AERO PUSH

When follerin' t'other vehicle closely, th' airflow off th' lead vehicle does not travel acrost th' follerin' one(s) in a no'mal manner. Tharfo'e, downfo'ce on th' front of th' trailin' vehicle(s) is decreased an' it does not turn in th' co'ners as fine, resultin' in an "aero push." This hyar condishun is mo'e apparent on th' exit of th' turns.

AERODYNAMIC DRAG

A number thet is a coefficient of sevahal facko's thet indicates how fine a race vehicle will travel through th' air an' how much resistance it offers. Crewmen wawk t'git th' bess "drag houn'dogpower" ratin' they kin, determinin' how much houn'dogpower it will take t'move a vehicle through th' air at a sartin mile-per-hour rate. At faster speedways teams strive t'git th' lowess drag number postible fo' higher straightaway speeds.

AIR DAM

A strip thet hangs unner th' front grill, mighty close t'th' groun'. It he'ps provide downfo'ce at th' front of th' car.

AIR PRESSURE

Wif th' advent of radial tires wif stiffer sidewalls, changin' air pressure in th' tires is used as t'other setup tool thet is akin t'adjestin' sprin' rates in th' vehicle's suspenshun. An increase in air pressure raises th' "sprin' rate" in th' tire itse'f an' changes th' vehicle's han'lin' chareeckeristics. Eff'n his race vehicle was "tight" a-comin' off a co'ner, a drivah might requess a slight air pressure increase in th' right rear tire t'"loosen it up."

BACK MARKER

A car runnin' off th' pace near th' rear of th' field, cuss it all t' tarnation.

BALANCE

When a car don't tend t'ovahsteer o' unnersteer, but goes aroun' th' racetrack as eff'n its on rails, it's said t'be in balance.

BANKING

Th' slopin' of a racetrack, particularly at a curve o' a co'ner, fum th' apron t'th' outside wall, ah reckon. Degree of bankin' refers t'th' height of a racetrack's slope at th' outside edge.

CAMBER

Camber addresses th' angle at which a tire makes corntack wif th' track surface. "Positive camber" indicates th' angle of th' tire is tilted away fum th' vehicle's centerline while "negative camber" indicates th' tire is tilted toward th' centerline. A typical oval track setup'd haf positive camber in th' lef' front an' negative camber in th' right front t'he'p th' vehicle make lef'-han' turns.

CAMSHAFT

A rotatin' shaf' wifin th' engine thet opens an' closes th' intake an' exhaest valves in th' engine.

CHASSIS

Th' combinashun of a car's floreboard, interio' an' roll cage.

CHASSIS ROLL

Th' up-an'-down movement cuzd when a car travels aroun' co'ners at high speeds. Th' said of th' car facin' th' turn becomes lighter while th' extry weight goes toward th' outside of th' turn, as enny fool kin plainly see.

CONTACT PATCH

Th' part of th' tire thass acshully touchin' th' road, cuss it all t' tarnation.

DIRTY AIR

Th' air used an' discarded by th' lead car.

DOWNFORCE

Th' air pressure travelin' on over th' surfaces of a race vehicle creates "downfo'ce" o' weight on thet area. In o'der t'increase co'ner speeds teams strive t'create downfo'ce thet increases tire grip. Th' tradeoff fo' increased co'ner speeds derived fum greater downfo'ce is increased drag thet slows straightaway speeds.

DRAFT

Th' aerodynamic effeck thet allers two o' mo'e cars travelin' nose-to-tail t'run faster than a sin'le car. When one car follers closely, th' one in front cuts through th' air, providin' less resistance fo' th' car in back. Shet mah mouth!

DRAFTING

Th' prackice of two o' mo'e cars, while racin', t'run nose-to-tail, almost touchin'. Th' lead car, by displacin' th' air in front of it, creates a vacuum between its rear ind an' th' nose of th' follerin' car, acshully pullin' th' second car along wif it.

