Digital Dashboards coming to NASCAR

AndyMarquisLive said:
My Pontiac had a thing that told me how much fuel I had left, how many miles I could run, what my average speed was during my trip and what my tire pressures were. It would be interesting if that was a thing in NASCAR. It puts more in the drivers' hands but, at the same time, takes a lot out of the crew chiefs' hands.
Click to expand...
My new Dodge has this stuff. Maybe it's the novelty but I think it's cool as hell.
 
For everyone commenting about the lack of needles, has anyone seen an actual dash yet? The one SpeedPagan posted earlier is his assumption that a NASCAR dash will look like the one in a Lexus. Unless Lexus is replacing Sprint, I doubt that's what it will look like.
 
Was reading this information from here. Thought it was interesting.

-- An optional electronic cluster (digital dashboard) in the ****pit of the race car, increasing the information available to the driver.

Through the digital dash, NASCAR will be able to communicate to the driver, for example, the instant caution is called, as well as the driver's position in the running order for a restart. The long-term trend is toward enhanced data acquisition, Stefanyshyn said, but not at the expense of the driver behind the wheel.

"We always want the driver to drive the car," Stefanyshyn said. "We will be collecting data and harvesting data, not to be able to send to some central command station to tell the driver what to do with his car.

"We'll be harvesting and collecting data to officiate better, to inform our fans and provide them with a richer experience.

"One of my future goals would be, if we have an incident on the track, and we have a device connected to the driver, when you turn on the incident data recorder, that goes to NASCAR Medical, and they know instantaneously which car to go to first if we have an issue."

​
 
Not sure I get the whole speedometer idea. It's not needed. The tachometer works just fine along with the lights that are installed to indicate the correct pit road speed. Drivers get caught speeding because they push the limit and not because they don't have a speedometer.
 
Some race cars have pit road limiters so the driver can't over drive the car. This same device could be used to
limit speed when connected to CAUTION lights. It would prevent those at the back from trying to pass everyone.
 
NASCAR's 2015 dashboard...
digital-dashboard.jpg
 
AndyMarquisLive said:
My Pontiac had a thing that told me how much fuel I had left, how many miles I could run, what my average speed was during my trip and what my tire pressures were. It would be interesting if that was a thing in NASCAR. It puts more in the drivers' hands but, at the same time, takes a lot out of the crew chiefs' hands.
Click to expand...

I've had cars with similar systems, going uphill I got 4 mpg, downhill 30ish mpg. It was a guess at best.
Analog gauges set so the normal reading is a needle at 9 o'clock or straight up at 12 o'clock and just a quick glance tells the story.
 
Just let them have the pit road speed limiter and be done with it. What is the ****** point with jacking a safety issue with the explanation, "We want the driver to drive the car." Stupid.
 
Revman said:
Just let them have the pit road speed limiter and be done with it. What is the ******* point with jacking a safety issue with the explanation, "We want the driver to drive the car." Stupid.
Click to expand...

I think some drivers can manipulate speed between the timing zones better than others.
It puts more pressure on the drivers ability imo, that's a positive imo.
 
Greg said:
I think some drivers can manipulate speed between the timing zones better than others.
It puts more pressure on the drivers ability imo, that's a positive imo.
Click to expand...

Pit lane speed is for safety. Don't understand the stupid timing lines. Want them to be safe or not? Pit lane limiters and measure the speed with the transponders. The drivers and crews have turned the timing line manipulation bull**** into a "skill." There are some parts of NASCAR that really don't make sense in the name of retarding technology. You fired the officials. You made digital dashboards legal. Finish the deal, and quit pretending. It's okay.
 
What goes on on pit lane is all a part of the race for me. I'm trying to think back to all of the incidents that have been caused by timing lines and I can't think of one. Timing lines are part of the pit strategy. Ever since they put a limit on pit road timing lines have been used by drivers/teams to their advantage by speeding within their respective box. Before the transponders they used stop watches to time between the painted lines. There's nothing new going on here. The system works just fine IMO. Quit changing my NASCAR.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
What goes on on pit lane is all a part of the race for me. I'm trying to think back to all of the incidents that have been caused by timing lines and I can't think of one. Timing lines are part of the pit strategy. Ever since they put a limit on pit road timing lines have been used by drivers/teams to their advantage by speeding within their respective box. Before the transponders they used stop watches to time between the painted lines. There's nothing new going on here. The system works just fine IMO. Quit changing my NASCAR.
Click to expand...

So we have a pit lane speed so that drivers can speed between the lines? Come on man. The idea is safety. The technique to govern it is archaic. This is like trying to launch the space shuttle with a wick and a match. They already screwed with your NASCAR by instituting a pit lane speed. Ship sailed.
 
If pit road speed is for safety, and after Bill Elliot lost one of his crewman because of unsafe speed, then IMHO it should be more rigorously enforced than it is right now. Get rid of of the timing belts and just go off of the transponder. Anytime the transponder catches them speeding on pit row, BAM, penalty.

Of course, NASCAR won't do this because let's be honest, they're not about safety until someone dies.
 
Pete:Team Penske said:
Some race cars have pit road limiters so the driver can't over drive the car. This same device could be used to
limit speed when connected to CAUTION lights. It would prevent those at the back from trying to pass everyone.
Click to expand...
If somehow they create a device that automatically slows cars under caution then how do those that pit under caution catch back up to those that elect not to pit? How about the free pass car?

