Road Courses
Do Road Courses (Like Superspeedways) Level the Playing Field?
Are road courses, like superspeedways, where drivers with little chance of winning the championship can ‘luck’ into a playoff berth? […]
Year: 2018
Busch, Kyle
Let’s All Stop Wringing Our Hands About Having Only Seven Distinct NASCAR Race Winners
Much has been made of the fact that NASCAR has only had seven distinct winners this year — and that three drivers (Harvick, Kyle Busch and Truex, Jr.) have won 14 out of 19 races […]
Chicagoland Speedway
How NASCAR’s “Enhanced Schedule” Affects the Race Teams
NASCAR’s enhanced schedule compresses three days on on-track activity into two. It’s designed to save teams time and money, but how will it affect the racing? What is an “Enhanced Schedule”? If you’re wondering why […]
Climate Change
In-Car Fire Suppression Systems
NASCAR has made significant advances in protecting drivers from crashes, but fire is more of a challenge. Let’s take a look at how fire suppression systems have evolved. A Brief History of Fire Suppression Systems […]
Childers, Rodney
Jumping the (Air) Gun
(Air) Gun Control A lot’s changed on Pit Road this year. In addition to cutting the over-the-wall crew to five people, NASCAR decided (by majority vote of the Team Owners’ Council) that they would provide air guns […]
Cautions
Early-Season Predictions Require Caution
Predictions: The Peril of the Early-Season Off-Week I can post only when I have something to contribute. The professionals who cover NASCAR don’t have the luxury of waiting until there’s news. The content monster remains perpetually […]
Data Science
Data Sharing: Fact and Fiction
New for 2018: Data Sharing NASCAR announced (in a somewhat roundabout way) they would share the data collected by each car during races, qualifying and practice with all teams in the 2018 season. This produced […]
Drivers
NASCAR’s Youth Movement is Actually Sort of Old
Goin’ Down? 2018 is being hailed as the year of the NASCAR Youth Movement as we bid farewell to older drivers and welcome in a class of youngsters. The average age of Hendrick’s starting lineup […]
Graphs and Charts
2018 XFINITY Daytona Qualifying
A fast one-graph summary of data for the XFINITY qualifying stats. Up to 36th position, qualifying times are roughly linear with a slope of 0.056 seconds per position. 1st to 2nd: 0.083 seconds 1st to […]
Drivers
F1 Drivers to Have Biometric Monitoring Gloves
The FIA has developed a flexible sensor that can be stitched onto a driving glove and used to monitor vital signs during a race. FIA Deputy Medical Delegate Dr. Ian Roberts and F1 Medical Car […]