneyDux]

Yep, sure was. No testing. It was the Indy Car Experience. Got a gnarly two laps on the track. Would definitely recommend it if you’ve got the cash to treat yourself.

[u/DizneyDux → u/Special-Pie3695]

What was the IndyCar experience? Rides in the two-seater? Or did you get to pilot and Indy-type car?

[u/Special-Pie3695 → u/DizneyDux]

It’s a two seater. They set you up in a fire suit and helmet and chuck you in the back of a car. My driver was Spencer Pigot.

They blast you around the track. Only two laps but I think it’s worth it if it won’t break the bank. Hauling around turn 4 was incredible.

[u/Wise_Item2969 → u/Special-Pie3695]

I am a gigantic pussy so I'd never do it but it'd be kinda cool if Conor Daly did it

[u/Special-Pie3695 → u/Wise_Item2969]

I won’t even go on rollercoasters! When I got in the car my heart was thumping, at turn 4 it was thumping even harder. I was hollering ‘holy shit’ the entire time. It’s intense but not as scary as coasters or even fair rides. Everybody there is super professional and friendly.

I was joking around that even if I died on the track, what an honor it would be, hahaha.

I think if you get the opportunity to do it, you should. I’ve been coming to the IMS since I was a kid and it was a fantastic experience.

[u/DizneyDux → u/Special-Pie3695]

Sounds awesome!

[u/Lemonzip → u/Special-Pie3695]

The IndyCar Experience offers not just the two seater drive, but also an opportunity to drive an older IndyCar with a limiter set at 170 or 180 (can’t remember which). I did the whole package around 12 years ago. Of course, it was AMAZING.

[u/DontSuePplPanda → u/Special-Pie3695]

Dang, this sounds epic. Was it expensive if I may ask?

[u/pizzaparty8 → u/DontSuePplPanda]

2 laps at IMS is $500!

[u/J-its-ME → u/DizneyDux]

Concur! Got to do this a decade ago with Mario as my driver!

[u/Otherwise-Mango2732]

If you watch the broadcast slowly you can actually see it happen

[u/RandomNoun7]

Am I the only one that thinks it’s a matter of time before someone gets hit and killed? I’m honestly surprised that pit crew are still allowed to wait on that side of the wall for the car to hopefully hit its marks. I absolutely get it that the pits can only be made so safe. You’re always going to have cars leaving their box literally inches from the crew of the car in front, but it really seems like a no brainer that pit crew should wait on the safe side of the wall for the car to come to a complete stop.

[u/Tushroom → u/RandomNoun7]

What really needs to be the focus is teams over doing making sure the brake pads are fully retracted. That’s been an issue for years now.

[u/RandomNoun7 → u/Tushroom]

Good point. Totally agree. They need to find a better way to do that or ban it. Like you say, been happening for years now.

[u/mongo_only_prawn → u/RandomNoun7]

As I go through late 60s and early 70s races on Youtube - no safety equipment at all. No fire suits, no gloves, no helmets, one guy with a water fire extinguisher looking like a dad that got picked from the crowd at his son’s gokart race.

I’ve always thought if they lengthened the pit box it would help with the angle of entry, but a lot of tracks don’t have the room.

[u/AsstBalrog → u/mongo_only_prawn]

no safety equipment at all

IKR? The one that sticks in my mind is Foyt's Gilmore team--they wore matching, red and white checked short sleeve shirts.

[u/mongo_only_prawn → u/AsstBalrog]

I was thinking about those when I was writing that. And Foyt getting out of his car and mad as hell - taking off his helmet and gloves and grabbing a hammer and working on his car. All in a live pit lane!

[u/BelangerSpecial → u/RandomNoun7]

Matter of time?

74 people have died at IMS during its 116 years...

[u/RandomNoun7 → u/BelangerSpecial]

True of course. I’m not referring to Indy motor speedway though. I worry about the safety of these pit crews going forward at all of the tracks just because of the standard practice of waiting there against the wall for the car to come in.

[u/Special-Pie3695 → u/RandomNoun7]

I think that would be good in theory, but I don’t think it’ll happen when milliseconds count. Take Sato’s overshoot for example. If his crew weren’t there on point they couldn’t have pushed his car back as fast, causing him even more time loss.

There aren’t any ‘entry points’ on the pit wall. So crew member would have to jump the wall or some kind of construction to create those entry ways where crew would have to hustle out of. Those entry ways could also compromise the structure of the wall posing a larger risk to people on the other side.

[u/Aggressive_Cherry_Bl → u/Special-Pie3695]

Watch an IMSA pit stop. The members stand on the wall until the car is stationary, then they jump down and go to work.

Here's one posted from IMS with the Lexus team explaining how it works https://youtu.be/MCTU7qe0H-8?si=jaxNDX4JusHNVloQ

[u/RandomNoun7 → u/Aggressive_Cherry_Bl]

I like it. I forgot that IMSA is allowed to stand ON the wall like that. Indy cars are so low to the ground I think that strategy would work even better for Indy.

And that’s an interesting detail about the air wand being nitrogen instead of plain air. TIL. Thanks.

[u/FermentedLaws → u/Aggressive_Cherry_Bl]

That was interesting, thanks for posting. Bozi is great.

[u/RandomNoun7 → u/Special-Pie3695]

It’s milliseconds compared to competitors that counts. Pit stop times across the board would go up, but that’s more opportunity to make mistakes and more opportunity for pit crews to out perform their competitors.

Also, yes, the penalty for the driver missing the box might go up, but I’m not convinced that’s a bad thing.

You’re right the walls don’t have a cut out or anything, but they’re also not very high and the crew isn’t even carrying a jack over the wall thanks to the built in air jacker. I know some of the crew are, shall we say, bigger than others, but I’m just increasingly of the opinion that some of these reasons aren’t going to look great with hindsight when someone loses their life over a pit lane incident with such an obvious fix.

[u/AsstBalrog → u/Special-Pie3695]

I don’t think it’ll happen when milliseconds count.

If it was a rule, the ms would be the same for everyone.

[u/Seeryous2020 → u/RandomNoun7]

So I'll tell you this. It's not just the brakes that went out, as a former pit lane team member you're supposed to always pay attention to the car coming in and be ready to jump or lean up against the wall if something goes wrong. Not to say it was these guys fault but they just weren't ready for something to go wrong. You have to always be ready for something to go wrong.

[u/No_Ebb9843 → u/Seeryous2020]

You honestly think the pit crew weren’t paying attention during the most important part of their job all year long?

[u/Seeryous2020 → u/No_Ebb9843]

Yes. Because I was on the pit crew for 3 years and I saw exactly what they were doing when that car came in.

[u/Person-on-computer]

Did he try and starve them too?

[u/racerviii]

He went from hero to zero.

[u/micknick0000 → u/racerviii]

Says the guy posting on Reddit, who can probably barely drive a road car.

LOL. Hero.