You’ve probably wondered why NASCAR’s are so loud. After all, these stock cars don’t have mufflers, and their engines are blaring at up to 200 mph and 600 miles per hour. The Coca-Cola 600 is 400 laps around a 1.5-mile track.
AJ Allmendinger suspended for violating substance-abuse program
The NASCAR Road to Recovery program is a program designed to help drivers with substance abuse problems. In July, Allmendinger violated the policy, and he was suspended indefinitely from the series. He has not competed since the Kentucky Speedway event on July 24. Penske had said that he was open to hiring Allmendinger again, but when he took a second test and found that the test came back positive, he cut him from the team.
NASCAR’s road to recovery program has a few conditions for Allmendinger to be reinstated in the Sprint Cup Series. The program includes treatment, counseling, and rehabilitation. Allmendinger’s suspension will end when he successfully completes it.
Fuel-injected engines
Fuel-injected engines are a relatively new development in NASCAR, but they’re already a big hit. The technology allows the engines to run at the same horsepower as their predecessors, and it also uses less fuel to restart. It also allows teams to detune the engines to run at a more fuel-efficient setting. However, the fuel-injected engines have created a gap between top-tier teams that don’t have the money to hire a separate employee to monitor fuel injection settings.
Fuel-injected engines produce less noise than traditionally-powered cars. The 850 horsepower NASCAR engine generates 140 decibels of sound at idle. Thankfully, the new technology also improves the chance of hearing the cheers of the crowd in victory lane.
Electronically controlled engines
The legacy internal combustion V8 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, the current crop of cars is fuel injected, which means the engines make a very similar sound when running well. That being said, the more tuned a car is, the louder it will be. That means if your favorite car makes a lot of noise, it is probably a good thing.
The noise level of NASCAR’s cars is absolutely incredible. The engines don’t use mufflers, and during a race, the sound level can exceed 100 decibels. If you’re sitting in the stands, it would be a good idea to wear earplugs or use noise protection to prevent your ears from sustaining permanent damage.
No clutch pedal
There is a common misconception that NASCAR’s have no clutch pedals. In reality, they do have clutch pedals, but they aren’t used very often. The only time the drivers have to constantly shift gears is when they have to accelerate and brake. In NASCAR, the drivers match their speed with their car’s RPM. This helps the cars make such an immense noise, and you can hear it even from a distance.
In addition, NASCAR cars do not have brake lights. Instead, the drivers use decals to act as brake lights. These are also a lot lighter than brake lights.
No shifting between gears
It’s difficult to imagine a racing series with no shifting between gears. While there are exceptions, the rule applies in almost all of NASCAR’s races. The rule also applies to NASCAR’s road courses. While most NASCAR races take place on oval tracks, the drivers only change gears when pit stops, restarts, or during a caution flag. On road courses, though, the banking is different, and drivers must change gear more frequently to maintain their speed.
Until recently, NASCAR race cars used traditional H-pattern shifters, which meant the shifter took time to move from one gear to the next. This caused cars to drag endlessly around during races and could cause a big wreck or blow an engine.
