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StockCar 2015

Stock cars, undoubtedly the most popular form of motor racing in the United States, is often seen as primitive by Europeans and much of the rest of the world. It is our hope to change this perception by giving all our customers access to what is, our neck of the woods. Stock cars are dictated by rather restrictive rules. However, the technology and development programs are as sophisticated as just about any other form of motorsport. Extensive wind tunnel testing, CFD programs, 7-post rigs are standard in developing the most competitive cars.

Stock cars are large and relatively heavy steel-chassis racing cars, a combination of factors that somewhat prohibits maneuverability and handling. Given they tend to run almost exclusively on ovals, which generally feature large radius corners, this has minimal impact on performance. Despite all this, errors at these very high loads can be brutal on tires, and small mistakes can create big consequences. Stock cars have neutral handling, but do rely heavily on setup to be competitive. If you don’t like tinkering with setups, you likely won’t be competitive outside a fixed-setup environment.

Unlike circuit racing, the majority of downforce is not created aerodynamically, but via banking in the corners. It might surprise some to know these cars produce up to 2600lbs ~(1200kg) of aerodynamic downforce, which is very nearly on par with what GT3 cars would produce were they be able to reach similar top speeds, but stock cars do it without large wings or diffusers. The majority of downforce is created through ground effects, via the front splitter and side skirts, and of course some help from the rear spoiler.

The nature of ground effects means that you must aim to keep the splitter very close to the ground at all times. As the underside is not smooth, drag is also lowered by blocking airflow under the car. This approach requires running on bump-stops, or very stiff springs to prevent the car raising too much down the straights. Unique damping properties are also used in stock cars for the same purpose. The effect of this is to make the cars somewhat sensitive and edgy, but in finding the right setup and driving style, the car will just ‘work’.