Why 200 mph Laps at Michigan are not like 200-mph Laps at Daytona or Talladega
That fact that people are even talking about restrictor plates for Cup racing at Michigan International Speedway indicates a lack of understanding of the issues that give rise to concerns about cars...
View ArticleEliminating Restrictor Plates?
Every return to a restrictor plate track brings suggestions about how we might eliminate the restrictor plate. Restrictor plates serve the very necessary function of limiting car speeds at Daytona and...
View ArticleNASCAR Concussions II: A Screening Test to Avoid Relying Entirely on the Driver
I was lucky enough to speak with Dr. Mark Lovell, an innovator in neurocognitive testing inbetween talks at a conference he was attending. Dr. Lovell came to my attention as the developer of the ImPACT...
View ArticleDegrees of Difference: How is Martinsville like Fontana?
I love getting questions from readers because I always worry that the geeky stuff I find interesting is only interesting to me. I love it even more when they not only give me a question, they also...
View ArticleWhy Turning is Hard
Why Turning Fast is Hard If Isaac Newton had been a racing fan (which I’m sure Sir Isaac would have been if had cars been invented in the 1600’s), he might have stated one of his laws this way: A race...
View ArticleWhy Drying Tracks Takes So Long
Why does it takes so long for a track to dry? Why does humid weather make track drying take even longer? Air is a mix of gas molecules: mostly (78%) nitrogen, about 21% oxygen, the rest misc. gases....
View ArticleWhy You Can’t Judge How Dark it is on Television
When you were a kid, perhaps you locked yourself in the bathroom, turned out the lights, positioned yourself in front of the mirror and then turned on the lights to watch your pupils grow. And if...
View ArticleKeeping Racecars on the Racetrack
Ryan Newman escaped NASCAR sanctions for his comments immediately after being discharged from the infield care center at Talladega. “They can build safer racecars, they can build safer walls, but they...
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 ArticleCan Anyone Really Win at Talladega?
Every year at this time, we hear that Talladega is a wild card because "Anyone can win". Which, of course, made me wonder -- can anyone win?
View ArticleClik here to view.
How NASA Research could end NASCAR Engine Failures Due to Trash on the Grille
For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Drafting: Regular and Bump
I looked through the blog and realized that I haven’t really blogged about drafting. I’ve blogged about all the rules NASCAR’s enacted in the last couple of years to try to control drafting, but not...
View Article
