| Even though NASCAR started as a backwoods | | | | the friction (part of the centripetal force) |
| illegal race to run moonshine, it has today | | | | to hold the car. |
| evolved into a sport that is not only | | | | |
| entertaining but depends on physics too. The | | | | Another component of physics of NASCAR that |
| obvious element in the physics of NASCAR is | | | | serves to keep the vehicle with all four |
| the aerodynamic design required by these cars | | | | wheels on the track during the race is center |
| in order to achieve top speeds of near 200 | | | | of gravity. Center of gravity is basically |
| mph with the minimum drag coefficient. But | | | | the point where you could balance the car on |
| there are other forces involved too such as | | | | the top of a flag pole (theoretically). |
| Newton's Law of Motion and centripetal force. | | | | Racing vehicles need low centers of gravity |
| | | | in order to keep the weight close to the |
| Newton's Law of Motion states that a body | | | | track. If a vehicle has a high center of |
| will remain in motion unless it is acted upon | | | | gravity then it can lose control when it hits |
| by some external force. In outer space for | | | | a turn much faster. Think of an ambulance |
| example, in the absence of gravity, an object | | | | with a high profile patient area. If the |
| will go on forever. So there are forces that | | | | ambulance took a turn too fast, it would |
| resist the movement of a NASCAR vehicle such | | | | topple over. But if its profile was not too |
| as wind drag and another known as centripetal | | | | high, it could take the turn faster because |
| force. | | | | the center of gravity is lower. |
| | | | |
| Centripetal force should not be confused with | | | | An ambulance needs the high profile in order |
| centrifugal force. However without getting | | | | to get patients in and treat them but the |
| too technical, you can think of centripetal | | | | physics of NASCAR dictate the low center of |
| force as a real force acting perpendicular to | | | | gravity in order to apply more centripetal |
| the motion of the moving body. Centrifugal | | | | force and keep it attached to the track on a |
| force on the other hand is actually a | | | | turn. |
| fictitious force and what we feel as we are | | | | |
| thrown outward from a moving vehicle is the | | | | Then there is the machining of engine |
| reaction force. | | | | components in the physics of NASCAR that are |
| | | | important for building horsepower with the |
| Centripetal force in the physics of NASCAR is | | | | minimum of friction. You want friction when |
| crucial to keeping a car on the track. The | | | | it comes to centripetal force but you don't |
| tires of the vehicle provide the friction | | | | want it inside of an engine. This is why |
| which is part of the centripetal force. The | | | | internal engine parts are machined to within |
| centripetal force needed to keep the car on | | | | very accurate tolerances-much more accurately |
| the track cannot exceed the square of the | | | | than automobiles for family and everyday use. |
| speed of the car. To put it in simple terms, | | | | Why? It is because you want to minimize |
| if the car takes a turn too fast, the wheels | | | | friction inside the engine. When engines |
| leave the ground and an accident occurs. The | | | | torque at these speeds, friction is a very |
| physics of NASCAR dictates that turns on the | | | | dangerous enemy. |
| racetrack must be banked in order to increase | | | | |