New 2018 inspection process

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

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Very interesting video in the attached link.....

NASCAR will have a new inspection system in place for the 2018 season, with a full-fledged rollout of a process that was tested at four tracks last year. But by the time the garage opens for business later this month at Daytona, the procedure will already be a familiar one.

The process — developed by Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company that oversaw the debut of NASCAR’s Pit Road Officiating technology — will replace the laser inspection system (LIS) and claw template station that previously measured vehicle bodies. The new system is expected to be far more thorough in its scanning process, creating a three-dimensional heat map of a particular car and comparing it to the computer-aided drawing (CAD) for each manufacturer.

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2018/02/01/nascar-new-2018-inspection-process/
 
I always liked the claw; I thought it was just a really cool looking piece of equipment.

Yeah, yeah, slow, etc.
 
I think this has the potential to draw the manufactures closer together than most people think. Now they can monitor the whole body instead of just certain areas. Maybe I'm wrong and I'm sure others will chime in but before it sounded like they started with the gold surface body for each manufacturer then teams worked it from there in different areas around predetermined measuring points. Sounds like new system will hold it closer to gold standard
 
wi_racefan said:
I think this has the potential to draw the manufactures closer together than most people think. Now they can monitor the whole body instead of just certain areas. Maybe I'm wrong and I'm sure others will chime in but before it sounded like they started with the gold surface body for each manufacturer then teams worked it from there in different areas around predetermined measuring points. Sounds like new system will hold it closer to gold standard
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Au contraire. If properly implemented (HA!), this could actually allow more diversity between the models. With a completely computerized system, it's relatively easy to program the system with different specs for each model at the start of the season. Tell the system it's measuring a Toyota and it uses the Toyota program, etc.

I'm not saying NASCAR will take advantage of that capability; indeed, I strongly doubt they will. But it's there.
 
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ChexOrWrex said:
The article explicitly shows that NASCAR has the intention of creating a level playing field.
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Sorry. Incredibly hectic day after three hours of sleep. My error, but while they don't plan to take full advantage at this time, the capability is there.
 
kyle18fan said:
When the body on all the cars is exactly the same ... including the front end, the playing field will begin to be equal
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I understand this isn't a popular stance....... but..... Nascar wasn't built on the playing field being equal and level...... it has evolved into that in the last decade and a half.......
 
kymartin6 said:
I understand this isn't a popular stance....... but..... Nascar wasn't built on the playing field being equal and level...... it has evolved into that in the last decade and a half.......
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I agree that it has evolved but I disagree that it is anywhere near a level playing field. If for no other reason than the fact that some teams just plain have more funds available. I was doing some research on roller bearings while back ... there are some really trick (and really high dollar) items out there that can drastically reduce rolling resistance .... providing you can afford them. Stuff like that makes a big difference
 
kyle18fan said:
I agree that it has evolved but I disagree that it is anywhere near a level playing field. If for no other reason than the fact that some teams just plain have more funds available. I was doing some research on roller bearings while back ... there are some really trick (and really high dollar) items out there that can drastically reduce rolling resistance .... providing you can afford them. Stuff like that makes a big difference
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The old saying..''Money buys Speed...... How fast do you want to go? '' Still rings true...... but.... when Nascar finds out about those roller bearings..... they will mandate that a certain roller bearing has to be used. I don't like that . I understand that it makes it much harder for the small teams to buy those high dollar parts but I think somehow they will manage to get them and stay competitive....... I just don't like mandates on every part .
 
kymartin6 said:
The old saying..''Money buys Speed...... How fast do you want to go? '' Still rings true...... but.... when Nascar finds out about those roller bearings..... they will mandate that a certain roller bearing has to be used. I don't like that . I understand that it makes it much harder for the small teams to buy those high dollar parts but I think somehow they will manage to get them and stay competitive....... I just don't like mandates on every part .
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Some of those bearings ... ceramic coated items and such have filtered their way in to Nascar from what I have read. I don't know if they are banned items or not as some of them are actually off the shelf items with space age coatings
 
kyle18fan said:
Some of those bearings ... ceramic coated items and such have filtered their way in to Nascar from what I have read. I don't know if they are banned items or not as some of them are actually off the shelf items with space age coatings
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I wonder if the sealed engine rule might be because some of that besides cutting costs. And then the new optional spec engine in the trucks coming into play cheaper and with more horsepower than the manufacturers engines have. A lot of this stuff never finds the light of day.
 
