Glossary: R-Z

• Glossary: A-F | G-Q | R-Z

R

Race Shop: The place where race cars are built, painted, repaired and prepared. The race shop is usually located at the team's headquarters.

Radial Tires: A tire construction design that has its cord plies (inner layers) running straight up the sidewall of a tire, wrapping around the face of the tire and running back down the other sidewall of the tire. Radial tire designs are mandated for use in all NASCAR racing series.

Radiator: A key component of the engine's cooling system, the radiator is the reservoir where liquid coolant heated by the car's engine is cooled down by air passing through the vanes of the radiator.

Radio: The device that enables drivers, crew chiefs and spotters to communicate with each other during a race.

Red Flag: The flag that signals a temporary stop to the race because of a condition that makes safe racing impossible; for example: rain, emergency medical personnel on the track, track repair or darkness. No service or repairs may be made to a car during red flag conditions.

Restrictor Plate: An aluminum plate that sits between the carburetor and the intake manifold of a motor with four holes of a very specific diameter cut through it. Restrictor plates are mandated by NASCAR to reduce horsepower by restricting the amount of air flowing into an engine. Restrictor plates are used at Daytona and Talladega superspeedways exclusively. Without the restrictor plates, cars would lap these tracks at speeds that are clearly unsafe for drivers and fans alike.

Revs: Racing slang for revolutions per minute, or RPM.

Ride Height: The distance between the bottom of the car's frame rails and the ground. Ringer A specialist driver hired by a team to give them a better shot at victory. Most frequently, ringers are brought in for road courses.

Road Course: A racing circuit that is comprised of left- and right-hand turns, as opposed to an oval which is comprised exclusively of left-hand turns.

Roll Cage: The part of the tube chassis of a racecar that is designed to protect the driver in event of a crash.

Roof Flaps: A safety device comprised of hinged, license plate-sized metal panels located on the roof of a race car. These flaps deploy automatically when a race car at speed starts sliding sideways or backwards. The purpose of the flaps is to prevent a car from getting airborne by mucking up the airflow over a car and reducing its aerodynamic lift.

Rookie: A first-year driver in any given racing series. Also any multi-year driver that has made seven or fewer starts in a particular series.

Rotor: The part of a disc brake system that rotates with the tire. The brake pads squeeze the rotor, which slows the wheel.

RPM: An abbreviation for revolutions per minute. RPM is the measure of the speed of the motor, not the car.

S

SAFER Barriers: Steel and Foam Energy Reduction Barrier, sometimes called a soft wall, located at most tracks where NASCAR races. Its steel and polystyrene foam construction spreads out the force of a car's impact along a longer portion of the concrete wall, which reduces the dangerous deceleration forces experienced by the driver and also reduces damage to the car.

Scuffed Tires: Tires that have been placed on the car, run for a lap or two during practice, and taken off the car. These scuffed tires are then put back on the car during the race because, depending upon car setup, track conditions and driver preference, scuffed tires can grip better.

Seat Time: Literally, the amount of time a driver spends in the driver's seat of a race car. Seat time is especially important when a driver is getting familiar with a new car or new track.

Shock Absorbers: A suspension component that is designed to stabilize the car as it goes over bumps on the racetrack.

Short Track: An oval racetrack that is less than one mile in length.

Short Pitting: A tactic used by teams that calls for a car to come into the pits for routine service a number of laps before everybody else is likely to come in. Short pitting is often used to gain track position in the event of a caution flag soon after that pit stop.

Silly Season: Slang for the period that begins during the latter part of a race season, when some teams announce driver, crew and/or sponsor changes.

Silver Fox: Nickname for David Pearson

Speedway Motorsports, Inc.: A leading promoter of NASCAR events headed up by Burton Smith. Speedway Motorsports, Inc. owns and operates Atlanta Motor Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe's Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway.

Speedweeks: The two-week run up to the Daytona 500 which includes all practice sessions, the Budweiser Shootout, qualifying, the Gatorade Duel, the Craftsman Truck Series and the Busch Series races.

Spoiler: A strip of aluminum that stretches across the width of a race vehicle's rear decklid. It is designed to create downforce on the rear of the vehicle, thereby increasing traction.

Sponsors: The corporations which give money to race teams and drivers in exchange for certain marketing opportunities, such as logo placement on the car, a patch on a driver's suit, permission to use the car and/or driver in advertising, etc.

Spotter: The member of a race team who, from a perch high above the race track, serves as the remote rear- and side-view mirrors for the driver. He or she advises the driver via radio about what's happening on the track immediately around the car.

Springs: The coil springs on all four corners of a car's suspension. These springs absorb bumps in the racetrack and allow the chassis to roll laterally in corners, all in an effort to maximize handling.

