Criticism of NASCAR - Technology Far From "stock" or Production

Technology Far From "stock" or Production

The technologies used in "stock cars" bear little resemblance to modern street vehicles. Modern NASCAR vehicles share very few attributes of the commercial models with which they are associated; for example, the production Chevrolet Monte Carlo weighs nearly the same as the NASCAR Chevy Monte Carlo, but the NASCAR vehicle has a cast-iron eight-cylinder engine driving the rear wheels, whereas the production car has an aluminum alloy front-wheel-drive V6 (though some model years offered a V8). Also, NASCAR vehicles continue to use a 2-valve per cylinder configuration operated by a single cam-in-block using push rods, instead of the dual overhead camshafts operating 4-valves per cylinder that are common on production cars. As of 2012 the cars switched over from a carburetor fuel system to electronic fuel injection.

Supporters note that this is a modern condition: when NASCAR first started in 1948, the race cars were indeed production vehicles, but the safety and performance needs of modern racing have required custom-built race cars. Supporters also note that the strict equipment rules place less emphasis on getting a technological advantage, and thus more emphasis on individual driver skill. All of NASCAR's series also run on spec tires made by certain tire manufacturers such as Goodyear and American Racer. Some suggest that this discourages tire competition and development, which they further assert has led to the absence of rain/wet condition tires, and to races (such as the 2005 UAW-GM Quality 500) where tires seem to self-destruct. The lack of tire competition has also helped lead to a drop in the number of new winners; in 1994 when Hoosier Race Tire participated the sport saw three new winning drivers (Sterling Marlin, Jimmy Spencer, and Jeff Gordon) and the competitive elevation of drivers such as Ward Burton and his brother Jeff.

In 2008, a series of meetings was held in Indianapolis between NASCAR officials and Detroit automakers. According to Autoextremist magazine, automakers demanded the use of Pony cars, in stock bodywork dimensions, on Sprint Cup races by 2010, to help sales in the showroom; using direct fuel-injection, overhead cams and E85 fuel instead of gasoline. E85 fuels were rejected by NASCAR and the dubiousness of promotional claims about them have limited their appeal. Other demands were largely rejected, as they reflected an unrealistic view of racing as a technology exercise despite decades of banning of technological items throughout motorsports such as Wankel engines, turbines (used at Indianapolis in the 1960s), and traction control, as well as the continued effectiveness (and relative ease of policing) of NASCAR's antiquated carburation and pushrod technology.

Recently NASCAR has changed policy. The Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow platform, which went full-time in 2011, featured "pony cars" which were different for each make. The next generation of cars for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will reportedly featured "unprecedented cooperation" between the manufacturers and NASCAR. The already released 2013 Ford Fusion and 2013 Dodge Charger look much closer to their showroom counterparts than current NASCAR cars. NASCAR introduced E15 fuel full-time in 2011 through a partnership with Sunoco and American Ethanol. NASCAR also made the switch to Electronic Fuel Injection for the Sprint Cup Series in 2012 through a partnership with McLaren.