NASCAR Tickets - NASCAR Angels to Host Earnhardt's Lucky Charm

Dale Earnhardt may be in heaven now, but he's still got angels here on earth. Wessa Miller, a Kentucky native and Make-A-Wish child who made NASCAR history alongside the legendary Earnhardt several years ago, is getting more recognition now for her courageous story, and it has recently been announced that the spina bifida patient will soon featured as part of the NASCAR Foundation's NASCAR Angels television program.

Miller has a long history with NASCAR, as she met Dale Earnhardt in February of 1998 before the '98 Daytona 500 through the Make-A-Wish Foundation when she was just six years old, giving the famed racecar driver a penny that he glued to the dash of his No. 3 car prior to winning the prestigious race for the first time in 20 attempts. After winning Daytona for the first (and only) time, Earnhardt considered Miller's gift his lucky charm and gifted her family with a new van to help with transportation needs to doctor visits across their home state of Kentucky.
It's been 11 years since Earnhardt's magnificent Daytona win and eight years since his tragic death after crashing in the final lap of the Daytona 500 in 2001, yet the story of Wessa Miller is still very much alive. The inspirational story of this little girl with spina bifida is still cemented into NASCAR history, as Earnhardt's winning No. 3 Chevrolet remains on display at the Richard Childress Racing Museum in Welcome, North Carolina, complete with a shiny penny glued to the dashboard. Although the 1998 Daytona race is standing still and frozen in time, life has gone on for Miller and her family, who have in the meantime started the Pennies for Wessa Fund to help aid hospital bills and the costs of treating Miller's medical conditions.

The NASCAR Foundation, the racing league's support for charitable efforts, has recently announced its teaming with the NASCAR Angels television program in helping aid Wessa Miller and her parents, starting with an online auction through the Motor Racing Outreach benevolence fund that will raise money for Pennies for Wessa by auctioning off autographed memorabilia by NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers, as well as various fire suits and VIP packages. The foundation will also feature Miller on its NASCAR Angels television show, which is a program that is a self-proclaimed "Extreme Home Makeover meets Pimp My Ride, NASCAR-style" and transforms broken automobiles into drivable cars. Wessa Miller will be filmed at Tennessee's Bristol Motor Speedway on March 21 as part of the "Heart of NASCAR" segment of an upcoming NASCAR Angels episode.

While NASCAR's charitable efforts are currently focusing in part on Wessa Miller, the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series are both well underway for the 2009 season. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. continues carrying on his late father's legacy (despite a nasty crash at Daytona last month,) and Roush Fenway Racing's No. 17 driver Matt Kenseth has taken the early lead in the Sprint Cup Series, winning the league's first two races at both Daytona and Fontana. The 2009 NASCAR season has already elicited unpredictable excitement from racing fans across the nation, so get in on the excitement and nab NASCAR tickets online to catch these speedsters zooming around the racetrack!

This article is sponsored by StubHub.com and was written by Brent Warnken. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Article Source: NASCAR Tickets - NASCAR Angels to Host Earnhardt's Lucky Charm

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/243803/nascar-tickets-nascar-angels-to-host-earnhardts-lucky-charm

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A day in the life of Jake Humphrey

Remarkably I managed to get through the past week in Singapore while tricking my body that I was still in Europe.

It may seem strange that I was eating muesli at two in the afternoon, feeling ready for lunch at eight in the evening and finishing the day by sharing some grub with Martin Brundle at three in the morning but it felt oddly routine.

For a variety of reasons this has quickly become my favourite race of the season. I think it is largely because the drivers, press officers, production team and everyone else are a little wired - slightly giddy because of the time difference. That creates an atmosphere totally unique to the Singapore GP.

The Singapore Grand Prix portrays a beautiful picture under the beaming floodlights. Photo: Getty

This is my working day, Singapore-style...

11am
Sunlight is coming through the curtains, while Beach Road in downtown Singapore is alive with commuters and passers-by. I try to ignore it and carry on dozing.

2pm
Time to start the day. Mine usually begins with a call to my wife Harriet, or my parents. If there is time, my favourite pastime is Skyping my niece and nephew. On a Saturday we would be gearing up for our qualifying show.

