Hamlin, Denny
Why NASCAR Made a Yaw Rule
Yaw makes the new car easier to drive. So why did NASCAR make a rule limiting the amount of yaw allowed in the car? Initially, NASCAR was steadfast that they weren’t going to make a […]
The Building Speed Blog
Aerodynamics
Why Inner Liners are Required on the Tires at Dover
Q: Inner liners are required at Dover, which is one-mile track. What is an inner liner and why is Dover the only one-mile track at which it is required? A: If you look at a […]
Aerodynamic Forces
Sideforce is the New Downforce
Thanks so much to Dave Moody for having me on his (and Suzy’s) show last week. Following that show, I got a number of suggestions for future blog ideas. My favorites ones are the folks […]
Center of Gravity
Why the New Car Won’t Turn, Part I: The Center of Gravity
Listen for me on Dave Moody‘s show, Sirius Speedway, this Thursday (May 22nd) at 3:40 p.m. Eastern time. We’ll be talking about how the cars looked at the All-Star race and I’ve learned a couple […]
Aerodynamics
Why Jeff Gordon is Jealous of Carl Edwards’ Yaw
Apparently, Jeff Gordon has a slight case of yaw envy. David Newton reports on ESPN.com that Gordon asked NASCAR to take a look at the No. 99 car of Carl Edwards because he thinks that […]
Penalties
The Science of …Base Valves and Taking Away a Win
Brad Wilson asks: “The NASCAR Camping World East Series is a regional tour that is merely a blip on the radar that is big-time racing, but NASCAR changed a precedent this Tuesday. They stripped driver […]
Gordon, Jeff
The Science of …G-Forces
UPDATE 4/18/08: NASCAR.com has a very nice interview with Dr. Dean Sicking of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln about the SAFER barriers and how they functioned during the McDowell crash discussed below. As the FedEx commercials […]
Safety
The Science of …Michael McDowell’s Qualifying Wreck
Last Friday in Dallas was beautiful. It started out cloudy, but cleared off and got warmer. By the time I finished a TV interview about 10:00 a.m., we had to dig out our sunglasses before […]
Announcements
The Science of …Differentials and Rear-End Gears
Michael S. Adams asks: “I hear that having the wrong stagger can ruin the handling in the corners, so I would think you must want to have a very limited slip differential. Is that correct […]
Michael Waltrip Racing
The Science of …Front Sway Bars (Roush Fenway and Others)
David Poole has a great summary of what we currently know about ‘Partgate’. I think it’s safe to state from the media reports that a front sway bar went missing from Roush Fenway Racing last […]