grip
Grip: How NASCAR Decides If There’s Enough
Without grip — aka ‘friction’ — there is no racing. But how do you know how much grip a racetrack has? The primary tool for tuning racing grip is the tire. Goodyear produces different tire […]
Physics
Lasers
The Secret to iRacing’s Track Realism? LIDAR
The eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series is a welcome respite from a world transformed by coronavirus. Here’s how iRacing uses science to make the experience as much like real life as possible. If only the […]
Air Titan
The Scientific Secrets of PJ1 Track Bite
NASCAR’s continued struggle to balance cost, safety and competitiveness led to using PJ1 Track Bite in 2017 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Since then it’s been used (mostly successfully) at other tracks. So what is it […]
Centripetal Force
Daytona Banking
You don’t need another countdown to Daytona, but perhaps a little more information about Daytona will help you appreciate it that much more when it does come. A large part of that is the banking. […]
Aerodynamics
The NASCAR Vortex Theory
The NASCAR Vortex Theory says that cars racing around an oval track create a rotational disturbance that repels oncoming storms. Truth? Or Myth? What’s a Vortex? A vortex is a region in a fluid (and […]
Distributions
Does NASCAR Have a Momentum Effect?
Here’s a drinking game for you the next time you tune into any sports broadcast, be it motorsports, golf, rugby, boxing or tennis. Drink every time you hear the word ‘momentum’. You can play the […]
Aerodynamics
NASCAR: Caps, Limits and Level Playing Fields
Every sport faces it: One, or a few, teams pull ahead because they can spend more money than anyone else. Those teams and their fans are fine, but it means the league has failed to […]
Aerodynamic Forces
Will You Be Able to Tell if NASCAR Cars are Slower in 2019?
When is the answer to better racing slower cars? It just might be for NASCAR. Note: This post analyzes the change in speed due to the new rules package. Please don’t interpret it as my […]
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 […]
Asphalt
How to Make Grippier Racetracks Using Spy Technology
If PJ1 TrackBite isn’t the Solution, What is? Dale Earnhardt, Jr. suggested tracks stop using PJ1 Trackbite because it didn’t work well in Charlotte last weekend. He called for additional research to understand how the […]