The ABCs of Flying Cars: Aerodynamics, Brad and Carl
It is much harder to keep cars on the ground than it is to keep drivers from wrecking each other. You can't call 'air' to the hauler...
View ArticleNot Fine with Me!
C'mon NASCAR - I keep trying to defend you and you keep making it hard for me. @jeff_gluck reports that @nateryan told Brian France that NASCAR seems like "...an autocratic regime that doles out...
View ArticleThe Truth about Cell Phones, ECUs and Car Control
It didn't take long after Brad Kezelowski pulled out his cellphone during the 2-hour-long Daytona red flag for the conspiracy theorists to leap into action. The argument goes like this: Cellphones...
View ArticleIs There Really a Second-Place Curse?
One of the commentators after the final race in Homestead mentioned that Jimmie Johnson should be happy he finished in third because it allows him to avoid the "dreaded second-place curse". Anytime...
View ArticleThe Science of Speed: Week Ending 10/31/13
My weekly roundup of math, statistics and science-related motorsports stories… and a few things that maybe are more notable for their lack of speed. Racecar Engineering has a lovely series of videos on...
View ArticleNASCAR’s Concussion Policy
Concussions were big news in a week where no one actually got one. NASCAR announced a new policy on concussions : Starting in 2014, all drivers will be required to have a baseline test at the start of...
View ArticleCan You Predict a Driver’s Success from their Rookie Year Stats?
Now that the season is over, it’s time to look through the statistics from the year. One big story this year was Danica Patrick’s rookie season in Sprint Cup. She didn’t set the world on fire: One...
View ArticleAmerica’s Motorsports Engineering Pool
Brad Keselowski, that never ending source of material on slow news days, had a few words about the state of American Motorsports Engineering. These quotes are from an article by Mike Pryson in...
View ArticleSkirting the Issue
Flared side skirts became an issue when social media started noticing them somewhere around Kansas. The fact that the most obvious example of this was on the 2 car and Brad Keselowski is rapidly taking...
View ArticleAge and the NASCAR Driver: Can They Still Compete?
Jeff Gordon’s decision to step away from full-time NASCAR Sprint Cup racing has resulted in a lot of discussion about aging drivers. We’re on the verge of a turnover as a number of drivers (Johnson,...
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How NASA Research could end NASCAR Engine Failures Due to Trash on the Grille
For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe the horse was lost. For want of a horse the rider was lost. For want of a rider the message was lost. For want of a message the battle was lost....
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Changing Manufacturers: More than just Decals?
I’d Rather Fight Than Switch If you remember what commercial that was from, then congrats. You are — like me — old. It used to be that an owner was loyal to his manufacturer to the death, but the last...
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Retirements, Replacements and Rookies
Retirement He didn’t use the word ‘retirement’, but the sad news last week was that Matt Kenseth won’t have a Cup ride in 2018. It’s partly his choice. He could have done a Kasey Kahne and taken a ride...
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NASCAR: Did Toyota’s New Car Give them the Advantage in 2017?
Advantage Toyota? NASCAR’s perennial challenge is keeping manufacturers’ cars even so that no one has an unfair advantage. There is no denying that Toyota had a great 2017. Some people would say that’s...
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Winning vs. Consistency: The Delicate Balance of the NASCAR Playoffs
How do you decide who the ‘best’ driver is? Is it the guy who wins the most races? Or the guy who runs up front the most? If it’s s combination, how do you weight each factor? And once you’ve decided...
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NASCAR 2018: The Year in Charts and Graphs
This is the time of the year when everyone takes one final look back at the last year before turning to think about the new one. So, in this last blog of the year, I thought I’d summarize the season...
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Brad Keselowski: The Smartest Driver in NASCAR
Brad Keselowski may not have an engineering degree or years and years of experience, but I’m ready to nominate him as the Smartest Driver in NASCAR. He is a man with a plan and it’s a really good...
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