I much prefer writing scripts in the morning, possibly because my brain feels a little more alive at that time. That could be because of 10 years delivering the Eastern Daily Press to the locals of Upper Stoke Holy Cross.

Anyway, I'll start scripting the show and, at this point, I start clock-watching, working out how many hours until I'll be delivering these lines to a few million people. Once I've written a few links and given myself keywords to prompt me during interviews, it's time to get myself sorted.

I go through the running order and think about the guests we should try to get. I have to think what the stories are and the people you guys would like to hear from - plus the locations where we will be for each link. Everything has to be planned because we need permission from the teams to be live in their garages and to tell them the precise time we will be there.

That doesn't mean my ideas are final - the Editor, Mark Wilkin will have his own opinions and might not like my ideas.

Once I've scripted, showered and shaved, it's time to iron my 'show shirt'. I like to do this myself as I hate creases in them. This weekend I even ended up doing fellow presenter Lee McKenzie's ironing - don't ask!

3.30pm
Departure time. In Singapore it was Ł2 to get a cab to the circuit, which is far more appealing than walking, otherwise you end up looking like you've had a shower with your clothes on due to the humidity.

On Saturday I jumped in a cab with Rebekah, our Production Manager. While we were busy gossiping our poor driver took a wrong turn and we ended up on the other side of Marina Bay, seemingly unable to get back across the water.

On Sunday, I was the fool as I left my shoes in the hotel lobby. To make it worse I was wearing bright white trainers, which isn't very BBC Sport. Production coordinator Louise Elliott went back in a cab for me. I'll say it again - thanks Louise, I am an idiot.

4pm
Myself, senior producer Richard Carr, assistant editor Steve Aldous and film editor Mark Wilkin share our thoughts on the script. Once we've decided which drivers, team bosses and garages we want to get involved with, it's up to Steve to sort things out. With gentle persuasion, the odd reminder of a favour we are owed and some occasional begging, he makes it look easy.

Some people ask why we never speak to certain drivers and if we are biased against them. Often our first-choice driver turns us down, so we have to make a sudden change of plan. Sometimes we ask three or four teams before we get a 'Yes' to one of our requests.

6pm
David Coulthard, Eddie Jordan and Martin Brundle rock up. DC makes tea the most, Martin is the most punctual and Eddie probably misses one in every three meetings for some reason - but we let him off.

We then watch the various video pieces. Sometimes we collectively decide to make a change to one of them but very rarely is a glaring error spotted.

Once I say, "Ted Kravitz reports...", we usually have to sprint three garages down the pit-lane, find our next interviewee and check they are ready to go live. Mark will update the three of us as to whether we are over or under time - or if there is any breaking news while Richard Carr directs the cameras and Louise lets us know how long is left on the video.

The fact we have already seen it means we can reference back to it, or simply keep the chat along the right lines.

7pm
Out to the paddock to do a tech check with the crew. On Saturday, we walked live into McLaren. One of the crew realised he was the wrong side of the camera and had to make a dash to safety. You can watch the moment on iPlayer and see the flash of white as he athletically sprints out of, or rather into, shot.

These guys arrive days before us, set up the office, the communication links with the paddock, plug in the kettle and make sure that, when us creative types come up with a ludicrous idea to push the boundaries, that it can be achieved.
It hasn't gone unnoticed and no other F1 coverage has ever got so close to the action. You won't find better, harder-working pros.

8pm
Live to the nation! The final few seconds before we are on air never fail to be exhilarating, petrifying and surreal in equal measure.

10.30pm
The show is over and, after pre-recording a chat for BBC News and the trail you may often see on the BBC later that night, it's back to the office to think about the following day's race programme. We always discuss what worked, what didn't and what we could have done differently or better.

Midnight
We go through the video packages for the following day. I love the creativity and madness of the people who create these. The music is an important part of the show and can come from anywhere. I was running the track on Thursday and the Black Eyed Peas song Get Ready For The Showdown was on my playlist. We have now done over 50 Grand Prix on the BBC and these guys certainly haven't run out of ideas - or music.

