NASCAR Terms Every Race Enthusiast Should Know
Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
NASCAR race fans have a language all their own. There are terms you will only hear around a track that features the NEXTEL Cup race. You can add enjoyment to your race day experience if you are familiar with some of the most common racing terms.
The first term that most everyone including non-race fans is familiar with is pole position. The pole position is the term for the front inside position that belongs to the driver with the fastest qualifying time. It’s every driver’s dream to hold the pole position that is not a guarantee a win! It does mean you start at the beginning of the pack and you are not stuck in the middle of the pack with cars all around you.
Short track is the term for a racetrack that is less than a mile long. One example is the Bristol Motor Speedway. A Superspeedway refers to a track that is longer than a mile long and that includes road races. Generally a Superspeedway has a track that is over two miles long.
The next term you need to know and understand is draft. This is the term used for the aerodynamic effect that allows two or more cars that are running nose-to-tail to travel faster than a single car. The front car cuts through the air and provides less resistance to the car trailing. If your driver has a racing partner in the race and can give you some help by allowing you to draft, you may be able to take advantage of the draft to slingshot around the leader!
Drag is the term used for what the car experiences when passing through the air while traveling at high speeds. It is a force put on a car that is parallel to its airstream and the opposite in direction from the motion of the racecar.
Drivers will talk about getting in the groove. What they mean is finding the quickest and most efficient way around the racetrack. If the driver is in a “high” groove he is driving closer to the outside wall for most of the lap. F the driver is driving in a “low” groove the car is traveling closest to the inside apron. The groove can change for a driver depending on the weather conditions and the condition of the track.
In a recent NASCAR race one driver complained that his car was loose. This is a condition that happens when the rear end of the car tries to overtake the front end while entering or exiting a turn. Some drivers make a quick pit stop so their crewmembers can make the appropriate adjustment to tighten the movement of the car. Too much looseness in the car can cause a driver to lose control and crash.
Pit road is an important term that applies to where the pit crews service the cars. It is normally found on the front straightway but on some tracks there are pit roads on both the front and back straightway. Each pit road has a designated space for each car. The driver has speed limits on pit road for safety.
Restrictor plates came into being to also improve safety. Some raceways require racecars to have restrictor plates to control the top speeds on the racetrack.
Last but not least, victory lane! That is the dream of every starting driver on race day. The thrill of victory, doughnuts on the infield and gaining the all-important NEXTEL points! The first car to reach the start/finish line belongs in victory lane. Some drivers celebrate by doing back flips out his car window (Carl Edwards) and climbing the fence after a race victory (Tony Stewart.) The driver celebrates with crewmembers and friends and basks in the glory of living the life in victory lane!
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