Gallery: Behind the Scenes as NASCAR Gets It Right
01nascar-no-1-mcdonalds-chevrolet
SONOMA COUNTY, California -- Twice a year, NASCAR drivers do the unthinkable: They turn right. The old saw has it that NASCAR drivers spend their afternoons turning left. There's a grain of truth to that, because 34 of the 36 races on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar this year are on oval tracks. But the joke discounts the skills, if not the guts, needed to lap a monster like Daytona International Speedway at something north of 185 mph. Those skills get a real workout when the Cup Series hits its two road courses, Infineon Raceway here in Northern California and Watkins Glen International in upstate New York. Throwing chicanes in front of the drivers presents them with a unique challenge. "Everything's completely different," said Joey Logano, who surprised everyone when he put the No. 20 Home Depot Racing Toyota on pole for the Toyota Savemart 350 at Infineon on June 26. "We're usually turning left all the time and not shifting that much." __Above__: Jamie McMurray rolls the No. 1 McDonald's Chevrolet into the pits for four tires and a fill-up early in the Toyota Savemart 350. He started second and finished 15th. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
02joey-logano-nascar-driver
Hustling [3,400 pounds of race car](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/autopia/tag/auto-racing/) around a tricky course like Infineon isn't easy, especially when the cars are designed primarily for counterclockwise ovals. Infineon runs clockwise, and getting a NASCAR racer through the [track's 10 turns](http://www.infineonraceway.com/fanguide/maps/facility/) requires just a bit more effort at the wheel, on the brakes and in the mind. "It's hard to drive them around a road course," Logano said. "They're big. They've got a high center of gravity. They're like big taxicabs. This track definitely keeps you busy." Logano readily admits Infineon is not his favorite place to race -- that honor goes to Charlotte Motor Speedway, his home track. Still, he peeled off a qualifying run of 76.821 seconds at 93.256 mph, fast enough to earn the second pole position of his career.> While 93 mph and change may seem fast, it's nothing for NASCAR — [Dale Earnhardt Jr. hit 186.089](http://www.cbssports.com/nascar/story/14685538/daytona-500-pole-day-qualifying) qualifying for the Daytona 500. "This track seems small," Logano said of Infineon. "But it's tough. It's all hard. It's all at the limit." __Above__:Logano, basking in the glory of pole position before the start of the race. He finished sixth, a considerable improvement over his previous best at Infineon, 19th, in 2009. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
03nascar-practice-at-infineon-raceway
A lot of teams prepare for Infineon and Watkins Glen by testing their cars at a track like Virginia International Raceway or Road Atlanta. They experiment with things like weight distribution and suspension adjustment, hoping to find the best set-up. It's a crapshoot, because what works on one track may not work on another. Logano boned up on his road racing skills at Road Atlanta with seasoned racer Max Papis. "We had a little two-seater car and he gave me a ride and I was like, 'Wow, you can get in the corner a lot harder,'" Logano said after qualifying. "It’s cool to see that and learn. I think that is definitely paying off right now." __Above__: Carl Edwards leads Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth through Turn 11 at Infineon Raceway. The notorious first-gear hairpin saw a lot of chaos during the race, including a seven-car pileup on lap 37. Edwards started 23rd and clawed his way to third during a race that saw a dozen lead changes among nine drivers. "It was just a crazy race," Edwards said afterward. "To be able to escape out of here with a top three is a good day with us, especially considering everything that went on out there.” *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
04nascar-drivers-meeting
Race day started with a drivers' meeting to go over things like the pit row speed, the restart procedure and other things only the drivers really care about. Then everyone watched a five-minute safety video, which largely repeated everything the drivers were just told. Everything the drivers need to hear was summed up in about 10 minutes, but the meeting at Infineon lasted more than twice that. Most of the time was spent introducing corporate sponsors and VIPs, all of whom smiled and waved while the drivers pretended to look interested. The list of introductions ran two pages and included everyone from the brass hats at Sprint to actors John Ratzenberger and Kim Coates. Five-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson was a bit late and had to sit on the floor. He didn't seem to mind. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
