The Future of Racing with Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil asked "Does it take a tragedy to introduce a safety feature?" which started me thinking back to some training I received when in the military. And that was one of my trainers making the statement that every safety rule in the military was wrote in blood. Because someone had to die for a rule to be wrote.

A lot of people write off NASCAR as hillbilly bs but I love the engineering and physics side of it. I-racing simulator which might not be dead on will give you a really good idea about how hard it is to “drive in circles” they literally drive the cars to the edge of control like walking a tightrope.

For the car having more yaw, I remember the COT era and Penske had his cars (Sam Hornish Jr) so crabbed out that you could see the passenger door number while the car was coming straight at you. And yes, the crabbing was banned pretty quick.

Dale Jr. Definitely knows how to work on the cars and what the parts do to each set up 🤣 he just didn't have to deal with it and he didn't go very far into detail. He knew what different shocks and springs meant back in the 80s

This episode is one of the best of star talk. Your guests were incredible in explaining how auto racing and physics are closely related.

Neil having a current engineer and a driver for this kind of show is also great. You should get Larry Mac next time!

When I was a kid (in the 1950s), I remember hearing the Circle Track cars racing - at a track 4 miles away. This was not an open desert. It was a suburban neighborhood.

Did she really say JR doesn't know what type of spring should go in a racecar?😂

they need to be talking about the physics of sprint car racing i wanna see that conversation

I remember how hard it was to adjust to watching an LCD screen display images so quietly after listening to the high pitched whine of a 90s tv. Im so glad so many of my friends survived