NASCAR

NASCAR terms

1. 200 mph tape Also known as "racer's tape." Duct tape so strong it will hold a banged up race car together long enough to finish a race.
2. A-Frame Either the upper of lower connecting suspension piece (in the shape of an A) locking the frame to the spindle.
3. A-post The post extending from the roofline to the base of the windshield on either side of the car.
4. Adhesion The "stick" between two touching objects. Adhesion implies a static condition, while traction implies a moving condition.
5. Aerodynamics As applied to racing, the study of airflow and the forces of resistance and pressure that result from the flow of air over, under and around a moving car
6. Air box Housing for the air cleaner that connects the air intake at the base of the windshield to the carburetor.
7. Air Dam A piece of the car body that hangs under the front grill of the race car, very close to the ground.
8. Air filter Paper, gauze or synthetic fiber element used to prevent dirt particles from entering the engine. Located in the air box.
9. Air Pressure Specifically the air pressure of the tires. Changing the air pressure in the tires is a way to alter the setup and handling of a NASCAR race car.
10. Alternator A belt-driven device mounted on the front of the engine that recharges the battery while the engine is running.
11. Apron The paved portion of a racetrack that separates the racing surface from the usually unpaved infield.
12. Axle Rotating shafts connecting the rear differential gears to the rear wheels.
13. B-post Post extending from the roofline to the base of the window behind the driver's head.
14. Ball joint A ball inside a socket that can turn and pivot in any direction. Used to allow suspension to travel while the driver steers the car.
15. Banking The slope of a racetrack specifically at a curve or a corner. The angle of degree of banking refers to the height of a racetrack's slope at the outside…
16. Bear grease Slang term used to describe any patching material used to fill cracks and holes or smooth bumps on a track's surface.
17. Bell housing A cover, shaped like a bell, that surrounds the flywheel, clutch that connects the engine to the transmission.
18. Bias-ply Layers of fabric within a tire that are woven in angles. Also used as a term to describe tires made in this manner.
19. Binders Slang term for a race car's brakes.
20. BITE When a fish takes or touches a bait so that the fisherman feels it.
21. Bleeder valve A valve in the wheel used to reduce air pressure in tires.
22. Blend line Line painted on the track near the apron and extending from the pit road exit into the first turn.
23. Blister An overheating of the tread compound resulting in bubbles on the tire surface.
24. Blown motor Major engine failure. For instance, when a connecting rod goes through the engine block. Usually produces a lot of smoke and steam.
25. Bodywork The fabricated sheet metal that encloses the chassis.
26. Bore Pistons travel up and down within each cylinder, or bore, in the engine block.
27. Brake caliper The part of the braking system that, when applied by the driver, clamps the brake disk/rotor to slow or stop the car.
28. C-post The post extending from the roofline of a race car to the base of the rear window to the top of the deck lid.
29. Camber The amount a tire is tilted in or out from vertical. Described in degrees, either positive or negative.
30. Camshaft A rotating shaft within the engine that opens and closes the intake and exhaust valves in the engine.
31. Carburetor A device connected directly to the gas pedal and mounted on top of the intake manifold that controls the air-fuel mixture going into the engine.
32. Chassis The shell of the race car itself including the floorboard, interior and roll cage. The chassis is loosely based off of standard manufactured cars.
33. Chute A racetrack straightaway.
34. Compound (KOM-pownd) In science, a substance that is made up of more than one ingredient.
35. Compression Ratio The ratio of the size of an uncompressed file to a compressed file, e.g., with a 10:1 compression ratio, a 1 MB file can be compressed to 100 KB.
36. Contact patch The portion of the tire that makes contact with the racing surface. The size of each tire's contact patch changes as the car is driven.
37. Cowl A removable metal scoop at the base of the windshield and rear of the hood that directs air into the air box.
38. Crankcase The area of the engine block that houses the crankshaft.
39. Crankshaft The rotating shaft within the engine that delivers the power from the pistons to the flywheel and from there to the transmission.
40. Cubic-inch displacement The size of the engine measured in cubic inches.
41. Cut tire A slice or puncture of the tread or sidewall due to high-speed contact with debris on the racetrack or by contact with part of another race car.
42. Cylinder head Made of aluminum, it is bolted to the top of each side of the engine block. Cylinder heads hold the valves and spark plugs.
43. Deck lid Slang term for the trunk lid of a race car.
44. Dirty Air The messed up air created by the lead car. It is generally harder to handle or steer a race car when it's in dirty air.
45. Donuts Slang term for black, circular dent-line marks on the side panels of stock cars, usually caused by rubbing against other cars at high speed.
46. Downforce The air pressure on the race car that causes it to hold the track of pushes it down on the track giving the car better traction.
47. Draft A signed, written order by which one party (the drawer) instructs another party (the drawee) to pay a specified sum to a third party (the payee), at sight…
48. Drafting When two or more race cars run closely behind each other, sometimes nearly touching.
49. Drag Device on fishing reels that allows line to pay out under pressure, even though the reel is engaged; set correctly, it ensures against line breakage.