Why is everyone on this board trying to slow the cars down? This only goes to show that this off season is way to long. :D

The season can't come soon enough.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If somehow they create a device that automatically slows cars under caution then how do those that pit under caution catch back up to those that elect not to pit? How about the free pass car?

Why is everyone on this board trying to slow the cars down? This only goes to show that this off season is way to long. :D

The season can't come soon enough.
Click to expand...
I was thinking about the initial display of the caution. Drivers don't always see the flasher for a brief moment and in that time frame they have run over those who slowed. Also helps those who don't realize for a few seconds the folly of hammer down under caution when for once in a race they actually pass someone. It can be a momentary thing.

Safety wasn't my idea. I still don't like pit road speed limits but it is the only way some drivers can be protected from their own stupid moves.
 
whats next?? I am waiting for nascar to have control over a drivers accelerator. A sort of NASCAR kill switch. that will suck. imagine leaning on that by mistake?
 
MRM said:
Digital is easier to read than analog, especially going 200 MPH.
Click to expand...
I'd agree if the drivers were actually trying to read each individual gauge. My understanding is that they're looking for overall status. That's why each gauge is rotated so, under normal conditions, the needles all point in the same direction. A quick glance at 200 mph is all it takes to see if they're all pointed the same way. If the driver see an oddball, then he can take a second glance to concentrate only on that one gauge.

Another problem with analog is they require the driver to remember the normal or optimal numeric value each one is supposed to display. "Let's see, water shows 227, oil shows 265; what, which was which agai- [WALL SMACK] -guess it doesn't matter now."
 
DanicaFreak said:
whats next?? I am waiting for nascar to have control over a drivers accelerator. A sort of NASCAR kill switch. that will suck. imagine leaning on that by mistake?
Click to expand...
If NASCAR were handed the means to reduce the power of theses cars 'at will', fans would go nuts. Question..... Are they able to refuel black helicopters in mid air like other, fixed wing, aircraft? It not, there would be a problem because those black helicopters would never want to land. I'm just sayin.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
If NASCAR were handed the means to reduce the power of theses cars 'at will', fans would go nuts. Question..... Are they able to refuel black helicopters in mid air like other, fixed wing, aircraft? It not, there would be a problem because those black helicopters would never want to land. I'm just sayin.
Click to expand...

Picture the Brain up in the ivory tower evilly laughing about causing a problem with brad ks car
 
DanicaFreak said:
Picture the Brain up in the ivory tower evilly laughing about causing a problem with brad ks car
Click to expand...
The only part that I'd like about the whole deal is that Brian would never slow down Jr's car. My driver is bound to have 20+ wins should they implement this new technology. :D Hell, he might just become the first driver to win all ten Chase races. :cool:
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
The only part that I'd like about the whole deal is that Brian would never slow down Jr's car. My driver is bound to have 20+ wins should they implement this new technology. :D Hell, he might just become the first driver to win all ten Chase races. :cool:
Click to expand...

oh? Jeff G got a 20 sec lead...mmmmmmmhmmmm lesee what button to press to cause a tire problem.....
 
This isn't all that surprising because the dash is pretty much digital anyways. They have been using SPEK gauges for a number of years. These started as just the tach's for managing pit road speeds. Now they have pretty much switched all gauges over to them. The HMS cars were the first ones I saw with them probably back in 08 or 09. Now the gauges flash different colors if say your oil temp or fuel pressure is out of wack, or probably the big one is coolant temp. When the cars switched to EFI to my knowledge everything started being put into an ECU then the ECU sent the signal out to the gauges rather than the gauges being wired to an individual sending unit. It probably made wiring the cars quite a bit different and easier, it allowed the use of more of a wiring harness type setup.

nascar wants to be able to alert the cars for cautions, the other big advantage I see is they also want to be able to tell the cars what running position they are in. What will be interesting since they will have adjustable track bars inside the car if they will allow some sort of sending unit to know what setting that is at. It would also be cool to access this info as a fan, but then again maybe thats taking too much out of the drivers hands because the crew would be able to see that too.
 
hidesert cowboy said:
This isn't all that surprising because the dash is pretty much digital anyways. They have been using SPEK gauges for a number of years. These started as just the tach's for managing pit road speeds. Now they have pretty much switched all gauges over to them. The HMS cars were the first ones I saw with them probably back in 08 or 09. Now the gauges flash different colors if say your oil temp or fuel pressure is out of wack, or probably the big one is coolant temp. When the cars switched to EFI to my knowledge everything started being put into an ECU then the ECU sent the signal out to the gauges rather than the gauges being wired to an individual sending unit. It probably made wiring the cars quite a bit different and easier, it allowed the use of more of a wiring harness type setup.

nascar wants to be able to alert the cars for cautions, the other big advantage I see is they also want to be able to tell the cars what running position they are in. What will be interesting since they will have adjustable track bars inside the car if they will allow some sort of sending unit to know what setting that is at. It would also be cool to access this info as a fan, but then again maybe thats taking too much out of the drivers hands because the crew would be able to see that too.
Click to expand...


Thanks for that post... I may learn something.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom