NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
NATURALLY ASPIRATED
Refers to an engine that does not use any form of forced induction to achieve more performance.
NEUTRAL
When a car is neither pushing nor loose the car’s handling is referred to as neutral. A condition in which the slip angle of the front and rear wheels are the same.
OFF-CAMBER
Some turns on road and street courses are actually banked outward, which can make them very tricky to negotiate. This is known as an off-camber turn.
OPEN WHEEL
Refers to any type of racecar that does not have enclosed wheels. Formula 1 and IndyCars are open-wheel cars, as are the sprint cars, midgets and modifieds, that run at local Saturday night tracks all over North America. Stock cars and sports cars are typically based more closely on production cars, with the wheels enclosed within fenders.
OUT BRAKE
Applying the brakes later and deeper into a corner than the driver being passed.
OVAL
A round, rectangular or oval-shaped track such as Daytona, California Speedway or Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
OVERSTEER
A condition when the front of a car has more grip than the rear. This is the same as a car being “loose.” (see ‘Loose’)
PACE CAR
Pace cars lead the race cars around the circuit to set the pace before starts and restarts after yellow caution or red flag periods. Drivers are not permitted to pass a pace car when it is on the circuit. The first pace car was used at the 1911 Indianapolis 500.
PADDOCK
An enclosed area behind the pits where the team transporters, trucks and motor homes. are parked, and where the teams work on cars between on-track sessions.
PARADE LAP(S)
The warm-up lap before a race. Drivers use this lap to warm up their engines and often zig-zag to warm up tires.
PARC FERME
Literally meaning ‘closed park’, this is a fenced-off area into which cars are driven after qualifying and the completing of the race to allow for official inspections. No team members are allowed to touch the cars except under the strict supervision of race stewards.
PIT CREW
A group of team members including technicians, engineers, managers and more, that travel to each event and serve as the pit crew, servicing the car during pit stops for fuel and tires and managing the race from the pits, including race strategy and communications.
PITS / PIT ROW
An area adjacent to the track where cars pull in to be refueled or serviced before and during a race. The name originated from early racetracks, where the mechanics actually stood in a shallow pit where they could duck if an out-of-control car came their way. Today, mechanics are protected by concrete walls, and the pit lane is segregated from the actual racing surface. Today, mechanics are protected by concrete walls, and the pit lane is segregated from the actual racing surface. Usually just called “The Pits”.
PIT STOP
To stop in the pits. An integral part of most major racing series where drivers stop in pit row so their crews can change tires, refuel, and make repairs or other adjustments.
PODIUM
The top three finishers in an event stand on a podium (or stage) to be recognized after the race. The winner is usually in the middle on a higher pedestal, flanked by the second and third- place- finishers.
POLE
This historic term refers to the driver who starts at the front of the field on the inside of the front row by virtue of the fastest qualifying time. The term originated at horse tracks, where many of the original car races were held on dirt. The finish and distance markers of a horse track are marked by poles set on the inside edge of the track.
POLE POSITION
The driver qualifying fastest is awarded the first starting position on the grid. This means the driver will start on the inside (relative to the first turn) of the first row.
POWERPLANT
Term for the engine in a race car.
PUSH
The rear end of a car has more grip than the front. Typically describes a cornering condition where the front tires lose adhesion before the rear tires, resulting in a car that feels like it wants to go straight. This condition makes a car harder to turn into a corner. Commonly known as Understeer or Tight.
QUALIFIERS OR QUALLIES
Softer compound tires designed for qualifying only because they provide excellent traction but only for a very short amount of time.
QUALIFY / QUALIFYING
Qualifying determines starting positions, based on each driver’s best lap time during the qualifying session or sessions. Each car is timed, and the starting grid is determined by the order of fastest cars based on a predetermined number of spots available. The fastest driver of the qualifying session prior to the race takes pole position.
RACE RUBBER
Race tires as opposed to qualifying tires.
RACING LINE
An imaginary line around a circuit that has been proven to be the most efficient and quickest route around the circuit.
RAIN TIRES
Softer compound treaded race tires used during rain or on a wet track. In dry conditions, these softer tires wear faster than harder compound tires with less tread. (also referred to as “Wets”)
REBOUND
In shock absorbers, a rebound adjustment is a change to the dampening of the shock on the expansion stroke. Without rebound dampening, the car would tend to bounce as it passes over bumps on the track. Rebound adjustments can also affect how the weight of the car shifts around during braking, acceleration and cornering.
