Let it be a lesson, kids – those hours spent playing video games can translate into great payoff in real life.
Such was the case of quick-thinking NASCAR driver Ross Chastain, who said he used an old trick he learned while playing the Nintendo GameCube as a child to help him secure pursuit. of his season.
The maneuver took place on October 30 during the Xfinity 500 race at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Va.
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During the final lap of the race, Chastain was in 10th position but needed to place in the top eight riders to earn enough points to qualify for the next championship race on November 6.
Riders are usually forced to slow down for the track’s famous tight, low-bank turns, but Chastain had another plan in his back pocket.
“I played a lot of NASCAR 2005 on the GameCube with (my brother) growing up, and you can get away with it, and I never knew if it would actually work,” he told NBC Sports at about his decision to put his car in fifth gear and the floor, sending his car rolling along the outside wall.
The maneuver paid off and Chastain was able to pass five cars, finishing the race in fifth place.
The skillfully executed move left fans and viewers stunned, and Chastain managed to set a record for the fastest lap on the track, with a time of 18.845 seconds.
Ars Technica has broken down the physics behind the tricky running move, explaining that Chastain likely learned it while playing NASCAR 2005: Chasing the Cupreleased in 2004.
“Typically, when cornering hard on a race track, drivers brake to counter the forces pushing their cars off the track,” the website explained. “That braking action slows them down considerably in the corner.
“This time, instead of slowing down for the turn, Chastain kept his car in fifth gear, hugged the wall, let go of the steering wheel and allowed the wall to hold his car in place – no brakes needed. that he overtook five cars and set a lap record in 75 years.
The risks of the move were high: if he had hit something sticking out of the wall, or hadn’t positioned the car precisely, the results could have been disastrous.
However, it clearly paid off, leaving NASCAR fans and other drivers on the track stunned.
One person claimed it could be “the greatest running move in history”.
Another called Chastain the “real-life Ricky Bobby”, in reference to the tenacious protagonist of the 2006 fictional racing comedy. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.
Others have confirmed that they also tried something similar on their game consoles as kids.
Some drivers wondered if NASCAR would ban the maneuver for this weekend’s championship race in Phoenix, but NASCAR Vice President Steve O’Donnell said imitators are welcome to try the move, s they dare.
“definitely in orderwhat he did and was able to execute it,” O’Donnell said Tuesday on SiriusXM 90.
“As with anything you see the first time, you have to take a look. We’ve had a number of discussions internally about that decision and all the assumptions but it’s within the rules and I think that’s where we’ll be for Phoenix as well and then something we can definitely assess in the offseason.
We probably won’t know for a while, but you can bet a lot of people will be watching this weekend’s championship race closely to see if anyone else tries to pull it off.
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