Entry 3 - The Science of Speed: NASCAR and Computing

Description of Topic:
         Motorsports, specifically NASCAR, has come a long way since its inception in the first half of the 20th century. When safety and racing quality concerns made it no longer possible to race the cars coming directly from the showroom floors, the race cars were made by hand. Today, NASCAR's top teams design all of their cars on a computer, formulating a precise measurement for every single part that goes into creating each car. They know that they must do everything possible to get that one extra ounce of speed out of the vehicle, so they utilize high-tech equipment like the chassis-dyno, which provides the exact performance specs of the engine, to a wind tunnel, which simulates how real world airflow will effect aerodynamics of the car, and therefore its speed. By using computing to build cars instead of creating models and utilizing trial and error, race teams can save money and create more speed. Computers can even take a set up the crew chief wants to try in the race and provide data about how the specific racetrack (along with the weather at the time) will effect performance. Race teams aren't the only facet to see new technology improve the way they function. The fan experience has been enhanced by computing as well, as a feature for NASCAR's coverage on ESPN was introduced in the first decade of the 21st century that simulated the air movement around the cars during the race, showing fans how drafting ("slipstreaming") effect speeds and car behavior.

The 2016 Chase field is fielded entirely by teams that utilize computing to find more speed.

Relation to Computer Science:
             "Computer-Aided Manufacturing" completely revolutionized the sport, and led to faster cars and better racing for the fans. Programming is the key to make all of these advancements possible. The air movement feature is a program created by University of Washington computer scientists, and it creates a "virtual wind tunnel" around the cars on the racetrack, and uncovers many of the mysteries to how momentum and passes are made on the circuit. The engineering company Siemens created the algorithm for the race teams, allowing them to determine how different setups will effect lap times without even taking the car out on the track at all for a few practice laps. This saves an incredible amount of time during practice sessions for the race. Since NASCAR is a sport that revolves around physics and other sciences, advances in computing should continue to open up new avenues to make the racing better, as well safer for both the drivers and the fans. The more computing can help with the creation of the vehicles, the cheaper their production should get, which is vital for extended success for NASCAR.

Sources:
  "Computer-built cars, parts giving teams more speed" - http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2014/5/23/nascar-technology-cyber-engineering-breakdown.html
"Computers Expose the Physics of NASCAR" - https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070809172142.htm
PICTURE: http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/articles/2015/9/19/main/Chasedrivers-main.jpg/_jcr_content/renditions/original