05nascar-tech-inspection
While the drivers were in the meeting, their cars were going through tech inspection. Every car is scrupulously inspected at the beginning of a race weekend, then subjected to follow-up checks before qualifying and before the start of the race. The cars pass through several stations, where a team of inspectors focuses on different components: the body, the safety equipment, the chassis and so forth. NASCAR rules strictly dictate things like body dimensions, engine displacement, gear ratios, ride height, vehicle weight and other things. Teams do what they can to eke out every advantage within the rules. "It's their job to push the envelope as much as possible," said Kenny Lawson, senior manager for engine inspection. "It's our job to make it clear where the edge of the envelope is." *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
06nascar-tech-inspection-2
NASCAR race cars bear little resemblance to the Chevrolet Impalas, Dodge Chargers, Ford Fusions and Toyota Camrys you'll find in showrooms. Almost every aspect of their design is strictly regulated, they're built entirely by hand and they all look largely the same. Body dimensions are dictated by NASCAR, as are aerodynamic accoutrements like the front and rear spoilers. The only thing differentiating the cars, aside from the paint jobs, are the nose and the tail. Inspectors check the cars with 32 templates to ensure they comply with the rules. "The manufacturer identity is the front and rear fascia," Lawson said. "The rest of the greenhouse is common." The inspection process continues after the race. The top five finishers, along with two others, go through the process again. NASCAR officials yank the engines from the top two finishers and a third car selected at random and send them to the R&D center at HQ in North Carolina. "We'll disassemble the engines and give them a thorough inspection," Lawson said. Every car uses a 5.86-liter V-8 engine with a cast-iron block and pushrod valvetrain. The rules require a carburetor pumping 750 or 830 cubic feet per minute. The compression ratio is 12:1. The rules dictate just about everything you can imagine, down to the weight of the connecting rods (525 grams apiece), pistons (400 grams) and wrist pins (70 grams). None of the teams discuss how much power they're getting from the engines, which can run as much as $100,000 apiece. "Right now, we're pushing the edge of the 850 \[horsepower\] envelope," Lawson said. And the torque? "That's a secret," he said. "Each team has a secret recipe for that." *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
07nascar-crew-warms-up
Jimmie Johnson's crew warms up before the race. Don't laugh. You try slinging tires, a jack or a 12-gallon can of gasoline without stretching first and see how long you last. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
08fueling-up-a-nascar-racer
All of the cars use a 98-octane ethanol blend called Sunoco Green E15. It's pumped straight from a big Sunoco truck. Each car carries around 18 gallons of the stuff and gets about 3.8 mpg. Infineon is 1.99 miles when set up for NASCAR. That's about half a gallon per lap if anyone's keeping track. Each one of those cans holds 12 gallons, and the crew members who wield them during pit stops can toss them around like soda cans. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
09nascar-fans
NASCAR fans are among the most loyal on the planet. They follow their favorite drivers with devotion that borders on zealotry, and they are among the most brand-loyal in all of sports. But put aside any tired cliches about the sport being followed only by hicks and rednecks. According to sports marketing firm Mainstream Media, the [NASCAR crowd largely mirrors the country as a whole](http://www.gommi.com/rftc_media/race_demographics.htm) when it comes to age, income and gender. In other words, the typical NASCAR fan is pretty much just like you. Still, NASCAR has a problem: Its [audience is aging](http://hamptonroads.com/2011/01/track-owner-says-nascar-fans-are-aging-out) and NASCAR is struggling to win the coveted 18 to 34 male demographic. So, it has announced an ambitious plan to diversify the driver lineup, embrace social media and attract younger fans. "I feel like our on-track performance has been good, but there's more to it than that," driver Denny Hamlin told the *Charlotte Observer*. "We’ve got to [attract new, young fans](http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/07/01/2420321/nascar-review-finds-need-to-attract.html) and those are the people that are going to be coming to the races, bringing their families 10 years from now." __Above__: Fans line up to shell out 20 bucks or more for T-shirts, $65 for diecast cars or $130 for NASCAR-branded jackets, among other tchotchkes. An average of 120,000 people attend each NASCAR Sprint Cup race (there were 93,000 at Infineon), so vendors rake in money by the bushel. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
