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Terminology
World of Outlaws
Sprint Car Terms
Sprint Car Terms A-Z
By Ron Lemasters Jr.
Sprint
car racing, at least at the level of the Pennzoil World of Outlaws series, is as much a technical challenge as any motorsport
can be. Thus, there are terms used in everyday conversations that might be a bit tough to understand without some help. Here
is that help. Outlaws.com provides you with the terminology to make even the most jaded of dirt-chewers respect your knowledge.
Bead lock - A bead-lock is a device that keeps the tires on the rims. Sprint car tires, because of the extreme forces
they have to withstand, and the low tire air pressures they use, tend to want to come off the rims while carrying 800 horsepower
through a corner - sideways. The bead lock is a round plate with holes in it to allow the tire to be screwed to the rim -
the tire bead is sandwiched between the bead lock ring and the rim's edge.
Channellock Dash - This six-lap race
is used to determine the lineup of the first ten positions in the "A" Feature. The finishing order of this race
sets the "A" Feature lineup, from first to 10th, with the remainder of the cars qualified lined up by qualifying
time, fastest to slowest.
Coil-over - As in coil-over shock setup. The coil spring on the corner of the car is mounted
over the shock tube body, giving it a packaging advantage over "big spring" suspension design (a separate spring
and shock absorber). ASA Stock cars and Late Models also use coil-over spring/shock packaging.
Cushion - The cushion
is the curb of dirt that piles up in the corners as Sprint cars dig up the ground with their wide rear tires. The Cushion
offers the gutsy driver the ability to place his right-rear tire on it and use both the moisture underneath and the curb-like
effect to rocket through and down the straightaway. This is also called "running the top."
Dry-Slick -
The opposite of tacky. A dry, slick track is one that has relatively little moisture and little or no passing room. Lots of
dust, too.
Front (Nose) Wing - The smaller, less obvious wing on the front of the Sprint car serves to direct air
over the engine compartment and into the engine intakes, as well as providing downforce for the front of the car.
Heat
Race - Following qualifying, heat races determine who races in the "A" Feature and who has to get in through racing
the "B" Main. Heat races are lined up according to qualifying times - fast qualifier to first heat, second-fastest
to the second and so on, until the heats are full. The top five from each of four heat races automatically qualify for the
feature.
In/Out box (direct drive) - Sprint cars have no clutch; they use direct-drive slider gears or an in/out
box, which is basically a shift knob that puts the car in gear (ready to race) or out of gear (not ready to race). The slider
gear is engaged just before the car is pushed off, and the engine starts via compression, like bump-starting a manual-transmission
passenger car.
The King - Steve Kinser. 'Nuff said.
Loose - When a Sprint car is loose, the rear end slides
toward the wall and wants to change places with the front. This is also called oversteer - usually by wine-drinking, cheese-nibbling
patrons of road racing and the like. Real racers refer to the condition as "loose."
Methanol - The fuel
WoO cars burn in their 410-cubic-inch engines. Methanol is a manufactured fuel made from distilled garbage, among other things.
It is alcohol combined with methane, which burns hotter and cleaner than other petrocarbon distillates.
Neutral
- As the term implies, a neutral car is neither loose nor tight. It goes where you point it.
Provisional - If a
driver misses the "A" Feature, he or she can use a provisional to go ahead and start the race anyway. It's like
a "Get Out of Jail Free" card in Monopoly. Racers using a provisional start at the end of the field.
The
Rail - (See also "huggy pole" and "running the bottom") The opposite of running the cushion, running the
rail is circling the track around the very bottom. It is often the quickest way around (see also Driving Style, Lasoski, Danny),
but it does not allow the car to carry as much momentum through the corners as running up on the cushion.
Roll Cage
- This is the driver's survival cell in the event of a crash. The roll cage, which was introduced to Sprint cars in the late
1960s, is a series of welded steel tubes that form the cockpit. They are designed to protect the driver in the event of a
crash, taking tremendous punishment without breaking or compromising the cockpit and harming the driver.
Stagger
- The difference in circumference between the left-side and right-side rear tires. Since WoO cars always turn to the left
while racing, the right-side tire is usually much bigger than the left-side tire, helping the car turn more freely. As a practical
example, take a paper cup and place it on the ground in front of you, with the bottom facing you and the lip facing out. Roll
the cup. It will turn to the left, as the lip is larger than the bottom. The same action applies to stagger.
Tacky
- This is a term for a track condition, not Elvis's Graceland. Tacky means the track surface is still slightly wet to the
touch and has a lot of water near the top. Sprint cars can really get a grip in this stuff.
Tail Tank - A Sprint
car's fuel tank is located inside the teardrop-shaped tail of the car. It consists of an aluminum shell around a rubber bladder
with baffling and other refinements to keep the fuel from sloshing around in the tank.
Tight - When a Sprint car
is tight, the front end of the car does not want to turn and the car "pushes" toward the wall. This is not a fun
driving condition to have, as the car generally goes where you point it, and if it's pointed at the fence, that's usually
where it winds up. Wine-drinking, cheese-nibbling, road-racing types call this "understeer."
Top Wing
- The large, airfoil-looking wing atop the roll cage of a WoO Sprint car. The purpose is both to enhance performance and provide
a softer landing in the event of a flip. Made of aluminum, the wing guides massive amounts of air over the top of the car,
providing downforce to "stick" the car to the track. It can be adjusted fore and aft via a hydraulic control in
the cockpit to balance downforce.
Torque Tube - Also called a driveshaft. This long piece of cylindrical aluminum
is used to transfer the 800 horsepower generated by the engine to the rear wheels. The shaft itself spins freely between a
driver's feet. Hoops made of steel or aluminum are installed on the floor of the cockpit to keep the tube away from the driver's
body in the event of a crash.
Wicked Fast - A driver who has impressed his fellow competitors with the performance
of his car and driving abilities. (aka "Bad-fast," "Flyin'," "Stout," etc.)
credits for the sprint specs are from:(click below)
World of Outlaws
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