Question for the NASCAR fans (re: Kuechly)

[Mr. Scot]

Pie for the intellectual question

Pit speed at Charlotte is either 50 or 55 mph.. They recently changed it for that track so I can't recall. It may even be 60 mph.

 

Anywho.. A driver is allowed 5mph in excess of the pit speed limit. A driver is required to determine his pit speed during the pace laps for this reason. He gauges the speed of the pace car and sets his gauges to trigger red when he is above a certain point, in relation to that exact RPM range.

 

When you are zinging in and out of cars on pit road with sometimes the amount of .1 mph being the difference between speeding and winning the race off pit road it does factually matter. Quite a bit.

 

 

I know the race cars don't have speedometers, but do the pace cars?

 

[Cam's New Arm]

Does this still apply since NASCAR is now running EFI?

 

Pie for an intellectual question.

 

Si, it does still have an effect on the carbon deposits and such.

[Cam's New Arm]

I know the race cars don't have speedometers, but do the pace cars?

 

 

Yessir. My understand is the Pace car is a factory production car fitted with proper safety equipment. The interior of said car is largely untouched.

Car companies will use the pace car as a gimmick to advertise their next latest and greatest production car, ext.

[Mr. Scot]

Yessir. My understand is the Pace car is a factory production car fitted with proper safety equipment. The interior of said car is largely untouched.

Car companies will use the pace car as a gimmick to advertise their next latest and greatest production car, ext.

 

Thanks.

 

[Moorgan]

How could you not be a little nervous in a Pace car in front of 10's of thousands in attendance and millions watching round the world.

 

I was nervous just riding in one of those cars.  Cant imagine driving it.

 

Wonder why they wont let Cam drive?....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I drove one in Charlotte a few years back. It's a stick shift obviously but I was surprised that they didn't ask any of the idiots like me (and there were easily 60 or 70 of us) if they knew how to drive a stick shift. Didn't matter much as by the time you left pit road you were in top gear already but I just found it strange. I wimped out on the corners and only managed 146 while the woman I was with managed 156. No surprise. She. Is. Crazy.

[L-TownCat]

I drove one in Charlotte a few years back. It's a stick shift obviously but I was surprised that they didn't ask any of the idiots like me (and there were easily 60 or 70 of us) if they knew how to drive a stick shift. Didn't matter much as by the time you left pit road you were in top gear already but I just found it strange. I wimped out on the corners and only managed 146 while the woman I was with managed 156. No surprise. She. Is. Crazy.

 

We hit 176 in the ride along and the driver was carrying on a casual convo like "So... where ya from?"

 

I was all...

 

[Moorgan]

We hit 176 in the ride along and the driver was carrying on a casual convo like "So... where ya from?"

 

I was all...

 

 

Ha! We were governed at some amount of RPMs that would equal I think about 160. You could pay more to go up...probably about 170. And then the ride-alongs were actual drivers who could max the car out I'm guessing. But at the same time, they were older cars too. Obviously not actual race cars of today. It was only about $300 for the both of us too. Lot's of fun and interesting to be driving the car by yourself with a "crew chief" in your ear. Still kinda shocked that they let you do that with zero questions about your driving past/ability.

 

[Mr. Scot]

in the same vein, this from Voth...

 

[Mr. Scot]

And this pic of Thomas Davis...

 

[CatMan72]

NASCAR drivers bitch about everything these days.

[Cam's New Arm]

NASCAR drivers bitch about everything these days.

 

 

I will agree. Though in the history of racing / driving.. the driver is never happy.

 

There will ALWAYS be an extra tenth (.10 second) out there, somewhere!!

[Gin and Juice]

We got a scientist in here

Just a racer is all

[Gin and Juice]

Does this still apply since NASCAR is now running EFI?

Not near as much as the carburetor days, but drivers are still mentally set up to breathe out the engines.

100% the reason is for building heat in the tires for clean starts and those first couple laps.

Most likely, Luke started off at requested speed but thought he was doing something wrong once he started pulling away from the front row, so he slowed down causing an accordion effect through the field. Mid pack to the tail drivers felt the brunt when they had to jump on the brakes harder than they are used to normally doing!

Official riding with Luke was most likely talking football and didn't pay attention to what Luke was doing, much less did he really care. It was a promotional thing so F the diva drivers. With scanners these days, someone in the media heard a driver make a light hearted comment about "sticking to football" and twitter went nuts and articles were written!

In general, no one explained to Luke how Pace laps work and drivers got thrown for a loop. Combine that with the fact that the allstar race is generally straight team/driver bonus, all drivers were a little more anxious. Rear ending a car on pace laps would have been even more embarrassing

[Gin and Juice]

I will agree. Though in the history of racing / driving.. the driver is never happy.

There will ALWAYS be an extra tenth (.10 second) out there, somewhere!!

Even southeastern dirt kart racing has police staged at post race tech area. With the money and time put into racing, drivers are a very passionate group