Lesson 2: NASCAR Glossary
NASCAR Glossary -- P thru Y
PACE CAR --- The official “stock” car or truck of the race that is usually provided for each track’s events through sponsorship from local car dealer. The pace car sets the pace when leading the cars to the green flag for the race start or restarts. During a caution period within the race, the pace car takes to the track and all competitors must line up behind it. Drivers who pass ahead of a pace car while it’s on the track are usually heavily fined. Depending on the size of the track, the pace car sets the speed limit pace for the cars. The pace car also leads the cars down pit road to allow them to correlate their RPM gauges to the set speed limit for the pit road area.
PIT BOX --- A designated area marked off for each team to service their racecars during a race. The pit area is usually across from the grandstand and flag stand (finish and start line) except for the older smaller tracks where the venue’s size dictates having pit areas on the back stretch.
PIT ROAD --- The paved road leading across the apron from the racetrack leading to each team’s pit area where they can service their cars during a race.
PIT ROAD SPEED --- A speed limit placed on pit road by NASCAR to insure a safer working environment for team crew members. The speed limit varies depending on the size of the track, usually between 35 and 55 miles per hour which is measured by the racecar’s RPM gauge because racecars don’t have speedometers.
PIT STALL --- The area behind the pit box on the back side of the pit wall where each crew keeps their race tires, tools, equipment, and war wagons.
PIT STOP --- When a racecar stops for service during competition for fuel, tires, chassis adjustments and mechanical problems.
POLE --- This term represents the first starting position of a race event. When a driver qualifies and records the fastest speed of all qualifiers, he wins the “pole” and gets to start the race at the inside (next to the pit area) front position. The second place qualifier gets the “outside pole” starting on the outside (next to the grandstands) of the front row.
PROVISIONAL --- A starting spot awarded to a driver who did not qualify for a race based on his speed. NASCAR awards starting positions 37 thru 42 using this system. These provisional starts need to be earned through past performances. The 43rd position is left for a past champion who was unable to qualify. If there are no past champions who need to use it, the position is used with the regular provisional starts.
PURSE --- The money awarded to the winner and the rest of the competitors in a stock car race.
QUAD-OVAL --- An oval shaped racetrack with four corners.
REAR CLIP --- The rear section of the racecar which begins at the bottom of the rear window and holds the fuel cell, spoiler, and rear suspension parts.
RESTRICTOR PLATE --- An aluminum plate that is placed between the base of the carburetor and the engine's intake manifold with four smaller sized holes drilled in it that are inline with the four holes in the carburetor. The smaller holes are designed to reduce the flow of air and fuel into the engine's combustion chamber, thereby decreasing horsepower and speed.
ROLL CAGE --- The steel tubing cage inside of the race car’s interior that surrounds and protects the driver from impacts or rollovers.
ROOF FLAPS --- These flaps are attached to the racecar’s roof and are designed to activate, or flip up, to deter the car from going airborne if it should spin around backwards. In the case of a vehicle turning backwards, the tendency for an uninterrupted flow of air is to create lift. The roof flaps are designed to disrupt that airflow in attempt to keep the vehicle on the ground.
ROUND --- A term used in reference to making chassis adjustments. One turn on a chassis adjustment screw equals one round. It’s also sometimes referred to as a “round of bite” which is made to improve the racecar’s traction and adhesion to the racing surface while cornering. See Wedge and Track bar.
RPM --- A term used in abbreviation that stands for “revolutions per minute,” which is used to measure the turning of an engine’s crankshaft.
SCUFFS --- A term used in referring to tires that have been used just enough to have the newness taken off of the contact surface. These “scuffs” have also gone through a heating and cooling process from their first use which can make the rubber compound tougher and longer lasting.
SERIES --- different competition divisions of NASCAR are referred to as being a “series.” The top three are Winston Cup, Busch Grand National, and Craftsman Truck, in that order.
SETUP --- A term used to refer to a racecar’s suspension or chassis adjustments, which include springs, shocks, wheel alignment, etc. Different “setups” or adjustments are required for different sized and different types of racetracks.
SHOCK --- This part is also used within the chassis and is also known as a “shock absorber.” It consists of a rod or piston mounted in a gas filled cylinder. Racecars have specially built shocks that are used to absorb the energy created when the car goes over bumps or rough surfaces on the racetrack. There is a shock mounted with the spring near each wheel. The adjustable stiffness of the shocks also has a lot to do with the setup and handling of a racecar.
SILLY SEASON --- This term is used to identify the changing of employment within race teams. It mainly concerns drivers and crew chiefs and normally begins toward of the end of any given season when people are positioning themselves on different teams for next year’s season.
SPINDLE --- The short steel shaft used to hold and stabilize the front wheel to the wheel assembly. The wheel bearings in the wheel assembly which allow the wheel to turn are fitted to the spindle.
SPLASH ‘N’ GO --- This is a quick fuel stop that is made toward the end of a race that will allow the racecar to take on just enough fuel to finish the race.
SPOILER --- The spoiler is an adjustable upright strip of aluminum that stretches across the width of a racecar's rear deck lid. It is designed to create downforce on the rear of the car to increase traction.
SPONSOR --- A wealthy individual or corporation that finances a race, race team, or racing series. Usually corporate sponsors finance racing ventures as part of their advertising campaigns. A sponsor will have their logos on the cars, team uniforms, and team equipment haulers. They will also use their involvement in racing for television and print advertising.