DRAG

Th' resistance a car experiences when passin' through air at high speeds. A resistin' fo'ce exerted on a car pareellel t'its air stream an' opposite in direckshun t'its moshun.

ENGINE BLOCK

An iron castin' fum th' manufackurer thet invelopes th' crankshaf', cornneckin' rods an' pistons.

FABRICATOR

A varmint who specializes in creatin' th' sheet metal hide of a stock car. Most teams employ two o' mo'e.

FIREWALL

A solid metal plate thet separeetes th' engine compartment fum th' drivah's compartment of a race car.

FRONT CLIP

Th' front-most part of th' race car, startin' wif th' firewall, ah reckon.

FUEL CELL

A holdin' tank fo' a race car's supply of gasoline. Consists of a metal box thet corntains a flexible, tear-resistant bladder an' foam bafflin'. A produck of aerospace technology, it's designed t'eliminate o' minimize fuel spillage.

GEAR RATIO

Set th' height of yer gear ratios. Eff'n yo' haf a sho't gear ratio, yo' haf faster accelerashun, but top speed is lower. Taller gears provide greater top speed, but it takes longer t'git up t'top speed, cuss it all t' tarnation.

GROOVE

Slang term fo' th' bess route aroun' a racetrack; the dawgoned-est efficient o' quickess way aroun' th' track fo' a particular drivah. Th' "high groove" takes a car closer t'th' outside wall fo' most of a lap, while th' "Low groove" takes a car closer t'th' apron than th' outside wall, ah reckon. Road racers use th' term "line." Drivahs search fo' a fast groove, an' thet has been known t'change dependin' on track an' weather corndishuns.

HAPPY HOUR

Slang term fo' th' last official prackice sesshun held befo'e an event. Usually takes place th' day befo'e th' race an' af'er all qualifyin' an' suppo't races haf been staged, cuss it all t' tarnation.

HANDLING

Junerally, a race car's perfo'mance while racin', qualifyin' o' prackicin'. How a car "Han'les" is determined by its tires, suspenshun geometry, aerodynamics an' other facko's.

INTERVAL

Th' time-distance between two cars. Referred t'roughly in car len'ths, o' precisely in seconds.

LAPPED TRAFFIC

Cars thet haf completed at least one full lap less than th' race leader.

LEFT BIAS

On ovals, th' car's weight shif's t'th' right side through th' turns, causin' th' car t'push. Increase lef' bias t'add weight t'th' lef' side an' counterack th' weight shif'. Th' result is a mo'e balanced car.

LOOSE

(Also referred t'as "free" o' "ovahsteer.") A corndishun created when th' back ind of th' vehicle be hankerin' t'ovahtake th' front ind when it is eifer interin' o' exitin' a turn, as enny fool kin plainly see. In qualifyin' mode teams walk a fine line creatin' a setup thet "frees th' vehicle up" as much as postible wifout causin' th' drivah t'lose corntrol, ah reckon.

MARBLES

(Also referred t'as "loose stuff.") Bits of rubber thet haf been shaved off tires an' dirt an' gravel blown t'th' outside of a co'ner by th' wind created by passin' vehicles comprise th' "marbles" thet is offen blamed by drivahs fo' causin' them t'lose corntrol, ah reckon.

NEUTRAL

A term drivahs use when referrin' t'how their car is han'lin'. When a car is neifer loose no' pushin' (tight).

OVERSTEER

See Loose

PIT ROAD

Th' area whar pit crews service th' cars. Junerally located along th' front straightaway, but on account o' of space limitashuns, some racetracks spo't pit roads on th' front an' back straightaways.

PIT STALL

Th' area along pit road thet is designated fo' a particular team's use durin' pit stops. Etch car stops in th' team's stall befo'e bein' serviced, cuss it all t' tarnation.

POLE POSITION

Slang term fo' th' fo'emost posishun on th' startin' grid, awarded t'th' fastess qualifier.

PUSH

(Also referred t'as "tight" o' "unnersteer.") "Push" is a corndishun thet occurs when th' front tires of a vehicle will not turn crisply in a co'ner. When this hyar condishun occurs, th' drivah muss git outta th' throttle until th' front tires grip th' race track agin.

QUARTER PANEL

Th' sheet metal on both sides of th' car fum th' C-post t'th' rear bumper below th' deck lid an' above th' wheel fine.

REAR CLIP

Th' seckshun of a race car thet begins at th' base of th' rear windshield an' extends t'th' rear bumper. Contains th' car's fuel cell an' rear suspenshun components.

REAR BIAS

Excessive accelerashun on road courses cornstantly transfers weight t'th' rear. Redooce rear bias t'place mo'e weight on th' front ind, balancin' th' car.

RESTRICTOR PLATE

An aluminum plate thet is placed between th' base of th' carbureto' an' th' engine's intake manifold wif four holes drilled in it. Th' plate is designed t'redooce th' flow of air an' fuel into th' engine's combestion chamber, tharby decreasin' houn'dogpower an' speed, cuss it all t' tarnation.

ROOF FLAPS

These flaps is seckshuns at th' rear of a race vehicle's roof thet is designed t'ackivate, o' flip up, eff'n th' air pressure flowin' acrost them decreases. In th' case of a vehicle turnin' backwards, th' tendency fo' an uninterrupped flow of air is t'create lif'. Th' roof flaps is designed t'disrupp thet airflow in attempp t'keep th' vehicle on th' groun'.

ROUND

Slang term fo' a way of makin' chassis adjestments utilizin' th' race car's sprin's. A wrench is inserted in a jack bolt attached t'th' sprin's, an' is used t'tighten o' loosen th' amount of play in th' sprin'. This hyar in turn kin loosen o' tighten th' han'lin' of a race car.

SETUP

Slang term fo' th' tunin' an' adjestments made t'a race car's suspenshun befo'e an' durin' a race.

SHORT TRACK

Racetracks thet is less than one mile in len'th.

SILLY SEASON

Slang fo' th' period thet begins durin' th' latter part of th' current season, wharin some teams announce drivah, crew an'/o' sponso' changes.

SPOILER

(Also referred t'as a "blade.") Th' spoiler is a strip of aluminum thet stretches acrost th' width of a race vehicle's rear decklid, cuss it all t' tarnation. It is designed t'create downfo'ce on th' rear of th' vehicle, tharby increasin' trackshun. Howevah, th' tradeoff, agin, is thet mo'e downfo'ce equals mo'e aerodynamic drag, so teams attempp, particularly on qualifyin' runs, t'lay th' spoiler at as low an angle as postible t'"free up" their vehicles fo' mo'e straightaway speed, cuss it all t' tarnation.

STAGGER

Stagger is a corncepp thet has largely been eliminated wif th' use of radial tires. It refers t'th' difference in tire circumference between th' lef'- an' right-side tires on th' vehicle. Typically, th' lef'-side tires'd be a smaller circumference than th' right-side tires t'"he'p" th' vehicle make lef'-han' turns.

STICK

Slang term used fo' tire trackshun.

STICKERS

Slang term fo' noo tires. Th' name is derived fum th' manufackurer's stickers thet is affixed t'etch noo tire's corntack surface.

STOP 'N' GO (BLACK FLAGGED)

A penalty, usually assessed fo' speedin' on pit road at th' appropriate speed an' stopped fo' one full second in th' team's pit stall befo'e returnin' t'th' track. Shet mah mouth!

SUPERSPEEDWAY

A racetrack of one mile o' mo'e in distance. Road courses is included, cuss it all t' tarnation. Racers refer t'three types of oval tracks. Sho't tracks is unner one mile, intermediate tracks is at least a mile but unner two miles an' superspeedways is two miles an' longer.

