I know no one knows for definate, could be wrong, but does anyone have an idea of why DEI is all of a sudden, over the last 4yrs, so dominate at the super speedways? Is it their motors or is it aero? I have noticed that when they get out front, they seem to be able to "pull away from the draft" when compared to everyone else.

thanks
Jeremy

 

They spend a considerable amount of money strictly on restrictor plate racing, they have a group of guys dedicated just to those races, and engine packages. I think the secret was and is Richie Gilmore, but Dale Jr, and Michael definitely feel much more comfortable at those two tracks than most do. The other teams are close behind, but DEI always seems to be just ahead of them still. I know you have noticed that the DEI car can turn usually a couple hundred more RPM's than the other guys as well. Richie just seems to have found the best combination of gear selections, shock packaging, aero, and most importantly, SUPERB ENGINE PARTS SELECTION!!!! I can't remember them ever loosing an engine during a plate race, they have replaced some prior to the race however. HTH's just my observation .

 

Have to agree with G-BODYT56. It's the combination, and maybe a couple more horsies. Even a little push scrubs speed off, so the setup is very critical and a moving target. Good crew chiefs can make the right calls. Energy management by the driver is critical. Watch how much (or how little) the steering wheel moves. Flat 100% of the time with no wheel movement , or at least approaching that is quick.

If you are not into chassis setups for high banked tracks, the front spring split might surprise you. Everyone runs higher rate right fronts, right? Not necessarily. That suggests you can make all four tires work nearly equally. More speed.

Watch guys gain time at Talladega during braking for pit stops. Bigger brakes here can gain more positions than they can on the track. Use to be they used minimal brakes to keep rotating inertia down, but that only helps during acceleration back up to speed.

Also, as mentioned, the correct trans ratios and even shift points for accelerating from pit stops can mean lots of track position. Restarts are the same story.

Watch pit stop times, but especially the total time from braking to back to speed if the media shows that.

If you have EA Sports NASCAR Thunder game, run at Talladega and play with trans ratios and time your pit-out lap. While it may not be perfectly accurate, you can make a considerable difference, which is a trend you can apply to the real race. I expect some Cup teams use simulators to help choose trans gear ratios.

Driveline friction losses are another place to find speed at those two tracks. Even things like the qualty of the gear tooth profiles and the mesh as well as bearings in the trans can eat up power. I'd not be surprised to find narrow bearings with ceramic *****, ground tooth profiles and extremely accurate setup of the trans.

Same thing for the rear gears. 9 in Ford axle has a lot of pinion offset and eats power. With 450-475 (maybe) plate horses vs. 800+ for an open engine, who says the gear teeth have to be as wide? I'd guess the ring & pinions are very well lapped together for plate tracks, maybe better than for other tracks. They might even be using finer (or maybe coarser) pitch teeth. Maybe a 51/17 vs. a 42/14 for a 3.00? It wouldn't take too much testing to determine which was more efficient at transmitting that level of power. I'll bet rear setup guy is very important for plate tracks.

I wonder if the cars are set up for driver comfort or what's fastest mechanically. That's often not the same, but if the fastest setup is too difficult to drive for 188 or so laps, the car may be comfortable, and still be faster overall due to fewer mistakes. IMO, there are driver like Michael Schumacher who can drive whatever is fastest setup, even if it isn't comfortable. It always surprises me how two team cars which are virtually identical chassis, are set up very differently due to "driver preference". Both setups can't be the fastest, IMO.

My $.02. What's yours?