Hamlin, Denny
2024 Penalties: By The Numbers
The 2024 penalties report has bad news for some of the newest Cup Series drivers, and good news for Denny Hamlin and Hendrick Motorsports. […]
Hamlin, Denny
Chevy
2024 Stage Points by Manufacturer: By The Numbers
The 2024 stage points by manufacturer report shows what a good year Toyota had despite the machinations of the playoff format making it seem much less successful. […]
2024 By The Numbers
2024 Stage Points Report: By The Numbers
The 2024 stage points report summarizes who was the best at racking up stage points to insulate themselves from bad luck in the playoffs, and to keep moving on in the playoffs. But only one of the to four stage-point scorers made it to the Championship 4. […]
Blaney, Ryan
More Practice Could Help Improve the Next Gen Car
When I started writing about NASCAR in 2007, drivers usually practiced Friday morning in preparation for that afternoon’s qualifying. Two Saturday practices gave them time to dial in their car for Sunday’s race. […]
Byron, William
2023 Nashville Race Report: Lead Changes
The 2023 Nashville Race Report: Lead Changes features three-wide restarts, (mostly) respectful racing up front, and one smashed watermelon. Caution/Lead-O-Gram As usual, we start with the caution- and lead-o-gram for the 2023 Nashville race. This […]
Busch, Kurt
Winning vs. Consistency: The Delicate Balance of the NASCAR Playoffs
The NASCAR playoffs determine the season’s champion. Is the champion the guy who wins the most races? Or the guy who runs up front the most?
There’s no scientific way to answer this question, but there is data. NASCAR has modified their playoffs to try to create a suitable balance between winning and consistency. Have they succeeded?
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 […]
Aerodynamics
Changing Manufacturers: More than just Decals?
I’d Rather Fight Than Switch If you remember what commercial that was from, then congrats. You are — like me — old. It used to be that an owner was loyal to his manufacturer to […]
Aerodynamic Forces
Firewalls and Aerodynamics
My friend at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, Dave Kallman (whose online column should be a regular read for race fans) asked about the confiscated firewalls from the Number 11 car at Indy. That reminded me of the first NASCAR race I was supposed to attend as research for my book The Physics of NASCAR. That was California in 2007. I was to follow around the number 19 car, at that time driven by Elliott Sadler and crew chiefed by Josh Browne. […]
Gen-6
Notes on Respect and Fines
A short note on Denny Hamlin’s comments on the Gen-6 car and subsequent fine.
I’ve talked to a lot of the people in the trenches involved in designing and creating the Gen-6 car. That includes people from manufacturers and teams. All of them have said that the development of the Gen-6 car is a major sea change for NASCAR. This is the most collaborative that NASCAR has been with introducing a new car in some time. Manufacturers and teams were consulted and they all feel that their opinions mattered and were taken into consideration. This was a very, very different process than the COT introduction, which was designed by NASCAR and plans delivered to teams. […]