RED AND YELLOW FLAG
This striped flag is displayed by corner workers to signify debris (oil, sand, water or some other substance) on the track.
RED FLAG
A red flag indicates that the race has been stopped, in most cases due to an accident or poor track conditions usually caused by weather, especially rain or fog. When displayed at the start/ finish line, a red flag signifies an immediate halt of the session. Corner workers around the track will normally display black flags when this happens, and all cars are required to stop racing and slowly return to the pits.
RESTRICTOR PLATE
A stainless steel plate used between the carburetor and the intake manifold to limit the amount of fuel and air reaching the engine. It is used to slow down the race cars on certain high speed NASCAR tracks like Daytona Speedway.
RIDE HEIGHT
Height of the chassis’s bottom, or lowest point, above the ground. Because the height of the ground-effect tunnels and other aero components, affect performance, maintaining optimum ride height is an important facet of car setup and design. However, it is hard to manage since the faster a car goes, the more the aerodynamic effects press it to the ground. Many very complex methods are used to maintain a consistent ride height. An Indy Car’s ride height for example, must be within two to three inches above the ground to meet the technical rules and still attain optimum performance.
ROAD COURSE
A race track with multiple left and right hand turns. Generally refers to permanent, purpose- built racing facilities.Examples would be Laguna Seca in California, Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Texas and Spa in Belgium.
ROLL BAR
Large, sturdy bars designed to protect a driver’s head if the car rolls over. Very functional in race cars but used more for style in production cars.
ROLLING START
The race begins after the pace car leaves the track while the cars are moving. NASCAR and IndyCars usually use a rolling start while Formula One and LeMans opt for a standing start where the cars start from a standstill.
SAVING THE CAR/TIRES
Driving a car somewhat moderately to conserve the cars mechanical parts and lessen tire wear. This allows a driver to be more aggressive during the all-important final laps.
SAWING ON THE WHEEL
A driver who is on the verge of losing control may “saw on the wheel”, turning it back and forth rapidly to regain control.
SCOOP
Many race cars are covered in scoops of various types. These scoops gather air and force it into a specific place for a specific purpose, from feeding air into the engine to be mixed with fuel for combustion to keeping hot parts cooled down, such as brakes and even the driver cockpit.
SCRUBBED TIRES
Slightly used racing tires that have had a few laps of wear to normalize the surface and remove the outer sheen and provide more consistent traction. This can be an important consideration in a team’s race strategy.
SCRUTINEERING
The technical checking of race cars by the officials, to make sure that they comply with all the regulations and specifications before and after the race.
SCUFFS
Tires that have been run a few laps in practice to heat them up. This makes them adhere better and provide more grip under race conditions.
SETUP
There are a large number of adjustments to the suspension, tires, gears, engine, wings, brakes and virtually every other piece of the car that can be physically adjusted or electronically altered. The idea is to improve the handling and speed performance by making a car efficiently functional at a particular track, considering temperature, wind and other weather conditions. Teams can make continual adjustments to a car’s setup throughout the race during pit stops and driver controls in the cockpit. The driver with the best setup is in a good position to place well at the finish.
SHAKEDOWN
First test with a brand-new car or engine.
SHOCK ABSORBERS
Oil-filled devices on which the suspension springs are mounted. Shock absorbers, or “shocks”, help control the vertical movement of the suspension by dampening that movement.
SHOOT OUT
Late in the race (or an extremely short race) two or more drivers race all out to the end for victory.
SHORT TRACK
Short track is a track that is one mile or less in length.
SHUNT
British, or European, term for crash or accident.
SIDE POD
In open wheel racing, the bodywork on a car’s side that contains the vehicles radiators and engine exhaust is referred to as the side pod. It also offers the driver some protection if they are involved in a side crash.
SLICKS
Tires with no tread designed for dry weather racing conditions. There is a misconception that the tread pattern of a tire provides traction. This is true in dirt, snow or on wet pavement, but on dry pavement the maximum amount of “contact patch” provided by slicks is desirable.
SLICK TRACK
A track with an unusually smooth surface or a large amount of oil and other fluids on it making it difficult to find grip or traction and as a result, difficult to drive.
