The Driver of Tomorrow
Enough about the Car of Tomorrow already. Let’s talk about the Driver of Tomorrow and the Race Team of Tomorrow. Are drivers still important or is the new car really a remote control toy for […]
The Building Speed Blog
Carbon monoxide
Is the New Car’s Problem Heat or Something Else?
Some drivers have stumbled out of their cars and asked reporters for a few moments to hydrate and catch their breath before giving interviews the last few weeks. At Pocono, Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt, […]
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 […]
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 […]