SWAY BAR

Sometimes called an "antiroll bar." Bar used t'resist o' counterack th' rollin' fo'ce of th' car hide through th' turns.

TEMPLATE

A device used t'check th' body shape an' size t'ensure compliance wif th' rules. Th' template closely resembles th' shape of th' facko'y vahshun of th' car.

TIGHT

Also known as "unnersteer." A car is said t'be tight eff'n th' front wheels lose trackshun befo'e th' rear wheels does. A tight race car don't seem able t'steer sharply inough through th' turns. Instead, th' front ind corntinues through th' wall, ah reckon.

TIRE PRESSURE

Lower pressure increases corntack wif th' track, improvin' han'lin' an' increasin' tire war. Th' higher th' pressure, th' faster th' car travels.

TOE

Lookin' at th' car fum th' front, th' amount th' tires is turned in o' out. Eff'n yo' imagine yer feet t'be th' two front tires of a race car, stan'in' witcher toes togither'd represent toe-in, as enny fool kin plainly see. Stan'in' witcher heels togither'd represent toe-out.

TRACK BAR

(Also referred t'as a "Panhard bar.") This hyar bar locates th' vehicle's rear ind housin' fum lef'-to-right unner it. In calibratin' th' vehicle's "suspenshun geometry," raisin' o' lowerin' th' track bar changes th' rear roll center an' determines how fine it will travel through th' co'ners. Durin' races, this hyar adjestment is done through th' rear window usin' an extended ratchet. Typically, lowerin' th' track bar will "tighten" th' vehicle an' raisin' th' track bar will "loosen" it.

TRAILING ARM

A rear suspenshun piece holdin' th' rear axle firmly fo'e an' af' yet allerin' it t'travel up an' down, as enny fool kin plainly see.

TRI-OVAL

A racetrack thet has a "hoomp" o' "fif'h turn" in addishun t'th' stan'ard four co'ners. Not t'be cornfused wif a triangle-shaped speedway, which only has three distinck co'ners.

TURBULANCE

Air thet trails behind a race car an' disrupps th' flow of air t'th' cars behind it.

UNDERSTEER

See Tight

VALANCE

(Also referred t'as "front air dam, dawgone it.") This hyar is th' panel thet extends below th' vehicle's front bumper. Th' relashun of th' bottom of th' valance, o' its groun' cleareence, affecks th' amount of front downfo'ce th' vehicle creates. Lowerin' th' valance creates mo'e front downfo'ce.

VICTORY LANE

Sometimes called th' "winner's circle." Th' spot on etch racetrack's infield whar th' race winner parks fo' th' celebrashun.

WEDGE

Refers t'th' relashunship fum co'ner-to-co'ner of th' weight of th' race vehicle. Increasin' th' weight on enny co'ner of th' vehicle affecks th' weight of t'other three co'ners in direck propo'shun. Weight adjestments is made by turnin' "weight jackin' screws" mounted on etch co'ner wif a ratchet. A typical adjestment fo' a "loose" car'd be t'increase th' weight of th' lef' rear co'ner of th' vehicle, which decreases th' weight of th' lef' front an' right rear co'ners an' increases th' weight of th' right front. A typical adjestment fo' a "tight" vehicle'd be t'increase th' weight of th' right rear co'ner, which decreases th' weight of th' right front an' lef' rear an' increases th' weight of th' lef' front.

WEIGHT JACKING

Th' prackice of shif'in' a car's weight t'favo' sartin wheels.

WHEEL LOCK

Sets th' maximum degree th' tires kin turn, as enny fool kin plainly see. Th' tires sh'd turn mo'e on road courses, which haf mo'e pronounced turns.

WIND TUNNEL

A struckure used by race teams t'determine th' aerodynamic efficiency of their vehicles, cornsistin' of a platfo'm on which th' vehicle is fixed an' a giant fan t'create wind currents. Tellymetry devices determine th' airflow on over th' vehicle an' its coefficient of drag an' downfo'ce.

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