3am
We have decided on the running order for Sunday, drunk enough tea to refresh an army and, despite how strange it feels, it is actually time to leave the track and head out for dinner.

At this point I usually ring my parents as I still like to get their feedback on the show and find out what's happening in Norwich. Missing loved ones and home is the only real negative of this job.

An average Singapore Grand Prix day ends with the team heading somewhere to grab some noodles and a beer. I wouldn't usually admit to drinking at four in the morning before a Grand Prix, but that's the beauty of this race - in reality it's only nine in the evening.

There are many similarities with every Grand Prix but this one is slightly different. It is more exciting and electric than normal.

As we draw near to the end of another season, let me place on record my thanks to all the guys who have worked on the BBC F1 output this year. I can honestly say that, despite all the well-publicised distractions of the past few months, our team have been as hard-working, professional and perhaps even a little more driven and keen for success than ever.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/09/it_worked_remarkably_i_managed.html

Erik Darnell 3M Ford Reed Sorenson Dollar General Toyota

Training To Work Among NASCAR Motorsports Finest

A garage technician might have big dreams of working around NASCAR racecars but will keep those dreams in check because they know they are not trained to work on that equipment or any other high performance engines for that matter. The typical garage mechanic might be able to repair a street model automobile, but it takes a lot of training to work among motorsports finest.

The automobiles that are part of the NASCAR motorsports realm are not the everyday automobile. They might fall under automobile manufacturing names that are well known throughout the automobile industry but they are not the kind that are easy to care for in a local garage. The engines used are tooled to be precision instruments that are capable of achieving over 200 miles per hour in the stretch. To enable the engines to maintain those speeds requires the care and expertise of a graduate of the NASCAR automotive schools.

Automotive engineers and the whim's of the car's owner, might have the NASCAR racing machines in the garage for inspections at any time. They might craftily mold the body parts to exact specifications and match sure that all emblematic decals are perfectly matched. It will be the responsibility of these motorsports technicians to ensure that they car can race every weekend and if parts need to be order and installed by race day, it is there job to do it.

Since there are many automobile manufacturers included in the mix that lines up at the starting line of NASCAR races week to week, there is a dire need for qualified technicians that have been thoroughly trained to meet the racing engine needs. A simple class in automotive mechanics will just not be sufficient enough to make repairs on vehicles that run at such high speeds more than 40 weekends out of the year. This type of need requires someone that is fast and a fan of racing.

Many automotive mechanics would jump at the chance to earn a career opportunity that allows them to work on NASCAR engines. There is a wide range of courses available that can be taken online with significant discounts on tuition to those that qualify. The training will be very thorough and all applicants can look forward to learning all about engines and how to be a member of a professional pit crew. The training courses move at a brisk speed which fits in well with the world of racing.

To achieve training to work among NASCAR motorsports finest requires training time in the classroom and on the racetrack too. The typical automotive mechanic might learn a thing or two about performance engines when they delve into those engines in a class filled with their peers. The people that graduate from the NASCAR automotive schools are well-rounded people who have dug in and learned things that they never knew were possible. NASCAR will expect high performance out of the graduates of the schools because they have a lot of money riding on the equipment and the driver that sits in the front seat.

James Brown writes about Fathead coupons, Final Score promo code and NBAStore.com discount codes

Article Source: Training To Work Among NASCAR Motorsports Finest

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/66565/training-to-work-among-nascar-motorsports-finest

Jean Pierre Jarier Max Jean Stefan Johansson Eddie Johnson

Saying goodbye to Europe

Welcome to this week's blog, the final blog from a European race for 2011, which feels very strange indeed.

I can scarcely believe I'm writing that; where is my life disappearing to?

Firstly, let me apologise for the lack of a blog after the Belgian Grand Prix.

The only holiday I've managed to grab this season was the week after Spa and I would have been in serious trouble with Harriet, my wife, if I'd spent the first of our five days away writing a blog.

Anyway, back to last weekend, and the end of my love affair with a truck for another season. OK, you're probably thinking a love affair with a lorry is rather strange, but it's more than that, it's our European home.

