Crashing
If you've ever watched a NASCAR race, you know that crashes happen a lot. There are three common ways for a car to crash: 1) the tires lose their grip and a car runs straight into a wall in a turn, 2) someone bumps someone else and one or both cars go into a spin and 3) air gets under a car and flips it into the air.

Photo courtesy Action Sports Photography, Inc.

Because crashes can kill the driver, NASCAR puts an incredible amount of effort into driver safety. It starts with the frame of the car. There's a cage made of heavy, strong steel tubes all around the driver. Whatever the car hits, this cage keeps the driver from getting crushed. The front and back of the car are also designed to crumple in an accident and absorb some of the shock.

When a car starts to spin, the biggest concern is lift. Air gets under the car to push it up, and the air flowing over the top of the car can make the body act like a wing. It is very easy for a spinning car to go airborne and fly over a fence into the stands.

Photo courtesy Action Sports Photography, Inc.

To keep this from happening, there are special flaps built into the roof of the car. When the car is driving normally, the flaps are held down on the roof by air pressure. When the car spins, the flaps catch the air and pop up. They act as spoilers, "spoiling" the airflow over the car and eliminating much of the lift.

The fuel tank is another big concern in a crash, because ten gallons of gasoline contain a huge amount of explosive energy. The fuel tank is a heavy steel box in the trunk of the car. The tank is rubber-coated inside and out. Inside the steel box, there is a heavy Kevlar bag that holds the gasoline, and inside the bag is a rubbery foam. With that much protection, it is very hard for the gas to spill in a crash.

Just in case gasoline does ignite, the drivers all wear Nomex ® suits, including Nomex face masks, Nomex gloves and Nomex shoes. Nomex gives the driver fire protection from head to toe. Nomex is a special fabric that does not melt or burn, even if it is soaked in gasoline and lit. Nomex can protect a driver for crucial seconds until emergency crews arrive and put out the fire.