Experts in the comments say this is a high-risk, low reward driving maneuver on regular public roads.
What do you do if you’ve got something stuck on the front of your car traveling at freeway speeds? If you’re Minnesota resident Colin Fisher, you channel your inner NASCAR driver and pull a racing technique reserved for professional racers.
Fisher uploaded his now viral video on Youtube earlier last month showing how, by drafting a trailer on I-494 (a freeway in Minneapolis) he was able to dislodge a piece of plastic stuck on his front bumper thanks to a NASCAR move he saw Joey Logano use in 2021.
Check out his dashcam video below.
The exact location where his dashcam video begins is on I-494 due east just before the 5A exit onto I-35 W (Exact location on Google maps linked here.)
As the video shows, an unopened trash bag (aka a large piece of plastic) flies from somewhere and lands smack dab in the middle of his bumper. It’s not a dangerous situation but, flapping at 65 MPH, it’s darn annoying.
With a truck and trailer in the next lane, Fisher draws inspiration from a move he saw Joey Logano pull during the NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at the Phoenix Raceway in 2021.
During said 2021 race in Phoenix, a piece of debris got stuck to the front of Joey Logano’s car. Although small, that piece of trash restricts crucial air that ultimately keeps his “Mustang” V8 engine cool at speed. If Logano didn’t remove that piece of trash, it likely would’ve caused his engine to overheat.
Instead of pulling into pit lane to let physics take over at lower speeds or to get a pit team crew member to physically remove it, costing precious seconds and/or laps, Logano, as mentioned, drafts behind the 00 car of Quin Houff just for a split second.
That’s just enough time to create an area of low pressure up front, causing that trash to fly off.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about Fisher included just that move Lagano pulled off in the second half of his video.
Also, here are some screenshots.
That’s essentially what Fisher does, albeit at a third of the speed behind a slow-moving trailer.
And, it works! The plastic trash bag comes flying off.
“And they say you learn nothing from NASCAR,” comments JackLikesTrackhouse
“Fully expected you to go straight into that wall ride. But this trick is neat too!,” said Toni Weak
While Fisher’s move was not exactly reckless, achieving the desired result, following any car or vehicle at such a close distance isn’t recommended.
A sudden braking from the vehicle you’re following doesn’t give you any time to react, which could lead to a collision.
If you’ve got a piece of trash stuck on your front bumper on the freeway, if it’s small enough you can just ignore it. You’re not in a NASCAR race and your car will survive, however small of a mount of air it’s blocking.
If it’s seriously covering the entire front of your car, just safely pull over and remove it by hand.
While drafting CAN work to remove anything stuck on the front of your car, it’s just not worth the added risk.