You see, for the grands prix that are referred to as 'fly-away' - the long-haul races outside Europe, that is - the circuits provide the hospitality suites for the teams and the production offices for the television stations.

It is essentially to cut down on costs so the huge team 'paddock palaces' aren't transported the other side of the world.

But at the European races, we take a truck, which we occupy from the first European race in Spain to the last one in Monza.

It's a dressing room, edit suite, production offices and kitchen all rolled into one. It has even been known to accommodate the odd overnight stay if someone's working particularly hard and late in Monaco and can't face the drive back to our hotel on the way to Nice.

But now our European adventure is at an end for another year and so it was with a heavy heart on Sunday evening that we waved off Pete D'Lemos and the trusty silver truck he looks after; we'll see him next in Spain in eight months.

It feels like two minutes since I walked into that truck for the very first time in 2009. It was the same one ITV had been using, but their presenter Steve Rider's office had been turned into an edit suite so I couldn't quite say I was walking in his shoes.

Talking of getting his job, remarkably it is three years ago this week that the then BBC head of F1 Niall Sloane offered me the chance to be the presenter, and what a learning curve it has been.

I can still remember the fear and apprehension as I walked into the F1 paddock in Australia for the first time, and the nerves as I started listening to 'The Chain' down my earpiece, hoping the words would come out in the right order.

The good news is that doing this job never becomes 'normal' or mundane and I still cherish every moment.

For that reason, I asked someone to follow me with a camera this weekend as in years to come I'll fondly look back on what it was like to share the pit lane with Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard as a 30-something guy, lucky enough to see the world and follow the sport I love.

Fans at a gate to trackside at Monza, during the Italian Grand Prix

I managed to capture Paul di Resta's Force India while taking this shot of the Monza track from a gate near the pits

I've posted a selection of pictures with this blog. Have a look through and see what you think. The one I'm most proud of is the one directly above - and it doesn't actually feature much apart from a big silver gate!

You see, one of the oddities of this job is that I very rarely see a car actually on the track.

We must be out of the pit lane with 15 minutes to go before qualifying and the race and so by the time the cars are track I'm in the paddock and there is nothing to see.


Eddie Jordan, Jake Humphrey and Ted Kravitz prepare to go on our for the Italian Grand Prix

An hour before we go on air and Eddie Jordan, Ted Kravitz and I have to cram ourselves between Ferrari and McLaren's motorhomes to get our gear on for the show

One of the most common requests I get is from people who have tickets to the race asking to get into the paddock. I tell them they would soon be bored of sitting around drinking coffee and would see more in the grandstand.

Anyway, in Monza on Sunday, I walked out of the paddock and along the back of the garages and the photo is testament to how tricky it is even for me to get to the track during the action - I always say that in front of the TV you get the best seat in the house and this is proof!

And why am I so proud of the photo? Well, Paul di Resta's Force India is passing by me at full speed and somehow I managed to press the button at just the right time - trust me, it was far more luck than judgement.

Talking of luck, some people may well think that Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel has had his fair share of it over the course of the year, but perhaps in Monza he finally put the doubters to bed by doing something a few were questioning - pulling off a cracking overtake!

Vettel knew he had to get past Fernando Alonso's Ferrari for his race strategy to work, he managed it really early on, then delivered the lap times and the consistency to take another win.

I think that perhaps it was the race that finally broke his challengers and since then we've seen a few of Seb's rivals declare that he has now won the title.

Spa and Monza were the races where McLaren and Ferrari were expecting to challenge Red Bull, but Vettel won both. As for Seb's team-mate, Mark Webber, well, he only managed to collect 18 points to Vettel's 50.

So, with that in mind we had a meeting back at BBC HQ on Wednesday to discuss how we tackle the Singapore race weekend.

Our mantra is 'fail to prepare, prepare to fail'. With that in mind, we need to fly into Singapore fully ready to do justice to Vettel if he manages to win the title there.

I always enjoy Singapore. And if you want to read about how strange it is for us as a production team, as we stay on European time, which is eight hours behind where we are, my blog from 2009 will tell you about the perils of trying to get dinner when the city is asleep.

Before I sign off, I'm sure that there will be plenty of people reading this who are keen to know about our plans for the 2012 F1 coverage.

