Vickers, Brian
Inforgraphic: Hendrick Motorsports – 200 Wins by Driver
Statistics Reported Without Comment […]
Drivers
Edwards, Carl
Richmond Redux: Relative Velocity
NOTE: Some clarifications added 1:00 p.m. 4/30/12. Thanks to all the commenters, especially @nateryan! I think Dave Moody did a good job breaking things down. The situation is confounded because there were so many different […]
Aerodynamics
Can You Really Bring Back the Same Car? (Or the Same Track?)
Every week at least one driver says they are bringing back “the same car we raced at…”. But unlike Indy or ALMS racing, each shop builds multiple cars, each specialized for a specific track. Let’s […]
Electronic Fuel Injection
The Truth about Cell Phones, ECUs and Car Control
It didn’t take long after Brad Kezelowski pulled out his cellphone during the 2-hour-long Daytona red flag for the conspiracy theorists to leap into action.
The argument goes like this: Cellphones should be banned from the car because a driver could use his specially prepared cellphone to a) change the Engine Control Unit (ECU) and/or b) transmit data from the car back to his crew chief during a race. We will not address the suggestions that the driver could use the cellphone to talk secretly to the crew chief during a race because anyone who has been in a race car or worn a helmet knows that’s just plain dopey. […]
Childers, Rodney
Phoenix: Relay Race?
The race at Phoenix was the first non-restrictor-plate race. A number of drivers experienced engine-related problems, leading some media outlets to start blowing the “EFI problems” horns as loudly as possible. Mark Martin, the pole sitter, was an unfortunate casualties of a “flipped circuit breaker”. One of the most interesting exchanges to me was a series of tweets and a radio interview with Mark Martin’s Crew Chief Rodney Childers (@rchilders55) in which Childers repeatedly said it not “an EFI problem”, the radio commentators persisted in saying that it was. […]
Allmendinger, A.J.
More Ragan vs. Allmendinger Statistics: Running at Finish
Great comment from Robby on my post statistically comparing AJ Allmendinger and David Ragan:
One thing you didn’t really factor which is a big deal to car owners is busted equipment. David Ragan destroys alot of race cars…AJ is one of the least wreck prone drivers in NASCAR. Ragan’s low finished were often a result of a wreck. AJ’s bad finishes were generally the result of bad handling cars or bad luck (Dover, Indy, Texas). […]
Vickers, Brian
Allmendinger vs. Ragan: Moneyball Turning Left
Before Best Buy took their electrons (and dollars) to RoushFenway last week, everyone assumed David Ragan was a lock for the then-empty Penske 22 seat. Once A.J. Allmendinger landed the 22 job, there’s been a […]
IndyCar
OPINION The Future of Motorsports Safety II: The Center for Motorsports Safety Research
The official Indycar report on Dan Wheldon’s death was released today. The obvious question is “what do we do now”? […]
Electronic Fuel Injection
Not Fine with Me!
C’mon NASCAR – I keep trying to defend you and you keep making it hard for me.
@jeff_gluck reports that @nateryan told Brian France that NASCAR seems like
“…an autocratic regime that doles out punishment in a capricious manner.”
While I agree with those sentiments entirely, a slightly different word comes to my mind: “chicken%$!#” […]
IndyCar
The Future of Motorsports Safety I: Catchfences, Open Cockpits, High Banking and High Speeds
Since Dan Wheldon’s fatal accident at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I’ve read many words of grief, tribute and, more recently, of thoughts about what happens next. […]