NASCAR articles

Analysis · 3 min read

Why aerodynamics decide oval racing

On a fast oval the air is the main obstacle, and every overtake is a negotiation with the hole the car in front punches through it.

Analysis · 3 min read

What a pit stop really costs

A stop is not measured in seconds stationary. It is measured against what the alternative would have produced over the following laps.

Analysis · 3 min read

How tyre management separates drivers

Almost everyone in a professional field can produce one fast lap. The gap opens over thirty of them.

Analysis · 3 min read

Why short tracks and superspeedways are different sports

The same cars and the same drivers produce two almost unrelated competitions depending on the length of the circuit.

Feature · 3 min read

The crew chief is the closest thing racing has to a manager

One person holds the setup, the strategy and the driver's confidence together for four hours, mostly by radio.

Feature · 3 min read

How to watch a race you know nothing about

You do not need to know the field. You need three habits, and the race explains itself from there.

Feature · 3 min read

The quiet craft of a pit crew

A few seconds of choreography, rehearsed thousands of times, with a full race resting on whether one person's hand finds the right place.

Blog · 3 min read

Racing playoffs solve one problem and create another

A championship decided over a full season is fairer. A championship decided in a finale is more watchable. Pick one, and be honest about it.

Blog · 3 min read

Most of what we call driver form is equipment

Racing is a team sport with one visible participant, which is why the visible participant absorbs credit and blame that belong elsewhere.

Blog · 3 min read

The safety progress we now barely notice

Motorsport rebuilt itself around survivability, and the clearest sign of success is how unremarkable that has become.

Analysis · 3 min read

Why the playoff format divides the sport

An elimination playoff guarantees a close finish. It also guarantees that the year's best driver can lose the title.

Analysis · 3 min read

How a tight rule book changes what teams compete on

When every car is close to identical, the advantage moves to setup, execution and people.

Analysis · 3 min read

The superspeedway lottery, and how teams manage it

Pack racing cannot be won by being fastest. It can only be survived by being in the right place.

Feature · 3 min read

The charter system, and why teams fight over it

Charters gave teams something they never had: an asset. That is why every negotiation about them is tense.

Feature · 3 min read

The short-track argument the sport keeps having

Fans ask for more short tracks. The calendar answers with more variety. Both are responding to the same problem.

Feature · 3 min read

What safety progress cost, and what it bought

Barriers, restraints and a redesigned car were not free. They changed the racing as well as saving lives.

Blog · 3 min read

What makes a good restart

Opinion: restarts are the most underrated skill in the sport, and the easiest place to lose a race quietly.

Blog · 3 min read

The case for watching the crew, not the leader

Opinion: the most interesting fourteen seconds of a stock car race happen on pit road.