As soon as there is something concrete to announce, I know that the BBC will do that. However, I can tell you I am committed to helping the BBC make its F1 coverage next year as compelling as it has been for the last three years.

And thanks for your continued loyalty - all 5.8m of you who watched the race with us on Sunday.

Jake.

Eddie Jordan, Lee McKenzie and Jake Humphrey

Lee McKenzie looks on as EJ and I check comms. It involves talking to each other while the team in the gallery talk at the same time to make sure the sound levels are workable

Roger Bines, BBC Sport's rigger, and Jake Humphrey

Roger Bines, our rigger, is our unsung hero. We wouldn't be on air without him and I've spent the past three years with him in the pit lane. He retired after 15 years in F1 on Sunday. We'll miss you, Rog!

Jake Humphrey chats to Ferrari engineer Rob Smedley

Two minutes to on-air and Rob Smedley, Felipe Massa's race engineer, pops over to say hello and have a chat.

Jake Humphrey notes down the finishing order after the Italian Grand Prix

Post-race and I am busy noting down the race finishing order, the championship standings and any other notes I need close at hand for 45 minutes of unscripted, unplanned post-race analysis

Jake Humphrey and Eddie Jordan on air during the Italian Grand Prix programme

I love this snap.. Eddie Jordan doing what he does best... having an opinion!

Jake Humphrey and David Coulthard chat to Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari

Whil you at home are watching the top three drivers' interviews, we decamp to the paddock, where Toro Rosso's Jaime Algersuari pops over to see what we thought of his charge into the points

Jake Humphrey, Eddie Jordan, David Coulthard and Martin Brundle after the Italian Grand Prix

This photo sums up the job for me, and I love it. The team, all four of us, owning the paddock as we go looking for stories. On screen it just seems to flow

The Monza banking

The last photo I took on my way out of the circuit. The Monza banking is a reminder of how much has gone before us, and that F1 will continue to evolve long after we've left

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/jakehumphrey/2011/09/saying_goodbye_to_europe.html

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An Explanation of The Physics of NASCAR

Even though NASCAR started as a backwoods illegal race to run moonshine, it has today evolved into a sport that is not only entertaining but depends on physics too. The obvious element in the physics of NASCAR is the aerodynamic design required by these cars in order to achieve top speeds of near 200 mph with the minimum drag coefficient. But there are other forces involved too such as Newtons Law of Motion and centripetal force.

Newtons Law of Motion states that a body will remain in motion unless it is acted upon by some external force. In outer space for example, in the absence of gravity, an object will go on forever. So there are forces that resist the movement of a NASCAR vehicle such as wind drag and another known as centripetal force.

Centripetal force should not be confused with centrifugal force. However without getting too technical, you can think of centripetal force as a real force acting perpendicular to the motion of the moving body. Centrifugal force on the other hand is actually a fictitious force and what we feel as we are thrown outward from a moving vehicle is the reaction force.

Centripetal force in the physics of NASCAR is crucial to keeping a car on the track. The tires of the vehicle provide the friction which is part of the centripetal force. The centripetal force needed to keep the car on the track cannot exceed the square of the speed of the car. To put it in simple terms, if the car takes a turn too fast, the wheels leave the ground and an accident occurs. The physics of NASCAR dictates that turns on the racetrack must be banked in order to increase the friction (part of the centripetal force) to hold the car.

Another component of physics of NASCAR that serves to keep the vehicle with all four wheels on the track during the race is center of gravity. Center of gravity is basically the point where you could balance the car on the top of a flag pole (theoretically). Racing vehicles need low centers of gravity in order to keep the weight close to the track. If a vehicle has a high center of gravity then it can lose control when it hits a turn much faster. Think of an ambulance with a high profile patient area. If the ambulance took a turn too fast, it would topple over. But if its profile was not too high, it could take the turn faster because the center of gravity is lower.

An ambulance needs the high profile in order to get patients in and treat them but the physics of NASCAR dictate the low center of gravity in order to apply more centripetal force and keep it attached to the track on a turn.

