Are there really variables between the NACSAR cars which can make one car out perform the other? I’m not talking about time lost in the pit, a tire blowing out, pole position, or driver’s ability to react…
I mean, if they’re all stock cars, can one car be any better than the next? Maybe I’m missing something here, but what do the rules of NASCAR permit one car to vary from the next? I mean, if one car were of some ultralight material, let’s say…wouldn’t that grant an unfair advantage? What does NASCAR permit as far as variables?
And, is there some tolerance placed on the permitted weight of a car? And, is that car weight plus the driver?
“They’re coming to take me away ha-ha, ho-ho, hee-hee, to the funny farm where life is beautiful all the time… :)” - Napoleon IV
One way they’re different from one another is in the aerodynamics of the different body styles, Ford, Chevy, Pontiac. There are very strict rules about variation from the “stock” body styles. Then there are the effects of the rear spoiler on those aerodynamics. This season, the Chevy owners have been having a fit because they say the Fords have an unfair advantage. The Chevy folks want more latitude in how they confgure spoilers, etc.
Engines and gearing, however are another matter. Under the body, there’s a big difference between the top cars and the rest of the pack.
And while they all use the same tires, they tweak air pressure to gain an edge. They also tweak suspension and anything else they can.
I’m a Dale Earnhart fan, and the one thing I find interesting this season is that the team he owns seems to have better set-ups than the team he drives for!
NASCAR grand national/Winston Cup/whatever they call them now are not “stock” in the remotest sense of the word. The meaning has been lost in the history of racing.
There are single design racing classes where the cars are built to be as similar as possible, but they are not built or prepared by the competitors and there is little to no tweaking allowed. There have been single design classes with purpose built racing designs as well as the IROC which used mostly off the shelf “consumer” sports/sporty cars like Porsche 911s or Camaros.
To add to Padeye’s post, back in the 1950’s they really were “stock” cars, i.e. there were stories about drivers who took cars straight from dealer’s lots, and, with a minimum of preparation, ran the cars in a race. But these days are long gone, partly because it isn’t safe to race general production automobiles.
NASCAR racers are hand built by racing crews to extremely high standards, although NASCAR has certain requirements to make them look like the types of cars you can buy.
Manufacturers to some extent still follow the slogan of “win on Sunday, sell cars on Monday”. But there are very few similarities between the cars running around the NASCAR tracks, and what you park on the driveway or drive on the parkway.