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Safety starts on top with roof flaps

NASCAR Know-How CLICK THE IMAGE TO LAUNCH CLIP The importance of roof flaps Start (456K .mov) Archives • Click here for past editions of Rusty Wallace's NASCAR Know-How

The invention of roof flaps is just one example of how NASCAR is always making an effort to ensure that this is the safest form of motor sports in the world.

Unfortunately, safety improvements have been a process of evolution and learning through mistakes. After the introduction of the restrictor plate, which was necessary to slow down the cars at the superspeedways, there was a problem of keeping cars on the ground when they turned sideways.

So the roof flap was invented. When an extreme low pressure is felt above the car, it tends to lift. But the flaps break up that low pressure area and allow the car to sit back down on the ground.

NASCAR recently developed a new roll bar to help in case a car flips over. It is known as the Earnhardt bar after Dale, Sr. flipped over in his wreck at Talladega. The bar goes from the roof to the dash board and is supposed to add extra support to the roof in the case of an accident like that one.

So it's safe to say, safety is a major priority for NASCAR.