Have you ever wondered what would be like to race stock cars and open-wheelers or dragsters? What about over forty years ago? How would it be divergent? To fathom how it was so long ago, it is pivotal to learn about what happened outside of the track during the 1970s- such as the unending war with Vietnam or the tensions between African Americans and whites, women gaining rights and respect, or Native Americans searching for courtesy. Race car driving in the 1970s was a much different sport in a much different world.
How aerodynamics work with a car are very crucial to how it drives. For example, “Abstract Race car performance depends on elements such as the engine, tires, suspension, road, aerodynamics, and the …show more content…
This points out how things have changed since the beginning of driving. Finally, “Drivers wear fire-resistant clothing, full face helmets, and a fire-proof seat belt” (Riley 16). This reveals how when a car crashes, the possibility of catching fire is not worth the risk. This also confirms the art of racing is not all fun and games. As racing has evolutionized, so have the ways of protecting the driver.
As the years went on, stock car speeds increased. For example, Al Unser was beat by Donohue as the need for speed heightened:
Al Unser won in 1970 with an average speed of 155.649 miles per hour. A year later, he took the Indy going 157.735 miles per hour, a track record. The record lasted only a year, however, for in 1972, Mark Donohue surpassed it by more than five miles per hour (Christopher 51).
This shows how the want to have the highest speeds clouded people's judgment.It also tells us the speeds were going to continue to grow because of the determination of the drivers. In addition, the rise of speeds caused much danger:
As speeds inched toward the 200-mile-per-hour mark, concerns about driver safety grew[...]Three men lost their lives because of speed and track conditions in 1973. Driver Art Pollard had just hit 191 miles per hour during qualifiers when his car careened into the wall and flipped. He died an hour later” (Christopher