Well I am glad Richie is OK. I am the one who built the cage in Richies car. I wish Rich had let poeple photo the damage as that is the only way we all learn. I think the Taco shell idea would solve that failure mechanism. I also think that foam filling the door would be the lightest and safest fix. The foam would absorb the energy and distribute the load over a larger area. I think this is common in Rally cars in Europe. All my Rally car customers have the Taco shell setup as they are required to have an X brace on both sides. Ultimately, Nascar bars on both sides would be best. Most of you guys just do not want the extra weight and cost. The other thing to remember is that you want the car to absorb energy in the impact, not you. Nascar got to the point that the cars were built so well that the car survived most any crash. Unfortunately the drivers were not. Its a balancing act between rigidity and crash worthyness. In one of Dick Shines early cages I built, the driver hit the wall in the oval at NHIS and rolled down into oncoming traffic. He was rearended so hard the drivers floor tore under the seat. We had built the rear to be so rigid it transfered to much energy into the drivers area. From the rear shock towers to the back of the main hoop was fine. Not a great design in that application. As always I am happy to build what the customer wants. Unless its a real disaster. Lets all try and learn from this. I wish crash testing was not so expensive.
Chris Howard
HowardMotorsports