The Building Speed Blog

Media

Change and The Way We Watch Sports

2014-01-10 dr. diandra 7

CBSs 60 Minutes and Vanity Fair recently released the results of a poll that provided some surprising insights about how people watch sports – some of which might be relevant to the constant discussion of declining […]

Aerodynamic Forces

The Arguments for Slowing Down the Gen-6 Car

2013-12-15 dr. diandra 16

It’s got to be a little frustrating that there are less than 90 days left before the start of the 2014 season and the rules package for the car isn’t set.  Teams hope for a […]

Busch, Kyle

Can You Predict a Driver’s Success from their Rookie Year Stats?

2013-11-22 dr. diandra 4

Now that the season is over, it’s time to look through the statistics from the year.  One big story this year was Danica Patrick’s rookie season in Sprint Cup.  She didn’t set the world on […]

Aerodynamics

The Science of Speed: Week Ending 11/14/13

2013-11-14 dr. diandra 0

Hard to believe it’s winter, but we got our first snow already. Here’s the news of the week. It’s holiday shopping time – great idea for your gearhead: magazine subscriptions. Racecar Enginering has some special […]

Concussion

NASCAR’s Concussion Policy

2013-11-01 dr. diandra 0

Concussions were big news in a week where no one actually got one. NASCAR announced a new policy on concussions :  Starting in 2014, all drivers will be required to have a baseline test at […]

Asphalt

Whose Fault Is It? Tires or Track?

2013-10-11 dr. diandra 3

There were 15 cautions last week at Kansas Speedway and at least 15 drivers complaining that driving on the repaved track surface was like driving on ‘razor blades’.  “The worst racetrack I’ve ever driven on.” […]

Asphalt

In the Zone: Goodyear’s New Tire Design

2013-10-04 dr. diandra 5

Kansas marks the second appearance of Goodyear’s “Multi-Zone Tread Tire”, which was first used at Atlanta Motor Speedway over Labor Day weekend. Stop for a moment to appreciate the challenge Goodyear has to face each […]

Bristol Motor Speedway

Turning, G-Forces and Banked Tracks.

2013-09-27 dr. diandra 5

Dover is a fascinating track – twenty-four degrees of banking, but only a mile in length.  A student approached me with a question:  Higher-banked tracks generate higher centripetal forces – so why doesn’t the track […]

Consipracies

Opinion: NASCAR’s Restart Problem – What Would Einstein Do?

2013-09-08 dr. diandra 9

Sigh. So instead of talking about a couple great races this week, we’re focusing on restarts.  Again.  Everyone, from pundits to drivers, is questioning  NASCAR’s decisions to not call penalties on the critical restarts of […]

Busch, Kyle

Do Drivers Slow Down When They Get Older?

2013-08-30 dr. diandra 10

NOTE: I’ve revisited this topic in a more-recent blog that has additional data. I’d encourage you to look there, as well There are a lot of things people say in NASCAR that have been said […]