Then there is the machining of engine components in the physics of NASCAR that are important for building horsepower with the minimum of friction. You want friction when it comes to centripetal force but you dont want it inside of an engine. This is why internal engine parts are machined to within very accurate tolerances much more accurately than automobiles for family and everyday use. Why? It is because you want to minimize friction inside the engine. When engines torque at these speeds, friction is a very dangerous enemy.

For the largest selection of Nascar Merchandise along with up to the minute News, NASCARsupershop offers this and more. We carry everything NASCAR including Carl Edwards Jackets and Bobby Labonte Jackets all at the best prices everyday! I'm not only the owner of NASCARsupershop.com I'm also the senior editor, website developer and a HUGE fan of NASCAR!

Article Source: An Explanation of The Physics of NASCAR

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/103927/an-explanation-of-the-physics-of-nascar

Hermie Sadler III Brian Scott Carl Long Willie Allen

Critics Say NASCAR Diversity Not a Priority

It was always Joe Henderson III’s dream to become a successful NASCAR driver. He entered NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity (D4D) program with hopes of cracking a barrier that remains in place for most African American drivers. According to New York Times article published in 2006, Henderson was under contract from 2005 to 2006 and was used for publicity for NASCAR diversity efforts but was given poor equipment in 2005 and not even provided a racecar in 2006.

As a result of mixed results from the D4D program, many in the minority community doubt if NASCAR diversity is really a priority for those in charge of the lucrative sport.

“It’s a sham,” said Henderson’s father Joe Henderson, Jr. “The program is not designed to be successful because, No. 1, it’s not properly funded … They claim that it’s a pipeline. Well, nobody came out of the pipe.”

Despite Michael Cherry, coming from the D4D pipeline, and recently obtaining sponsorship with Nationwide Insurance, many critics including ESPN.com columnist Ed Hinton and former participants in the D4D program believe that the lack of funding is an indicator that NASCAR is continuing to drive, but not towards true diversity.

Hinton, in a recent column on ESPN.com, stated that the problem with the diversity program is the money and the fact that is limited to the developmental stage, not providing a bridge for minority drivers to transition from the small time to the big time. Approximately three years ago, $4 million annually was the budget for D4D, which is “significantly more” now, said Marcus Jardotte, NASCAR’s vice president for public affairs, whose department oversees D4D. However, Hinton believes that even $6 million annually is not enough to fund one decent effort for one Nationwide driver for one season, let alone the 12 that were selected for D4D this year.

However, NASCAR states they cannot fund particular drivers because it would represent a conflict of interest, choosing instead to stop funding drivers once they move up from the developmental level into Trucks, Nationwide or Cup (the top three racing series).

“It would be a conflict of interest for the entity that’s responsible for making and enforcing the rules to also support a particular driver at the national touring level,’ Jardotte said.

However, many believe NASCAR diversity could improve if they encourage its many sponsor to seriously get behind a minority driver because that would increase the viewership from various demographic groups, specifically African Americans, who stereotypically do not support NASCAR in large numbers.

“It can’t all be done at the late-model level and then assume that everybody, somehow, can find a couple of million [dollars a year] to run Trucks,” says Marty Buckles, a member of the first D4D class in 2004. “Once you get ready to run Trucks [first level of the major series] you’re on your own.”

However, many potential sponsors say that the reason they have not sponsored many African American drivers is because of the small African American market that watches NASCAR. Sponsors are more interested in promoting their products than promoting NASCAR diversity and if that demographic is watching other sports, companies usually will endorse athletes from the other sports.

That lack of funding has caused many African Americans, including Buckles to place their career on hold. Buckles and Chris Bristol, another D4D participant, have had to take jobs in mechanical engineering. Fortunately for Bristol, his engineering job is in a race-related profession, working for Roehrig Engineering, a manufacturer of racing shock testing equipment.

Bristol was able to continue his career briefly with Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), who many credit as being one of few owners seriously promoting NASCAR diversity. Nevertheless, JGR has had a difficult time obtaining sponsorship as well because of the current state of the economy, which many sponsors state is another factor affecting their decision to fund more drivers.