SPOTTER --- A team member who is placed in a high position where they can see as much of the entire racetrack as physically possible, which is usually on top of the grandstand area. The spotter relays information to the driver via two-way radio concerning activity on the track and activity near the driver that he is unable to see for himself.
SPRING --- A coiled steel part built in a spiral shape to help the car absorb the bumps and roughness of the racetrack. Some of the older racetracks are really rough and bumpy. The springs are mounted within the chassis near each wheel and are used to hold up the weight of the car. The springs are an intricate part in the equation that is used to determine a racecar’s height. The stiffness of the spring has a lot to do with the racecars setup and handling.
SPRING RUBBER --- A two piece rubber wedge that is inserted into the coils of the chassis spring as an adjustment to keep a particular corner of the racecar more rigid for handling purposes. These rubbers are usually inserted before a race, and if required, are removed during tire changes.
STICKERS --- A term used for new tires that have the manufacturers plastic nomenclature sticker adhered to the contact surface.
SWAY BAR --- An anti-roll bar used in the car’s suspension to counteract the side to side rolling force of a car as it circumvents a corner. Most racecars have one in both the front and rear of the chassis.
TELEMETRY --- This term is used to define the electronic technology that is used to record several mechanical functions of the racecar during competition, including the driver’s speed and engine RPM. The information is transmitted from a telemetry box mounted on the right floorboard inside of the racecar and can be transferred to video and shown on television.
TEMPLATE --- A long narrow aluminum device used to check racecar body shape and size. The template is placed over the top of the car from front to rear to insure that it meets the NASCAR specifications associated with that particular make of car.
TIGHT --- A condition also known as “push,” that occurs when the front tires of a car will not turn in a corner. The car tends to want to head for the outside wall. When this occurs, the driver must get out of the throttle until the front tires grip the race track again.
TOE --- The tire alignment commonly referred to as “castor” which sets the tire to run evenly with the car. If a tire was “toed out” it would wear off the inside portion of the tire tread surface where it touches the ground. If a tire was “toed in” it would wear the outside area of the tire tread surface. A tire must me “in toe” to wear evenly and face the front direction evenly.
TRACK BAR --- This bar assembly adjusts the location of the rear end housing. Raising the bar, or moving the rear end to the left, will usually loosen a tight racecar. Lowering the track bar or moving the rear end to the right will usually tighten up the car.
TRAILING ARM --- A rear suspension part that allows the axel to be moved either up or down to improve the racecar’s handling and balance.
TRANSMISSION --- A large part consisting of four forward and one reverse gear which is used to transfer the engine’s power to the rear wheels through the drive shaft and rear end assembly at different speed ratio’s.
TRANSPONDER --- An electronic transmitter that is mounted on the right rear of the racecar, usually on the side of the box protecting the fuel cell. The transponder is used to send a signal to a NASCAR receiver located at the start/finish line to record the car’s lap progression and time it’s taking the car to complete a lap. Teams in the pit area also have access to this information during the race via computer.
TRI-OVAL --- An oval racetrack with a shape resembling a triangle. The triangle curve of the track will usually run in front of the grandstand/finish line area.
VALANCE --- This is the panel that extends below the vehicle's front bumper towards the ground and is also referred to as the front air dam. The ground clearance affects the amount of front downforce the vehicle creates. Lowering the valance creates more front downforce.
WAR WAGON --- This term refers to the huge tool boxes that the teams wheel out to their pit stalls. The boxes usually contain tools and equipment, spare parts, and computer equipment to track the race. There are usually seats mounted on the tops of the war wagons where the crew chiefs and owners or timers sit and observe their racecar’s progress during an event or qualifying time trial.
WEDGE --- This refers to transferring the weight of the car by the use of jacking screws that are mounted on the rear corners of the racecar. Adjusting these ratcheting screws during a race will alleviate tight and loose conditions.
WEIGHT --- As an example, a Winston Cup car is built to weigh exactly 3100 pounds. When the car enters any type of competition, it is mandated by NASCAR to weigh exactly 3400 pounds. If the driver weights 150 pounds, lead weight is added to the hollow frame rails to make up the 150 pound difference. This weight is moved from end to end inside of the frame rail to help achieve balance in the race car. The smaller the driver is, means that more weight is available to help achieve balance. On oval tracks the weight is installed on the left frame rail because the cars are constantly turning left, on road courses, it is evenly divided on the left and right side.
WHEELBASE --- The area in length between the centers of the front and rear axle hubs measured on the side on a vehicle.
WIND TUNNEL --- A structure used by race teams to determine the aerodynamic efficiency of their cars. It consists of a platform on which the car is fixed, with a giant fan to create wind currents. It contains electronic equipment to determine how the airflow over the car has an affect on drag and downforce.
WINDOW NET --- The grid shaped nylon device that covers the driver’s side window by his seat during a race. The window net is secured to the bottom of the window opening and clips into the top of the window opening during competition with an easy open clip that the driver can use to make a hasty exit from the racecar in case of fire after a wreck. The window net was designed to keep the drivers body parts inside of the car during roll-overs in a wreck, and also to keep foreign objects from entering the car that could injure the driver.
YELLOW LINE --- A painted yellow line that is used to mark the separation of the racetrack from the apron. In restrictor plate races, NASCAR deems it illegal for a car to go below the yellow line or pass another car below the yellow line to gain a track position.
