High-Banked NASCAR Racing And ‘The Well of Death’

I love the really cool tracking shot of the cars hitting the high banked turns at Daytona International Speedway during the Daytona 500. When you take the tour of the track they say that the average car needs to be travelling a minimum of 95 mph at the very top of the four story 31-degree banking or it’ll flip over towards the bottom on the apron. Of course, Cup cars are travelling at around 100 mph greater than the minimum so it’s not much of a concern.

The physics behind g-force and racecars maintaining ungodly speeds around tracks has always interested me. I vividly remember the first time I experienced the Globe of Death at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus and being amazed of how centrifugal force kept the motorcycles glued to the globe. Despite the differences in size and speeds the Globe of Death and racing at super speedways share some similarities: the skill needed to maintain comfortable distances and coordinated speeds to ensure all hell doesn’t break loose.

I came across this very interesting documentary in 2016 and I’m always reminded of it when I see races at Daytona, Talladega and, of course, Bristol. It’s called Riders of the Well of Death. It’s a 15-minute documentary short that tells the story of men in Northern India who risk their lives driving a Globe of Death like wooden structure to entertain and make a living. As I watched the participants discuss their motivations and passion for their line of work, I asked myself – do they share the same qualities as NASCAR drivers? Are the levels of concentration and coordination needed to execute super speedways and the Well of Death the same?

Some may say it’s totally apples and oranges, but it’s interesting to ponder speeds of almost 200 mph in cars that have state of the art handling and downforce with dilapidated cars and motorcycles navigating 50-foot-high wood planks in a third world country.

I recommend taking the time to check out Riders of the Well of Death for yourself. Hearing these men’s stories and seeing them in action will delight and amaze you in a way similar to NASCAR, but will also pull at your heart strings as they enter their “track” taking on death daily merely to survive. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

RIDERS OF THE WELL OF DEATH from Erik Morales.

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