It's all about control
Brock Yates has a column in this month's Car and Driver proposing some rules changes for racing in America. The technical merits of the rules could be argued to the ends of the earth, but Yates understands one thing very clearly. Racing is about controlling a fast car and testing the nerve of your fellow competitors.
I have never really understood why NASCAR is still stuck on the idea of restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega. I understand the rationale of keeping the cars under 200 MPH, but the equation was never finished. The result of the restrictor plate was that all the cars are bunched up like a peloton of Tour de France cyclists. Not surprisingly, when one guy crashes, it takes a bunch of guys out. Tough shit if you're the innocent guy, I guess.
Not to mention, when the cars are all that close with the body templates and motor specs, these races become glorified spec races. Woo.
The reason cars bunch up at restrictor plate races is because there is no fear in keeping the accelerator to the floor. The banking, the physics of the car, and aerodynamics let the driver flatfoot it all 2.5 miles around. The best way to get some separation is to see who is willing to keep his foot to the floor long longest without losing control in the turns...just like every other track. It's obvious ISC will not spend the money to shave any banking off the track. The best solution is the easiest in my opinion.
Shorten the spolier and narrow the tires. We'll see who has the nerve to floorboard it all the way around these tracks.
I have never really understood why NASCAR is still stuck on the idea of restrictor plates at Daytona and Talladega. I understand the rationale of keeping the cars under 200 MPH, but the equation was never finished. The result of the restrictor plate was that all the cars are bunched up like a peloton of Tour de France cyclists. Not surprisingly, when one guy crashes, it takes a bunch of guys out. Tough shit if you're the innocent guy, I guess.
Not to mention, when the cars are all that close with the body templates and motor specs, these races become glorified spec races. Woo.
The reason cars bunch up at restrictor plate races is because there is no fear in keeping the accelerator to the floor. The banking, the physics of the car, and aerodynamics let the driver flatfoot it all 2.5 miles around. The best way to get some separation is to see who is willing to keep his foot to the floor long longest without losing control in the turns...just like every other track. It's obvious ISC will not spend the money to shave any banking off the track. The best solution is the easiest in my opinion.
Shorten the spolier and narrow the tires. We'll see who has the nerve to floorboard it all the way around these tracks.
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