NASCAR Terms and Expressions

Car racing has developed its own language of terms and words that are specific to the sport and have meanings that introduce concepts and ideas inherent in the sport. We’re going to talk about a few racing terms that you might not have heard of and give you a little information on each word and just what it means when you hear someone talk about this word or you read it in an article.

NASCAR has its own language

You might have noticed how closely NASCAR competitors follow the vehicle in front of them at times and this is done for a number of reasons that will discuss on another day.  When one NASCAR competitor stays as close to a vehicle in front of his car as he can, the lead vehicle affects the normal aerodynamics of the trailing car and therefore air flow across the trailing vehicle. The change in air flow results in a decrease in the downward force on the front of the trailing car and the ability of the car to turn the corners. This effect is referred too as Aero Push in NASCAR terms and is an effect that is more noticeable when a car comes out of a corner.

You might have heard the term Aerodynamic Drag being thrown around the a NASCAR track occasionally, this term refers to a number that represents a coefficient of many variables that provide a quantitative measure of the airs resistance to a vehicles movement through the air. Teams attempt to achieve the best “drag horsepower” rating possible by determining the power necessary to push the vehicle through the air at a certain speed.

Have you ever noticed the strip that hangs under the front grill of a NASCAR, almost on the ground? This strip has been designed to help create down-force on the front of the vehicle and is called an Air Dam.

Air Pressure refers to the amount of force the gases inside a tire exerts on the interior surfaces of the tire and is used as another set up tool to adjust a vehicles suspension rate. They’ll increase the air pressure to increase the “spring rate” in a tire and to change the way the car handles in particular sections of the track.

Now that you have a better understanding of these racing terms you’ll have a better idea of what’s going on the next time you hear these terms. See you at the track!

 ”Image: Zuma Press”