NASCAR

[TheMercenary]

Anybody a fan?

[Shawnee123]

Where's that cricket when you need it, merc?

I would participate but I don't follow racing.

[classicman]

bunch o cars takin a bunch of lefts.... nah no thanks.

[Clodfobble]

The movie Cars is cute...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Used to, before they got so fast they couldn't be raced anymore, and the winner determined by the process of elimination.

[TheMercenary]

Man it is all about strategy, fuel, tires, pit stops... and of course the best part ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Physics.

Given that 75 million people are fans of the racing circuit, physicist


The Physics of NASCAR: Diandra Leslie-Pelecky probably doesn’t have to worry too much about finding an audience for her book on the intricacies of stock-car racing, The Physics of Nascar. But this is hardly just a story for race fans. It’s a crash course in chemistry, physics and more. In the first few chapters, she gets down to the molecular level–at some points literally–in describing the stock car chassis, diagrams how welding works, and even takes a few paragraphs to explain why the white paint on a car appears white to our eyes.

But it’s when she moves out of the shop and onto the track that the book really takes off, as she breaks down engines, brakes, tires, drag and lift; the dynamics of racing itself. Her approach might be too granular for some, but if you’re not one to speed through a book as quickly as those drivers rip down the track, and you’re willing to get into the details, it’s fascinating stuff. Plus, it’s not all dry science.

Leslie-Pelecky, a physicist at the University of Texas, Dallas, doubles as a reporter here. She does a nice job bringing to life the technicians and engineers behind the Nascar curtain, and confesses that she abandoned being impartial, effectively joining the team she been followed. Some of the behind-the-scenes details might wear on non-racing lovers, but the Nascar crowd will probably gobble that stuff up. And anyone will appreciate the scenes in which she actually gets behind the wheel of a stock car, and finds her legs wobbling as she walks away afterwards.

"Both Newton's third law and the Bernoulli equation (or Euler Equations) are required to analyze and discuss the concept of aerodynamic lift. Newton's third law is very useful to explain (without analysis) unsteady lifting motions such as a raptor taking off with prey in its talons.

However, quasi-steady lift is best explained by using field equations such as the Euler Equation or RANS equations to calculate the pressure and velocity fields around an airplane wing or albatross (limited flapping) wing at a given free stream velocity. These pressure field calculations are then integrated over the wing surface to obtain lift forces. Such a calculation would be nearly impossible to accomplish by analyzing the deflection of an unknown mass of air downwards as suggested by Associate Editor Bjorn Carey in his reply in the May 2008 issue of Popular Science.

Circulation theory also explains why birds find it advantageous to fly in the upwash just outside the wing tip of an adjacent bird in the formation.

From another PhD in Fluid Mechanics"

http://stockcarscience.com/

[Sundae]

Isn't NASCAR just Formula One for Americans?

[TheMercenary]

Not really, we have Formula One as well. NASCAR is quite different. The cars are bigger and heavier, the sponsors and owners richer, and the fan base is much larger.

[barefoot serpent]

many moons ago -- when Cale, Bobby and Richard were 3-wide at Talladega -- those were the days. I must admit the only reason to watch anymore is for the wrecks... very spectacular and always amazed when the driver crawls out and walks away (usually).

[HungLikeJesus]

That looks like a good book. I have Bicycling Science (second edition) and Fighting Science; The Physics of NASCAR belongs on the same shelf. And it's only $17.13 through Amazon.

[TheMercenary]

It is a fantastic read. I have not completely finished it. Bedside occassional reader.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Man it is all about strategy, fuel, tires, pit stops... and of course the best part ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> Physics.

See, that's the problem... I always enjoyed the Saturday night races much more than physics classes, or even the labs.

What I find particularly annoying, is NASCAR's fiddling with the rules to make the cars(brands) equal, so that real racing is impossible.

I will admit though, that book sounds interesting enough to take a stab at.

[TheMercenary]

The race at Watkins Glen Sunday was really good. One of three places they race that is not some semblence of a round track. It is for Indy aka open wheel racing. Huge ass wreck with 9 laps to go in the race. Catch it on ESPN sports round up. Kyle wins again! Yea!

[lookout123]

NASCAR determined after the race that a magnetic spacer was attached under the gas pedal of both cars for the intent of compromising the chassis dynamometer test.

The infraction came several weeks after NASCAR ordered that all Toyotas use a smaller spacer that would knock about 15 horsepower from their engines.

Toyota had won 14 of 21 races, all but one in a Camry fielded by JGR, before the mandate.

ESPN story
This is why I don't consider NASCAR racing. When someone wins a bunch, the ruling body changes the rules so everyone else can catch up. What reward is there for doing your job better than the other guy?

If winning a race is down to timing your fuel and tire changes better than the other guy... why have the race? just park the cars and run it all through computers.

[sweetwater]

When Bimbo gets excited about something she dashes about in little circles, always to the left. She is not an ambi-turner. That's how she earned her nickname "NASCAR Dog". The best part about watching it is experiencing the Doppler effect and that gets old by the 3rd lap. So I'm not a fan of NASCAR, though the physics book looks interesting.