Is the Daytona 500 Winning Margin Calculation Accurate?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the accuracy of the winning margin calculation for the Daytona 500 race, specifically focusing on the time difference between the first and second place finishers, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex. Participants explore various interpretations of the winning distance and speed calculations, raising questions about reported figures and their implications.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the reported winning margin of .011 seconds, suggesting that based on their calculations using a 12-inch distance, the speed would be inaccurately low at 61.983 mph.
  • Another participant recalls a report stating the distance between the cars was 4 inches, which contrasts with other estimates.
  • A different participant mentions that the winning margin was reported as .0010 or .0011 seconds, with a distance of less than 6 inches, but notes that photos may suggest a larger lead.
  • Another participant estimates the distance to be about 8-12 inches based on visual analysis of a photo finish, emphasizing that the differences in time are in the thousandths of a second.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the winning distance and time margin, with no consensus on the accuracy of the reported figures or the calculations presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants rely on varying assumptions about the winning distance and speed, which may affect their calculations. The discussion includes references to visual evidence that may not be definitive.

thetexan
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Am I crazy (don't answer that) or what? Every article I read about the Daytona 500 race shows that Denny Hamlin nudged Martin Truex by .011 of an second. According to my calculation if you use 12 inches as the winning distance (could be 8 or 9) that would make their speed at the finish 61.983 mph??! That clearly is not correct. The speed ranged from about 187 to 197 with 195 about average.

Based on 195 at the finish line (they were floor boarded at that point) according to my calculations that would make the margin .00349 of a second! A distance of 8 or 9 inches would make the time interval even shorter.

Am I missing something here?

tex
 
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I thought I read (can't recall where) that the distance between them was 4 inches!
 
thetexan said:
Am I crazy (don't answer that) or what? Every article I read about the Daytona 500 race shows that Denny Hamlin nudged Martin Truex by .011 of an second. According to my calculation if you use 12 inches as the winning distance (could be 8 or 9) that would make their speed at the finish 61.983 mph??! That clearly is not correct. The speed ranged from about 187 to 197 with 195 about average.

Based on 195 at the finish line (they were floor boarded at that point) according to my calculations that would make the margin .00349 of a second! A distance of 8 or 9 inches would make the time interval even shorter.

Am I missing something here?

tex
Reference link?
 
It was reported as .0010 or .0011 second, and less than 6 inches. At around 195 mph, that would be about 3.78 inches. The photos seem to show a bigger lead than that, although the location of the splitter versus windshield versus tires could be different on the two body profiles.
 
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https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/vc1mcxo9qlpzyrablggr.jpg
vc1mcxo9qlpzyrablggr.jpg
 
It looks to me that the distance is about 8-12 inches. Hamlin's car is at the checker edge of the yellow strip which looks to be about 4-5 inches wide. Truex's car looks to be about 10 inches from the car edge of the yellow stripe. So that makes the distance about 12-14 inches approximately. Based on several other angles of the photo finish that 12-14 seems good. In any case we're talking thousanths of seconds not hundredths.

tex
 

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