Many drivers such as Marc Davis, 18, and Chase Austin, 19, have decided to pursue their dreams without major sponsorships. Austin is in the Truck series with African American ownership, refusing to enter the NASCAR diversity program because he does not want to be known as an affirmative action driver.

Since there is still no African American or females in the drivers’ seats, full-time, in the top three series is an indicator of racial problems in the sport and no sincerity when it comes to NASCAR diversity, according to critics.

“It should not be easier for an African American to become President of the United States than a full-time driver in one of NASCAR’s top series,” wrote Doug Demmons of the Birmingham News.

Preston Miller, project manager for NASCAR at Ford Motor Company for 13 year stated: “NASCAR isn’t stepping up for what they say they want to do. They’re doing it like they’ve always done, putting the onus on the owners of the Cup cars. They beat them up to make them fund everything … They’ve put the load on everybody else to go out and get diversity.”

Unfortunately for Henderson, the lack of NASCAR diversity was a load that he could not carry alone, who experienced angry crowds at races hurling racial epithets in his direction. Hopefully for Cherry, the struggles that his predecessors had to endure may have made the journey a little more bearable for him and those that follow.

Todd A. Smith is the web master for ; Regal Mag The Preeminent Online Magazine for African American Men. For more information on this subject visit our ; Sports Section To read about ; NASCAR diversity

Article Source: Critics Say NASCAR Diversity Not a Priority

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/230987/critics-say-nascar-diversity-not-a-priority

Long John Silver s Ford David Gilliland Charter Air Transport Ford Tony Raines

The NASCAR Vehicle Past and Present

The original concept of a NASCAR race car was that is was supposed to be composed of stock parts you would buy in an auto parts store. In some respects that is true but not totally. The race car is a high performance racing machine designed to withstand high G-forces when banking on turns. Lets look at what makes up this vehicle.

The first component most are interested in is the engine of a NASCAR racing vehicle. This engine actually is very close to that which you have in your car (provided you have a big engine) but it is customized so that it can withstand high temperature and torque. All parts in the engine of a are machined to within very tight specifications so that there is a minimum of friction. The carburetor is designed to let in the volume of air and fuel mixture required to sustain high speeds for lengthy spans of time. There are no fuel injectors in the race cars engine.

The first modification to the NASCAR vehicle was to smooth out the ride. Early races were run on tracks that were very bumpy and this causes a lot of damage. Today, the NASCAR vehicle is basically a body molded from sheet metal on a frame supported on the inside by bars made of sheet tubing. The vehicle is not a stock vehicle any longer as each component is hand-crafted and assembled. The car is built with safety in mind while giving it the ability to maintain speeds approaching 200 mph. Driver comfort is not the focus.

The NASCAR vehicle at one time was able to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph and that all changed in 1987 when Bobby Allisons race car flew into a section of fence at the Talladega Speedway in Talledega, Alabama. Fans were injured in the stands and NASCAR took action to restrict the speed of the vehicle through what is known as a restrictor plate. This also gave birth to the term restrictor-plate racing.

The physics of the restrictor plate have to do with reducing air intake into the intake manifold of the engine. Less air will result in lower combustion thus reducing horsepower. The restrictor plate is a sheet of metal with four holes bored in it at precise tolerances. The plate is then mounted between the intake manifold and the carburetor. After that, the NASCAR vehicle should not be able to exceed speeds of 200 mph.

It would seem like the restrictor plate would resolve the safety problem but many professional drivers have been asserting that it creates more potentially unsafe situations in a race. If you think about the difference between a motor scooter and a motorcycle you can see where a restrictor plate could create problems. Many times a motor scooter has an accident where a motorcycle could have avoided it because of its increased ability to accelerate (a motorcycle can accelerate quicker to avoid an oncoming threat). It is the same complaint among almost all of the racers with restrictor plates. They have identified situations where the cars bunch up and the driver only has one choice and that is to slow down. Speeding up to avoid the congestion is not an option because the other cars may be at the restrictor plate limit too.

But as for now, the restrictor plate is a requirement in the race car vehicle on the majority of tracks.

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Article Source: The NASCAR Vehicle Past and Present

Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/102706/the-nascar-vehicle-past-and-present

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