SLIP STREAM
The area of low-pressure aerodynamics created behind a moving object. In racing, drivers use this slip stream to draft another vehicle. (see Drafting)
SLIPSTREAMING
An aerodynamics term, where a driver is able to catch the car ahead of him and use the air coming off the car in front to reduce drag on his car. This allows the driver to achieve a higher speed and slingshot past the car(s) in front of him.
SPLASH and DASH
A very quick pit stop, normally during the final laps of a race, when a driver makes a pit stop just to add a few liters of fuel to his car to make sure he can finish the race. Using this strategy a car may stop in the pits just long enough to take on a minimum amount of fuel in order to lessen time spent on pit lane. Sometimes teams will use a pit strategy that includes one or more short fill stops during a race to try and gain track position, passing a competitor who may stay longer in the pits doing a complete fill up.
SPOILER
A ridge or wing placed on the rear hatch or trunk of a car that helps to hold down the rear end of a car during high speeds by creating down-force, thus preventing the rear wheels from losing contact with the road (most effective on cars where the rear wheels are the drive wheels).
SPOTTERS
Teams on an oval track will usually have crew members on top of the grandstand where they can see the entire track and warn drivers of an accident or advise them where to go in traffic. On road and street courses, spotters are positioned at various places around the track, like blind corners, to assist and warn drivers of potential danger.
SPRINGS
A race car is held off the ground with four springs mounted to shock absorbers within the suspension. They consist of a coil of heavy wire which will compress as pressure is applied. Springs are necessary so that the car can pass over bumps in the pavement without generating an immediate loss of grip.
STAGGER
The differences in circumference between right and left side tires. In oval events, it is preferable to have right side tires that are slightly taller to help the car turn. The principle is demonstrated by rolling a cone-shaped object on a flat surface – it rolls in a circle. For a road circuit, most cars will have all four tire diameters equal. This is called “zero stagger.”
STANDING START
In Formula One and at LeMans, the field starts from a standstill (standing) start unlike rolling starts in most other types of racing.
STEWARD
One of three high-ranking officials at each race appointed to make decisions and make sure drivers and teams adhere to regulations. Stewards have the discretion to hand out penalties to drivers and teams during and after the race.
STICKERS, STICKER TIRES
Brand-new tires with the manufacturer’s label (or sticker) still on the surface. Teams generally use sticker tires during qualifying, then use scrubbed tires in a race. (see scuffs or scrubbed tires)
STOP-AND-GO PENALTY
A penalty which requires a driver to stop at their team’s pit for a timed penalty before reentering the race. This penalty can be assessed for anything from speeding in the pits to dangerous or unsportsmanlike contact with an opponent. This penalty forces the driver to make a pit stop, but he is not allowed to add fuel or change tires during this stop.
STRUTS
Important components of the suspension system, struts are the bars visible between the wheels and body of an open wheel race car, serving as control arms.
SUPERSPEEDWAY
A 1.5 mile to 2.5 mile (or more) oval track.
SUSPENSION
A car is suspended off the ground by a complex set of A-arms, springs, shocks and anti-roll bars that connect the chassis to the four tires. How these components interact is crucial to good handling .
SVRA
The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association (SVRA) is an American automobile club and sanctioning body that supports vintage racing in the United States. The organization was founded in 1981, and is regarded as the premier vintage racing organization in the U.S. Along with conducting official vintage auto races, SVRA events also include car shows, auto auctions, and other activities promoting the “car culture”. The organization encourages the restoration, preservation, and racing of historically significant automobiles that are configured as closely as possible to their original design and construction.
SWAP PAINT
Two cars that make contact with each other while racing are sometimes referred to as having “swapped paint”, suggesting that the paint from one car ended up on the other. Open wheel race cars often touch each other’s tires, ‘swapping rubber’.
SWEEPER / TAKE A PEEK
A large sweeping corner on a road or street course. When a driver puts his car in position to see if he has enough horsepower or is quick enough in a corner to pass a competitor. While racing, a driver following closely behind another race car may momentarily dart to the inside at the entry to a corner, pretending to attempt a pass in order to disrupt the concentration of the driver in front and hopefully cause a small mistake, setting up a subsequent passing attempt.
