As manufacturers use air flow in their favor, cars gain efficiency

Read more: Mobil 1 Technology Hub Ah, remember the good ol’ days? Cue Junior Johnson’s Pontiac barreling down some dirt track in North Carolina, teaching his competitors first-hand the true art of driving an automobile; the rumbling of engines apparent as they breathe for air amidst a cloud of smoke and dust clouds; the big, beautiful, boxy cars cutting through the wind as well as a jogger in a swimming pool. For those whose memories are slightly foggy -- or, more likely, just weren’t around in 1955, myself included -- the featured vehicles seen in NASCAR weren’t always as aerodynamically-sound as today’s Generation-6 car, which debuted earlier this year. While Johnson is universally credited with patenting early drafting strategies, the sport had a long way to go over the course of the next 50-plus years. As technology developed and cars were fine-tuned, the goal became to produce a car with minimal wind resistance, or, at least a car that uses wind to work in its favor. ... Read More

As manufacturers use air flow in their favor, cars gain efficiency

Read more: Mobil 1 Technology Hub Ah, remember the good ol’ days? Cue Junior Johnson’s Pontiac barreling down some dirt track in North Carolina, teaching his competitors first-hand the true art of driving an automobile; the rumbling of engines apparent as they breathe for air amidst a cloud of smoke and dust clouds; the big, beauti... Read More

Pit stops, previously seen as an afterthought, have come to the forefront of racing

Whether it's during a race, at a practice session or in the garage during downtime, it’s impossible to take stock of a NASCAR pit crew team without noticing the sheer volume of instruments at its disposal.   From walls of computers spitting out valuable information to sets of state-of-the-art tools that enable a team to do a complete pit stop in (ideally) less than 14 seconds, never has a crew been put in better position to shave valuable milliseconds off a pit-stop time.   Progress wasn't always measured in milliseconds, though. In the early days of NASCAR -- the 1960s, when men such as Richard Petty, David Pearson and Ned Jarrett ruled the track -- the pit stop was, to practically every team, an afterthought.   With so many races in that era topping out at 100 miles on dirt tracks, pit-road strategy consisted of figuring out fuel mileage to make sure a driver had enough gas to finish the race, along with cleaning the windshield and the grille. There was no need for anything else, certainly not replacing tires. ... Read More

Pit stops, previously seen as an afterthought, have come to the forefront of racing

Whether it's during a race, at a practice session or in the garage during downtime, it’s impossible to take stock of a NASCAR pit crew team without noticing the sheer volume of instruments at its disposal.   From walls of computers spitting out valuable information to sets of state-of-the-art tools that e... Read More

Fire suits and fuel cells have done a lot for driver safety since the 1960s

In the early days of NASCAR, the clothing drivers wore during races was based mostly on one factor -- comfort.   In the car for hours at a time, and without the technology afforded to today’s competitors, a driver’s apparel often consisted of something he might wear on the street. Blue jeans were cheap and rugged, which made them a fine choice to wear in the 1950s. Many opted to pair jeans with simple T-shirts, usually related to their choice of automotive manufacturer or brand.   There were no fire suits, mandated gloves or helmets, although some drivers did choose to wear those items.   Tim Flock was one of the first drivers to wear what we consider to be a fire suit today. It wasn’t called a fire suit in the 1950s, though, because it wasn’t designed to combat fire. Flock’s get-up, while resembling today’s fire suits, was simply called a uniform. It was thin and had the same effect as wearing street clothes. ... Read More

Fire suits and fuel cells have done a lot for driver safety since the 1960s

In the early days of NASCAR, the clothing drivers wore during races was based mostly on one factor -- comfort.   In the car for hours at a time, and without the technology afforded to today’s competitors, a driver’s apparel often consisted of something he might wear on the street. Blue jeans were cheap and rugged, wh... Read More