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An example of this type of testing technology is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a mathematical simulation of the airflow around a vehicle.
“The best way to describe CFD is a wind tunnel in a computer,” said Kevin Bayless, the oval track chassis/aero program manager for General Motors Racing. “CFD is a simulation that predicts the aerodynamic forces acting on a vehicle using computational methods rather than physical measurements. CFD allows engineers and racing teams to evaluate the effects of aerodynamic changes quickly on a computer screen rather than in a conventional wind tunnel.”
There also have been dramatic changes in the quality of the materials used in the race cars. Long gone are the days when cars and engines were pieced together out of junkyard parts.
“There are a lot of exotic materials in these race cars to make them stronger and lighter and more crash resilient,” Comstock said. “They’re more durable as far as rotating components, moving components within the engine, the transmission, the drive shaft, the rear-axle assembly, the bearings. Anything that moves in the car, we’ve been able to make advances in fluids, greases, coatings. A lot of pretty high-tech stuff.”
If all this sounds suspiciously close to rocket science, well, it’s definitely some sort of science. And it is advanced enough that a simple love of cars no longer is enough to qualify somebody to work for a NASCAR team.
On the track, the sports still is largely about driving ability. But in the garage, it’s all about knowledge, and the technology used to gain it.
“You might spend 10 weeks doing something and only pull out one little piece of information. But it’s worth it,” Steadman said. “The other guys over here doing CFD might have found a little bit, the guy over here doing straight-line testing might have found a little bit.
“You add all that together, and now you’ve picked up two-tenths (of a second) on the race track, and that’s the difference between first and 20th. It’s that close. Everybody is just using every resource available to do that.”
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