Air Pollution
NASCAR and Electric Cars, Part II
It’s not quite January, but it’s close enough. The month is named for Greek God Janus, who has two faces: one looks to the past and one that looks to the future. The off-season is a […]
center of gravity
Building Cars
Safety vs. Speed: 2017 Changes to the Chassis
The Evolution of the Stock Car ADDITION: If you are more comfortable with Portuguese, check out this translation by Artur Weber and Adelina Domingos – and thanks to them for being interested enough in my […]
Center of Gravity
Center of Gravity, Part II
Last time, I explained what the center of gravity (CG) is. This time, let’s look at why we care. […]
Center of Gravity
NASCAR Science 101: The Center of Gravity, Part I
You hear engineers and crew chiefs talking a lot about the racecar’s “center of gravity”. There’s a reason for all the talk. The center of gravity really is the point around which everything else on the […]
Drivers
The Virtual Reality of Racing Simulators
You are hurtling down the frontstretch at Michigan, your speed approaching 215 mph. Your seat moves up and down as you hit the seams, but your focus is squarely on getting into Turn 1 losing as little speed as possible. You squeeze the brakes and feel yourself moving forward, only to realize that you’re still moving too quickly. As the car starts to head toward the wall, you panic and squeeze the brake even harder.
The car snaps loose and the next thing you feel… is an engineer’s hand on your shoulder. You turn around to see her barely suppressing a smile. […]
Center of Gravity
Center of Gravity as Performance Art
Before you read this blog, head over and watch this video. Sorry, I tried to embed it, but it is a really long video. If you’re short on patience, get the general idea, then go […]
Aerodynamic Forces
The Flap over Roof Flaps
Why Roof Flaps? Roof flaps (the invention of which I detail in my book The Physics of NASCAR) help keep cars on the ground. This is necessary because of Bernoulli’s law, which says basically that: Faster-moving […]
Center of Gravity
Did Danica Get the Daytona 500 Pole Because of Her Weight Advantage?
Did Danica Patrick win the Daytona 500 pole because she has a weight advantage? […]
Aerodynamics
Why Does Bump Drafting Seem Much Harder in 2012?
Although there is a lot of science behind bump drafting, the act of bump drafting is an art. Even the experienced bump drafters are surprised by the touchiness of the cars this year. […]