Lesson 2: NASCAR Glossary
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics play a huge part in racing. The control of forces of air over racecars in motion is paramount to success in any type of automobile racing, and stock car racing is certainly no exception.
Actually, one can look at dealing with aerodynamics as dealing with the forces of nature. The air is always there, with the prevailing breezes and winds coming from any given direction. The task of getting a racecar through this air the most efficiently at high speeds is where the art of mastering aerodynamics comes into play.
Back when stock car racing got its start, regular auto manufacturers stock bodies were used. Chassis enhancements and engine power were paramount; no one gave the slightest thought to aerodynamics. It was actually a good thing, because some of the automotive body styles of old were boxy and pushed through the air like square truck bodies. As automotive engineering progressed through the years, and gasoline became more expensive, more thought was given to the automobile body style in terms of its ease of moving through the air. The same time this was happening, aircraft companies were doing the same type of research, in trying to come up with ways to make their product move through the air with the least amount of aerodynamic drag or friction.
When the so called "gas crisis" came about in the early 1970’s aerodynamic design of auto bodies became paramount, although it took years to develop the body styles that are on today’s automobiles. These same advancements in their stock counterparts were transferred to NASCAR racecars. In the modern era of Winston Cup racing that began in the early 1980’s, the racecars became smaller and even more aerodynamic than that of their stock counterparts.
In today’s NASCAR, the body styles of the racecars only slightly resemble their stock counterparts. Aerodynamics is the name of the game. The positions of air dams and spoilers, as well as fender and roof enhancements mean the success or failure of a racecar’s handling and cornering.
The faster the speeds the more the aerodynamics come into play. On a short track, it doesn’t make much difference if a racecar’s fenders are dented up or even missing. Sometimes when the cars get wrecked, the front fenders are removed and the car is sent back out to continue racing in order to score the most drivers’ and owner’s points possible. On the superspeedways, even a little dent in the fender can hurt the aerodynamic stability of the car. One little dent can deter the car’s ability to slice through the air in the most efficient manner, compared to the other cars on the track that don’t have a dent. In today’s world of stock car racing, that is just how important aerodynamics are while racing on the superspeedways.
Aerodynamics can also cause problems on the race track. This is where the terms Aero Loose and Aero Push come into play. The way the air can be taken off of one car by another one can cripple its racing ability and even cause a serious wreck. Air can also be pushed or packed up underneath a racecar by a following car moving up on it quickly, causing it to lift and spin around. There is really no way possible to avoid these situations. Even if a driver knew they were going to happen in advance, which they sometimes do, they are powerless against the forces of nature that are created by moving their cars through the air at high speeds.
