Five things we didn't know about NASCAR
It isn't all left turns and spectacular crashes!
1. Stock cars were originally used by bootleggers during Prohibition in the 1920s and 30s. Cars had to be fast, light and able to carry moonshine safely whilst escaping the police. When Prohibition was lifted, these stock cars were then raced for 'pride and profit' and nowadays races can last - Daytona being the most obvious example - up to 500 miles.
2. Since Bill France Sr co-founded NASCAR on Daytona Beach in 1948, the sport always shied away from technology with the emphasis being on driver skill. Engines are all aluminium V8s using a two-valve per cylinder configuration and only switched over from carburettor systems to electronic fuel injection in 2012.
3. A pit-stop generally takes a little longer than what viewers are used to in F1; eight seconds vs. the average 2.8 seconds in F1. In Formula 1, each member of the pit crew has a single task whilst the crew of six on a NASCAR team (a seventh is there for safety reasons) have to firstly leap a concrete wall to gain access to the cars. Two men change tyres pneumatically removing five nuts off each wheel, fuel is added during a stop and while that is going on eight stewards are analysing every move, deeming whether it was safe or not.
4. The highest speed ever set in NASCAR was in 1987 at Talladega Superspeedway by Bill Elliott. Elliot managed to wrestle his car to 212.809mph. In the same year he managed to set the second highest speed at Daytona International Speedway hitting 210.364mph.
5. The race series has seen some familiar faces make the jump to the high speed oval. Kimi Raikkonen, Jacques Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet Jnr and Juan Pablo Montoya have all switched from F1 to NASCAR for a period. Female drivers have also been eligible to race since its start in 1949 - Shawna Robinson was the first to win a NASCAR event in 1988; she was also voted 'Rookie of the Year' and 'Most Popular Driver' that year.
I know they're travelling at a fair rate but when there's an incident you seem to see about a dozen scatter in all directions, many into the wall or the infield. Given the drivers' obvious skill, are they that hard to control that mayhem is inevitable, or is it just the sheer speed they carry that causes so many to spin out?
I know they're travelling at a fair rate but when there's an incident you seem to see about a dozen scatter in all directions, many into the wall or the infield. Given the drivers' obvious skill, are they that hard to control that mayhem is inevitable, or is it just the sheer speed they carry that causes so many to spin out?
I know they're travelling at a fair rate but when there's an incident you seem to see about a dozen scatter in all directions, many into the wall or the infield. Given the drivers' obvious skill, are they that hard to control that mayhem is inevitable, or is it just the sheer speed they carry that causes so many to spin out?
I really like the technical rules behind NASCAR - simple cars taken to the limit, and a governing body prepared to equalise the field when necessary.
One thing that always surprises is how much cheating goes on, even now - there's a little noticeboard in the back of Racecar Engineering magazine with team appointments/movements, and there's usually a couple of NASCAR team members been caught for cheating and fined etc...
- Indy Car lap record = 226 mph Car weighs about 1,600 lb 750 bhp
- NASCAR lap record = 189 mph Car weighs about 3,400 lb 850 bhp
I know they're travelling at a fair rate but when there's an incident you seem to see about a dozen scatter in all directions, many into the wall or the infield. Given the drivers' obvious skill, are they that hard to control that mayhem is inevitable, or is it just the sheer speed they carry that causes so many to spin out?
It would explain what you see, where there is a nudge, a car slides and then suddenly flips off up into the air.
It would explain what you see, where there is a nudge, a car slides and then suddenly flips off up into the air.
F1 watchers will have seen Fernando Alonsos car take off early this season and fly into the wall. He was very lucky to get out alive, albeit severely bruised by his seatbelts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT17vWFkl_w
It would explain what you see, where there is a nudge, a car slides and then suddenly flips off up into the air.
F1 watchers will have seen Fernando Alonsos car take off early this season and fly into the wall. He was very lucky to get out alive, albeit severely bruised by his seatbelts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT17vWFkl_w
During spins, as a result of accidents or loss of handling, as the car rotates it eventually reaches an angle where the oncoming air reacts with the profile of the vehicle in the same manner as a wing. If the speed is high enough air flowing over the car's overall airfoil shape will create sufficient lift to force the car to become airborne. To prevent this, NASCAR developed a set of flaps that are recessed into pockets on the roof of the car. As a car is turned around and reaches an angle where significant lift occurs, the low pressure above the flaps causes them to deploy
I can't verify it though.
Now added to the hood/bonnet as well.
The flaps sound like something they've added recently to counter this?
They're also made in Shropshire: http://www.gwcast.com/en/2010/12/01/lorem-ipsum-do...
Regarding the article, specifically about Bill France not liking technology, yes, the engines are based around an antiquated design but the same as Top Fuel drag racing engines, even though they're 2 valve V8s, they're far from old school. They have piston speeds close to what F1 engines did before they switched to the current format, a strict set of specs means MORE tech than less, you have to work harder to find each extra horsepower. Without restrictors these engines make about 1000hp naturally aspirated, that's not an old lump of pig iron!
http://www.epi-eng.com/piston_engine_technology/co...
As for the flaps, they are indeed there to act as an aero device to stop the cars from taking off when they spin, as once they get air under them they tend to lift...
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