Asphalt
Cookie Cutter Tracks Aren’t All the Same
Fans tend to lump all 1.5-mile tracks into the ‘cookie cutter’ bin. Crew chiefs don’t — because each one has unique challenges. […]
Tracks
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 […]
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”? […]
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. […]
Engines
The Math of Fuel Mileage
I guess when you have people feeding you all the numbers you need through your earpiece, you think they’re easy to come by. That’s the only explanation I can figure out for the snarky comments by television commentators about crews not being “smart enough” to figure out how much gas to put in the car so that it doesn’t run out before the end of the race. There have been a lot of fuel mileage races the last few weeks. Pocono is traditionally also highly likely to be a fuel mileage race, so let’s clarify how easy (or hard) it is to not run out of fuel. […]
Aerodynamic Forces
Overpressured Shocks on the 5-Car: How Does that Create an Advantage?
The 5 car got sent to the back for the start of the race last Sunday at Dover after qualifying third when their shocks didn’t clear post-qualifying inspection. Shocks and springs work together to control the rate at which the body of the car moves. The ideal attitude is the hound dog position: nose down, tail up, as demonstrated in the photo at right by my capable assistant Darwin. That position prevents air from getting underneath the car and it sticks the spoiler up in the air as much as possible, which means that more air hits it and creates more downforce. […]
Aerodynamics
33 car penalties
After being a non-event (The 33 car from Richmond was “just barely legal” and NASCAR was checking with RCR to make sure they didn’t have a mistake on their build sheet) for a couple of days, the situation changed today when a 150-point, $150,000, 6-week crew chief/car chief suspension was announced based on violations from the New Hampshire car. […]
Tracks
Daytona Track Watching
Rain has more consequences than just delaying the race. Track drying is really hard on the surface. Most materials expand when they heat. (Water is a notable exception). […]
Talladega Superspeedway
Tornadoes at Talladega
Tornadoes are a primarily North American phenomenon. The U.S. has about four times as many tornadoes as all of Europe (excluding waterspouts and if you ever lived in Nebraska, you know why). North America […]
Tracks
Eight things NASCAR should address: #6 – Get Serious About Green
I’ve gotten a little behind in my blogging. My Mom was diagnosed with cancer in February and passed away last week, which threw me for a bit of a loop in terms of catching up. […]