2024 NASCAR Rules
NASCAR Changes Crew Glove Rules
Crew glove-rule changes are the most significant of the rules changes provided to the press on March 13th. That change formalizes and narrows NASCAR’s start-of-the-season crackdown. […]
safety
Acceleration
NASCAR Crashes and G-Forces
While NASCAR keeps crash details confidential to protect drivers’ privacy, some drivers share the numbers from their crashes. But a single number doesn’t tell you everything about crash in the same way that finishing position doesn’t tell you the story of a driver’s entire race. […]
IndyCar
The Indy 500’s Un-tethered Wheel
In the last laps of this year’s Indy 500, a wheel — a wheel tethered to its racecar — escaped the racetrack. The wheel/tire flew over the catch fence and — miraculously — through the narrow space separating two grandstands packed with of people. […]
Dean Sicking
NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Changes
Yesterday, the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced a change to their induction rules. Instead of inducting five members every year, as they’ve done since 2010, they’ll be inducting only 3. One of those will be […]
Climate Change
In-Car Fire Suppression Systems
NASCAR has made significant advances in protecting drivers from crashes, but fire is more of a challenge. Let’s take a look at how fire suppression systems have evolved. A Brief History of Fire Suppression Systems […]
Drivers
F1 Drivers to Have Biometric Monitoring Gloves
The FIA has developed a flexible sensor that can be stitched onto a driving glove and used to monitor vital signs during a race. FIA Deputy Medical Delegate Dr. Ian Roberts and F1 Medical Car […]
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 […]
Building Cars
Toyota’s New Cloaking Device
Did Toyota Really Just Patent a Cloaking Device? The headlines sure suggest they did. Toyota patent reveals ‘Cloaking Device’ for cars Toyota Just Patented a “Cloaking Device” Other outlets were a little more, ahem, transparent […]
Aerodynamics
Composite Race Car Bodies
You Never Forget Your First One My first car was a greenish-brown 1969 Buick LeSabre with a 123-inch wheel base and a 230-horsepower two-barrel V-8. That puppy weighed about 4200 lbs and taught me everything […]
Safety
Fire-Resistant Materials: Nomex, CarbonX, Hocotex
Most drivers’ worst fear isn’t a wreck: it’s being unable to get out of a burning car. Let’s look at the fire-resistant materials that keep drivers from getting burned. If you’re interested in the chemistry […]