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http://www.scenedaily.com/news/arti...ate_value_of_sharing_fuel_injection_data.html
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Sprint Cup drivers want to know what made Tony Stewart so good on restarts in his victory last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Was what made him so good on restarts somehow related to the fuel injection systems implemented this year? Or did his car just handle better?
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby plans to provide to teams select information downloaded from the top-finishing drivers in recent weeks to help them learn about the new fuel system.
That has led to some drivers talking about whether driver and team secrets should be revealed.
“Our focus is data that helps with engine operation,” Darby said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “There are a bunch of crazy theories out there right now that you can look at the data and understand why Tony had good restarts last week.
“That’s all bull. The driver is the reason they had good restarts. I watched the same Homestead race at Miami last November that everybody else did and I saw Tony do the same thing six times. It has nothing to do with fuel injection at all.”
But just how much team information should be shared? Drivers want to know, and some think there should be no sharing of information.
The idea is to allow teams to understand the process of mapping – programming the fuel-injection system as far as how much fuel to inject into the cylinders and when to ignite the spark plugs depending on the amount of air controlled by the throttle and the RPMs being turned.
Hendrick Motorsports supplies engines to Stewart’s team so it has access to all of the data from the system.
“I did look at Tony’s data and definitely have a direction and know what’s going on,” said Jimmie Johnson, who finished second to Stewart at Las Vegas. “It’s a complicated thing that I’m certainly not going to share for the world to see. But I’ve got a clear direction of where to work.”
While Johnson was able to get the information thanks to the team relationship, drivers outside the Hendrick camp obviously are interested as well.
Some drivers don’t want any information being shared. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it’s good to have some secrets.
“It is a slippery slope,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “With the fuel injection, it brings in the ability this year to be able to see data that we’ve never been able to see before.
“We should ease into how we use that date, and how NASCAR allows us to use that data kind of slowly not to upset the culture of the sport, or how things have worked in the past. I think if we take this new door that has been opened to us and abuse it, it might not be good for the sport.”
Carl Edwards agrees.
“What we do with the pedals and steering wheel and all that stuff is our proprietary stuff,” Edwards said. “From NASCAR’s perspective, I can see how they would want everyone to not have an advantage and keep feeding everyone information to make it tougher and closer.
“I know for me personally with the fuel mileage things and different things there have been times I thought there were things I did in the car that I wouldn’t want anyone else to see.”
Darby said drivers and teams don’t have anything to worry about because the information handed out won’t help with chassis setups and handling.
The philosophy providing technical information is much like how NASCAR gives out shock information from the top teams to the rest of the field, Darby said.
“It is to help them tune [the engines],” Darby said. “It’s about the ability to keep competition level in the garage, the ability to keep the teams with very few resources still competitive with the teams that have got the big resources.”
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Sprint Cup drivers want to know what made Tony Stewart so good on restarts in his victory last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Was what made him so good on restarts somehow related to the fuel injection systems implemented this year? Or did his car just handle better?
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby plans to provide to teams select information downloaded from the top-finishing drivers in recent weeks to help them learn about the new fuel system.
That has led to some drivers talking about whether driver and team secrets should be revealed.
“Our focus is data that helps with engine operation,” Darby said Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway. “There are a bunch of crazy theories out there right now that you can look at the data and understand why Tony had good restarts last week.
“That’s all bull. The driver is the reason they had good restarts. I watched the same Homestead race at Miami last November that everybody else did and I saw Tony do the same thing six times. It has nothing to do with fuel injection at all.”
But just how much team information should be shared? Drivers want to know, and some think there should be no sharing of information.
The idea is to allow teams to understand the process of mapping – programming the fuel-injection system as far as how much fuel to inject into the cylinders and when to ignite the spark plugs depending on the amount of air controlled by the throttle and the RPMs being turned.
Hendrick Motorsports supplies engines to Stewart’s team so it has access to all of the data from the system.
“I did look at Tony’s data and definitely have a direction and know what’s going on,” said Jimmie Johnson, who finished second to Stewart at Las Vegas. “It’s a complicated thing that I’m certainly not going to share for the world to see. But I’ve got a clear direction of where to work.”
While Johnson was able to get the information thanks to the team relationship, drivers outside the Hendrick camp obviously are interested as well.
Some drivers don’t want any information being shared. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said it’s good to have some secrets.
“It is a slippery slope,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “With the fuel injection, it brings in the ability this year to be able to see data that we’ve never been able to see before.
“We should ease into how we use that date, and how NASCAR allows us to use that data kind of slowly not to upset the culture of the sport, or how things have worked in the past. I think if we take this new door that has been opened to us and abuse it, it might not be good for the sport.”
Carl Edwards agrees.
“What we do with the pedals and steering wheel and all that stuff is our proprietary stuff,” Edwards said. “From NASCAR’s perspective, I can see how they would want everyone to not have an advantage and keep feeding everyone information to make it tougher and closer.
“I know for me personally with the fuel mileage things and different things there have been times I thought there were things I did in the car that I wouldn’t want anyone else to see.”
Darby said drivers and teams don’t have anything to worry about because the information handed out won’t help with chassis setups and handling.
The philosophy providing technical information is much like how NASCAR gives out shock information from the top teams to the rest of the field, Darby said.
“It is to help them tune [the engines],” Darby said. “It’s about the ability to keep competition level in the garage, the ability to keep the teams with very few resources still competitive with the teams that have got the big resources.”