50. Driveshaft A steel tube that connects the transmission of a race car to the rear end housing.
51. Dyno Shortened term for "dynamometer," a machine used to measure an engine's horsepower.
52. Engine block An iron casting from the manufacturer that envelopes the crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons.
53. Equalized When the inner liner of a tire loses air pressure and that pressure becomes the same as that within the outer tire, creating a vibration.
54. Esses Slang term used for a series of acute left- and right-hand turns on a road course, one turn immediately following another.
55. Fabricator the person or people who design and build the shell or sheet metal of the race car. Each race car is custom made for a specific type of track or even race.
56. Factory A term designating the "Big Three" auto manufacturers: General Motors (GM), Ford and DaimlerChrysler.
57. Fan An electrically or mechanically driven device that is used to pull air through the radiator or oil cooler.
58. Firewall A set of related programs that protect the resources of a private network from users from other networks.
59. Flat-out Slang term for racing a car as fast as possible under the given weather and track conditions.
60. Flywheel A heavy metal rotating wheel that is part of a race car's clutch system, used to keep elements such as the crankshaft turning steadily.
61. Four-barrel A type of carburetor.
62. Frame The stationary portion of a window unit that is affixed to the facade and holds the sash or other operable portions of the windows.
63. Front clip Beginning at the firewall, the frontmost section of a race car. Holds the engine and its associated electrical, lubricating and cooling apparatus; and the…
64. Front steer A race car in which the steering components are located ahead of the front axle.
65. Fuel Also known as gasoline.
66. Fuel cell A holding tank for a race car's supply of gasoline. Consists of a metal box that contains a flexible, tear-resistant bladder and foam baffling.
67. Fuel pump A device that pumps fuel from the fuel cell through the fuel line to the carburetor.
68. Gasket A thin material, made of paper, metal, silicone, or other synthetic materials, used as a seal between two similar machined metal surfaces such as cylinder…
69. Gauge An instrument, usually mounted on the dashboard, used to monitor engine conditions such as fuel pressure, oil pressure and temperature, water pressure and…
70. Gears Circular, wheel-shaped parts with teeth along the edges. The interlocking of these two mechanisms enables one to turn the other.
71. Give-up A reduction in lap times caused by tires.
72. Greenhouse The upper area of a race car that extends from the base of the windshield in the front, the tops of the doors on the sides and the base of the rear window…
73. Groove Refers to a specific route around a race track. There is often a high groove and a low groove.
74. Handling Generally, a race car's performance while racing, qualifying or practicing. How a car "Handles" is determined by its tires, suspension geometry…
75. Happy Hour the last practice session held before a NASCAR race.
76. Harmonic balancer An element used to reduce vibrations in the crankshaft.
77. Hauler The 18-wheel tractor-trailer rig that teams use to transport two race cars, engines, tools and support equipment to the racetrack.
78. Head wrench Slang term used for a race team's crew chief.
79. Heat cycle Each time a tire is raised to operating temperature.
80. High heat Above normal (260 degrees Fahrenheit) tire temperature.
81. Horsepower A measurement of mechanical or engine power. Measured in the amount of power it takes to move 33,000 pounds one foot in a minute,
82. Ignition An electrical system used to ignite the air-fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine.
83. Intake manifold A housing that directs the air-fuel mixture through the port openings in the cylinder heads.
84. Intermediate track Term describing a racetrack between 1 and 2 miles in length.
85. Interval The time-distance between two cars. Referred to roughly in car lengths, or precisely in seconds.
86. Jet When air is sent at a high velocity through the carburetor, jets direct the fuel into the airstream.
87. Lapped traffic Cars that have completed at least one full lap less than the race leader.
88. Lead lap The lap that the race leader is currently on.
89. line See Groove
90. Loading Weight at a given tire position on a car due to aerodynamics, vehicle weight and lateral G-forces in a turn.
91. Loose an undesirable condition of the race car. This is when the car's set up causes the back end of the car to overtake the front end while entering or exiting…
92. Loose stuff Debris such as sand, pebbles or small pieces of rubber that tend to collect on a track's apron or near the outside wall during a race.
93. Lug nuts Large nuts applied with a high-pressure air wrench to wheel during a pit stop to secure the tires in place.
94. Magnaflux Short for "magnetic particle inspection." A procedure for checking all ferrous (steel) parts (suspension pieces, connecting rods, cylinder heads, etc.
95. Marbles Excess rubber build-up above the upper groove of the racetrack. Also known as loose stuff.
96. Neutral A term drivers use when referring to how their car is handling. When a car is neither loose nor pushing (tight).
97. Oil pump This device pumps oil to lubricate all moving engine parts.
98. P&G Basically, the procedure for checking the cubic-inch displacement of an engine. The term comes from the manufacturer of the particular gauge used.
99. Panhard bar A lateral bar that keeps the rear tires centered within the body of the car. It connects the frame on one side and the rear axle on the other.
100. Piston A circular element that moves up and down the cylinder, compressing the air-fuel mixture in the top of the chamber, helping to produce horsepower.