Spring Rate: The measure of a spring's stiffness. Optimum handling requires varying spring rates on all four corners of a race car. It is the job of the crew chief to figure out which spring rates will work best for any given track.

Spring Rubbers: A hard rubber device that is wedged between the coils of a car's spring. A spring rubber serves to temporarily stiffen the suspension's spring rate. If conditions dictate, the spring rubber can be removed during a pit stop to soften the suspension.

Sticker Tires: An absolutely brand new set of racing tires. "Sticker" refers to the paper label that is stuck to the factory-smooth tread of the tire by the manufacturer.

Strictly Stock Division: The name of NASCAR's first stock car racing series which debuted in 1949.

Suspension System: The part of a race car that allows for independent wheel travel relative to the chassis. Suspension components include a-arms, springs, shock absorbers, track bars, rear axles and trailing arms.

Superspeedways: A racetrack that is greater than two miles in length.

T

Tachometer: The gauge located on the dashboard that measures engine RPM.

Telemetry: The recording and/or electronic transmission of time coded data to and from a race car. For example, a car may send a continuous stream of RPM data to the pits via radio signals.

Templates: An important part of NASCAR's pre-race inspection process, templates are forms cut to precise shapes that are placed on a car to ensure that its body conforms to the approved shape for that make and model.

Tight: Also known as push or understeer. A handling condition characterized by a lack of grip of the front tires. To make a car turn under these conditions, the driver has to put in more steering lock. Doing so causes the front tires -- especially the outside front tire -- to run at a higher temperature and wear out faster.

Tire Changer: Part of the pit crew, the tire changer is the person assigned with the task of taking the old tire off and putting a new one in its place.

Tire Pressure: The measure of air pressure within a race tire.

Tire Wars: A term used to describe the battle between two different sanctioned tire manufacturers within a racing series. The most recent tire wars in NASCAR occurred in 1988, 1989 and 1994 when Goodyear and Hoosier Tires both supplied tires to then Winston Cup teams.

Tire Temperature: Racing tires are designed to provide optimal grip within a certain tire temperature range. Tires that run too hot will blister and soon thereafter disintegrate.

Toe-In: The relative alignment of the front wheel of a car along its longitudinal axis. Toe-in has the front of the tire angled slightly inward toward center.

Toe-Out: The relative alignment of the front wheel of a car along its longitudinal axis. Toe-out has the front of the tire angled slightly outward from center.

Torque: Technically, it's the measure of the twisting power of a motor. Practically, it's the amount of grunt a motor has at the lower- and mid-RPM ranges.

Track: The measure from the outside of a car's right-side tire to the outside of the left-side tire.

Track Bar: Also known as the Panhard Bar. An adjustable metal bar that is attached to the chassis on one side of the car and the solid axle on the other side of the car. The track bar locates a car's rear axle from left-to-right under the chassis. Raising or lowering the track bar changes the rear roll center, which has a big effect on handling through corners.

Trading Paint: A term used to describe cars bumping against each other in an effort to gain position or to deal out some retribution.

Transmission: The part of a car's drivetrain that contains the gears used to deliver power from the engine to the rear wheels.

Tri-Oval: An alternative configuration of the true oval, the tri-oval features a curved front stretch connecting the exit of turn 4 and the entry to turn 1.

True Oval: The traditional shape of a speedway, marked by two sweeping 180-degree turns, each connected by two straightaways of equal length.

Turns 1, 2, 3 & 4: Think of it this way: On an oval, turn 1 is the first half of the first 180-degree turn and turn 2 is the second half. Turn 3 is the first half of the second 180-degree turn, and turn 4 is the second half.

V

Valance: Also known as the "front air dam," the valance is the panel that extends below the vehicle's front bumper. The closer the valance comes to the ground, the greater downforce it generates.

Victory Lane: Also known as the Winner's Circle. Where race winners go to receive their trophy and winner's check.

W

Water Temperature: The temperature of the coolant circulating through the radiator.

Wheelbase: The distance between the centerline of the front and rear axles.

Wedge: The adjustment made to a car's rear suspension in an effort to improve handling by increasing or decreasing spring tension. The wedge adjustment bolts are located on the left and right sides of the rear axle and are accessed by a specialized wrench placed through holes in the rear windshield.

White Flag: Waved by the flagman to indicate that there is one lap to go before end of race.

Wind Tunnel: A very expensive and high-tech research tool that enables the study of wind as it flows over and around solid objects.

Window Net: A series of nylon straps woven together to create a net that stretches from the top to the bottom of the driver's side window. It's designed to keep the driver's head and hands safely inside the car in the event of a flip.

Winston Cup Series: From 1970 through 2003, it was the title of NASCAR's premier stock car racing division. Today it's called the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

Y

Yellow Flag: The flag waved by the flagman which tells the drivers they must slow down and that racing conditions no longer exist on the track.