Air Dam

A piece of the car body that hangs under the front grill of the race car, very close to the ground. The air dam uses air pressure to force the car down on the ground (called downforce) at the front of the car and to improve handling. NASCAR has rules on the air dam to keep things fair.

A metal strip that hangs beneath the front grill, often just inches from the ground. The air dam helps provide aerodynamic downforce at the front of the car.