NASCAR Subculture - Should NASCAR Consider 'Push-to-Pass' Technology?

While we have seen some great side by side racing lately since NASCAR introduced double file restarts, it's reasonable to think that the sanctioning body could do more to improve the racing.. The double file restarts are great at allowing two, three or even four wide racing for a lap or two, but they really only ramp up the excitement on restarts. If a race should experience green flag pit stops, then the field can get stretched out and turn into what I call 'conveyor-belt' racing. (One car following another around and around and around like toys on a conveyor belt.)

Many drivers complain that the dirty air caused by the new dimensions and wing of the 'car of tomorrow' make it hard to pass the competitors on the larger speedways. They always say 'we can catch 'em... we just can't pass 'em. ' We also frequently see the race leader, the only one in clean air (air that is undisturbed because no car is in front of them), get out to a three or four second lead over the rest of the field.

This was a problem that also plagued the IndyCar series, and they did something about it. They allowed some aerodynamic modifications to the bodies of the cars and removed a wicker off of the rear wing to give the cars more down force and leave a cleaner air stream behind them. They also introduced a magic button called the 'overtake assist', which allows a twelve second burst of extra horsepower from the engine to help one car pass another. (CART fans will remember this feature by another name...Push to Pass.) Each IndyCar driver is allowed to use their overtake assist button twenty times during a race. Of course, they can use it to pass, or to prevent someone from passing them. This feature really livened up their recent race at Mid-Ohio when during the final laps, second place Ryan Briscoe had more overtake assist boosts left than laps in the race, so every time third place Dario Franchitti got close enough to possibly pass him, Briscoe hit his boost button and zipped away. Of course, none of these new features kept Scott Dixon from winning the race by a 29 second advantage. Pit strategy played into his huge margin of victory.

Across the pond in Europe, the Formula One bosses have introduced a new feature called 'KERS' which is an acronym for Kinetic Energy Recovery System. It's yet another version of 'push to pass', yet somewhat 'greener'. The KERS device uses the waste heat created by braking to produce kinetic energy that can be stored and used to boost acceleration for short periods of time. The F1 teams have the option to use the KERS or not, as the device is heavy and the teams want the cars to be as light as possible. However, the KERS was instrumental in helping McLaren's Lewis Hamilton get a victory at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix. Hamilton and second place finisher Kimi Raikkonen both used the KERS boost to vault themselves to the podium.

So, would an idea like this be a good thing in NASCAR? I, myself, am not quite sure but I do think it's an idea that might be worth looking in to. One dynamic about racing a stock car that does not exist in open wheel racing is the almighty chrome horn - i.e. fenders. We've seen many a time when a stock car driver uses the fenders and bumpers of his car to move aside the car he's trying to pass. Some would say the fenders are NASCAR's overtake assist devices. Or...Kinetic Energy Removal System...the fenders alter, or halt, the kinetic energy of the car in front of them. You won't see that kind of thing in open wheel racing! (Not intentionally anyways...) Both Formula 1 and the IndyCars race on Sunday so you can check out their new innovations. (Check your local listings for times.)

The point here is that the open wheel series bosses realized that they needed to do something to improve racing, and they took action. The results so far have been great in my opinion. NASCAR did make a bunch of great safety innovations with the COT for which we all are grateful. And yes, NASCAR did give us double file restarts 'shootout-style', which is fun, but there is more that could be done. The racecar should be a work in progress. I say, get it back to the wind tunnel and un-dirty some of that air that comes off of it, and maybe let the crew chiefs have a little more lee-way on adjustments. And a push-to-pass button? HMMM... might be fun!

This weekend is the hottest night race on the schedule for NASCAR at the Bristol Motor Speedway. There will be plenty of examples of chrome horn usage, halting of kinetic energy and pushing cars out of the way to pass them this Saturday night. It's survival of the fittest, NASCAR style. Can you imagine the double file restarts? They'll be nothing short of pandemonium. If you only watch one race this year, THIS is the one you want to see!

Sources: Jayski.com, paint schemes
Indycar.com, schedule, news archives, July 28, 2009 Horsepower Boost
Formula1.com, Inside F1, Understanding the Sport-KERS