Overpressured Shocks on the 5-Car: How Does that Create an Advantage?
The 5 car got sent to the back for the start of the race last Sunday at Dover after qualifying third when their shocks didn't clear post-qualifying inspection. Shocks and springs work together to...
View ArticleDover: Why Concrete Races Differently than Asphalt
One of the questions you'll hear drivers and crew chiefs asked a lot this weekend at Dover is how the concrete track affects the racing. Here's how:
View ArticleTurning, G-Forces and Banked Tracks.
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...
View ArticleGearBrain Roundup: Week Ending 10/2/13
Another week? Already? Where does the time go? Eric Chemi reviews his great picks for Dover and gives us some data to support the idea that it really is a three-man Chase. @nascarnomics is looking...
View ArticleWhy 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 picture of a tire (and this...
View ArticleCooling Fuel: Safety or Performance Issue?
Temperatures at the Dover race were unseasonably high. Kurt Busch’s Stewart-Haas 41 team was told by NASCAR officials to remove “heat shields” from their fuel cans. The cans (shown at right) have an...
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Driving Concussed
Driving Concussed This week brings the return of Jeff Gordon to the track, but under conditions I’m sure all of us wish were otherwise. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. is out again (and will be next week) with...
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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...
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