NASCAR terms starting with C

15 terms

  1. 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.
  2. Camber The amount a tire is tilted in or out from vertical. Described in degrees, either positive or negative.
  3. Camshaft A rotating shaft within the engine that opens and closes the intake and exhaust valves in the engine.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Chute A racetrack straightaway.
  7. Compound (KOM-pownd) In science, a substance that is made up of more than one ingredient.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. Cowl A removable metal scoop at the base of the windshield and rear of the hood that directs air into the air box.
  11. Crankcase The area of the engine block that houses the crankshaft.
  12. Crankshaft The rotating shaft within the engine that delivers the power from the pistons to the flywheel and from there to the transmission.
  13. Cubic-inch displacement The size of the engine measured in cubic inches.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.