10danica-patrick
Danica Patrick wasn't there — she had raced a couple of days earlier at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 — but her fans were. NASCAR fans are fiercely loyal to their favorite drivers, and *everyone*'s got a favorite driver. "Dale Earnhardt Sr. was my favorite," said Tamea Kolesar, who came from nearby Pinole, California, to attend the race. "But I'm rooting for Robby Gordon. He's very charming." Kolesar says she likes NASCAR for the same reason everyone else at the race does: It's exciting, and it's as all-American as mom and apple pie. "I'm 63 and I've been watching NASCAR for 25 years. It's down home," she said. "Anyone can watch it, because everyone's got a track nearby." *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
11goodyear-15-inch-radial-slicks
Every team uses 15-inch radial slicks provided by Goodyear. They're 11 inches wide and run $449 apiece. Goodyear leases them to each team for the weekend. Teams are allowed five sets for practice and qualifying and must return at least four sets before receiving their race-day allotment, which varies by track. At Infineon Raceway, each team received 11 sets for the weekend. Crew members glue the lug nuts onto the wheels to ensure they're readily at hand during pit stops. That's Terry Spaulding, driver Paul Menard's front tire man, gluing nuts before the race. "If a lug nut falls off, I can't blame the other guy," he said. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
12nascar-pit-crew
Drivers get all the love, but there are dozens of people behind them making sure it all goes according to plan. The pit crew is the most visible of them. Although there may be a dozen people in each car's pit box, only seven are allowed "over the wall" to service the car. Each has a specific job to do, and it has to be done flawlessly. The jack man raises the car. Two tire changers — one front, one rear — remove the lug nuts and yank the old tires as the tire carriers — again, one front, one rear — guide fresh ones onto the car. The tire carriers also make any needed suspension adjustments. Meanwhile, the gas man hoists a 12-gallon can that refuels the car in seconds. During the second half of the race, a seventh man is allowed over the wall to clean the windshield, offer the driver a refreshing beverage or do other tasks, but he isn't allowed to make adjustments to the car. Properly executed, a pit crew can have a car out of the box in 12 to 15 seconds. It is both chaotic and balletic and over almost as soon as it begins, leaving only the smell of burned rubber and spilled fuel.> It's all overseen by the crew chief, who watches from a perch above the pit box. He monitors the car's lap times and performance, communicates with the driver by radio and directs the crew. "The pit box is mission control," said Chris Miko, who drives the truck that hauls Carl Edwards' No. 99 Aflac Ford. "The spaceship is on the track." __Above__: Denny Hamlin's pit crew goes over the wall as he approaches his pit box. They had him back on the track less than 15 seconds later. *Photo: Jim Merithew/*
13measuring-nascar-tire-wear
NASCAR doesn't allow sophisticated electronics or telemetry systems, so teams use more rudimentary means of gauging a cars performance. One trick to is measure tire wear. Is the camber off? Is the tire pressure too high? Is the suspension set-up too loose? These questions and more can be answered by knowing how much rubber the car is using. Every tire is ringed by wear pins, small dimples about 3/16 of an inch in diameter. As soon as the tires come off the car, a mechanic uses a blowtorch and a scraper to clear crud from the tire and expose the wear pins. Then he uses a specialized gauge, which measures in increments of 1/32 of an inch, to determine the depth of the pins. All the data -- tire pressure, tire temperature, tread depth -- is meticulously recorded and reported to the crew chief, who uses the information to determine what, if any, adjustments must be made to the car. *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
14nascar-driver-after-a-wreck
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was among seven drivers caught in a pileup on Turn 11 during lap 37, a crash Earnhardt called "a big ol' mess." The tangle knocked a hole in his radiator and damaged the engine block, putting him out of the race. Earnhardt's crew hoped to make repairs in the garage, but the damage was terminal. Still, he said, "The beating and the banging was kind of fun." *Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired.com*
