Becareful putting your flags up !

[Chris24]

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- Two NASCAR fans were electrocuted in a campground outside Talladega Superspeedway when a flagpole they were erecting touched power lines.

Donny Lynn Wright, 42, of Remlap and Keith Alan Stell, 39, of Birmingham died Monday, said track spokeswoman Kristi King. Talladega County Coroner Jerry Castleberry pronounced them dead at the scene.

The Aaron's 499 race will be run at the track on Sunday. Fans commonly use poles to fly flags touting their favorite driver.

Witnesses said Wright and Stell were attempting to anchor a flagpole when it was caught by wind and pushed into power lines running along a road outside the track.

"They were trying to pull the flagpole back off the lines,'' said James Snider, who was sitting about 30 yards away from the victims' camp site. "I heard a loud pop that sounded like a firecracker, and I went running because the power lines fell. They were both lying on the ground, and two women were trying to get to them to get them away from the wires.''

[Papa Lazarou]

 

[Fax]

No one will ever accuse NASCAR fans of being the sharpest tools in the shed.  The first time I went to Talladega, two guys camping died of carbon monoxide poisoning when they brought their grill inside their tent when it began to drizzle.
Fax

[chop456]

No one will ever accuse NASCAR fans of being the sharpest tools in the shed.  The first time I went to Talladega, two guys camping died of carbon monoxide poisoning when they brought their grill inside their tent when it began to drizzle.
Fax

And the 3 Canadians who died of CO poisining in their RV at the first (recent) USGP. 

[Fax]

Yeah, I remember that too.  Its a wonder stuff like that doesn't happen at races more often than it does.
A few years ago at Daytona for the Rolex we had a guy who went with us get pissed, fall asleep and lock himself in the car with the engine running for a couple of hours while Dave, Matt & I went for a late night pit walk.  We got back to the car convinced we were going to have to call the coroner but he was fine.
Fax

[Chris24]

You need to run a pipe from the exhaust and through a window for that to work

[Fran]

You need to run a pipe from the exhaust and through a window for that to work

Unless you have a Triumph Spitfire,  which has holey exhaust and rotted footwell fitted as standard - so the carbon monoxide can circulate freely through the interior!!   

[hgb]

...or a TVR 3000M. I know that feature. 

Oh dear, I see a time coming when they tell us it's more dangerous behind the fence than on the track side. 

[neilsie]

or a Tuscan (as happened to us last year when the exhaust fell off the manifold!)

[Fran]

There is a theme developing, this must be a special feature of  British sportscars!!!

[smokie]

Costco had a great flagpole for about £50. Looked a pukka job.

Still I'll stay with my fishing rod...