StandOnIt said:
I wonder if the sealed engine rule might be because some of that besides cutting costs. And then the new optional spec engine in the trucks coming into play cheaper and with more horsepower than the manufacturers engines have. A lot of this stuff never finds the light of day.
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A hell of a lot of money can be spent coating an engines internals with very expensive space age goodies. I have experimented some with trick coatings on 2-stroke pistons .... some of the stuff is the real damned deal !
 
kymartin6 said:
I understand this isn't a popular stance....... but..... Nascar wasn't built on the playing field being equal and level...... it has evolved into that in the last decade and a half.......
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And in there lies the problem with Nascar, it is too equal, the various makes need to be different, why have spec racing?
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Au contraire. If properly implemented (HA!), this could actually allow more diversity between the models. With a completely computerized system, it's relatively easy to program the system with different specs for each model at the start of the season. Tell the system it's measuring a Toyota and it uses the Toyota program, etc.

I'm not saying NASCAR will take advantage of that capability; indeed, I strongly doubt they will. But it's there.
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That stood out to me. A different CAD for each manufacturer. I'm not sure if that is good or bad. Trusting Nascar is something I find very difficult.
 
It is nothing more than a template, each manufacturers body dimensions are scanned into the data base. The racing track body is scanned and those dimensions are compared to the master body. This technology has been around for quite awhile.
 
The Oliver combine I used to drive for my uncle had a slant six. When I was going to technical school years ago, one of my instructors told me about an old Valiant that was traded in at the local dealership. When the shop was checking it over before putting it on the used lot, they noticed it ran a little rough. After finally discovering they had no compression in one of the cylinders, they pulled the head and found block of wood where the piston should be. After they removed the wood, they found the rod was missing of course. The old girl had spun a rod bearing at some point, and some shade tree mechanic just removed the rod and piston and for reasons unknown, drove a round chunk of firewood into the cylinder.
 
Formerjackman said:
The Oliver combine I used to drive for my uncle had a slant six. When I was going to technical school years ago, one of my instructors told me about an old Valiant that was traded in at the local dealership. When the shop was checking it over before putting it on the used lot, they noticed it ran a little rough. After finally discovering they had no compression in one of the cylinders, they pulled the head and found block of wood where the piston should be. After they removed the wood, they found the rod was missing of course. The old girl had spun a rod bearing at some point, and some shade tree mechanic just removed the rod and piston and for reasons unknown, drove a round chunk of firewood into the cylinder.
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That is how I fixed my 48 Desoto. Ran another couple of years on 5. Then the guy who bought it fixed it the right way.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Very interesting video in the attached link.....

NASCAR will have a new inspection system in place for the 2018 season, with a full-fledged rollout of a process that was tested at four tracks last year. But by the time the garage opens for business later this month at Daytona, the procedure will already be a familiar one.

The process — developed by Hawk-Eye Innovations, the company that oversaw the debut of NASCAR’s Pit Road Officiating technology — will replace the laser inspection system (LIS) and claw template station that previously measured vehicle bodies. The new system is expected to be far more thorough in its scanning process, creating a three-dimensional heat map of a particular car and comparing it to the computer-aided drawing (CAD) for each manufacturer.

https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2018/02/01/nascar-new-2018-inspection-process/
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It only takes 30 seconds to scan the car. Probably a bit more time than that to wait for the results, but that has to be so much faster than the old way. +/-15 thousands of an inch tolerance for a total of 30 thousands? or 15 thousand total it didn't say.
 
I think for me this is at the top of the list for the most interesting change for 2018.
 
kyle18fan said:
When the body on all the cars is exactly the same ... including the front end, the playing field will begin to be equal
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And what a great day that will be! All cars going the same speed will produce such great passing! Innovation out the window. Manufacturer ingenuity out the window. Throw in spec engines, and it will be bliss. At least I will be able to go home. It's been a rough few years living under my seat in Fontana (desert winters are cold at night).
 
Mopardh9 said:
And in there lies the problem with Nascar, it is too equal, the various makes need to be different, why have spec racing?
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This....but some are excited about that prospect in the search for "great racing."
 
Mopardh9 said:
And in there lies the problem with Nascar, it is too equal, the various makes need to be different, why have spec racing?
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I disagree. I noticed in the IMSA prototype class (in the past) when one manufacturer had an advantage and dominated races, the other manufacturers left the sport. NASCAR is about a level playing field. At the high speeds they run an aerodynamic advantage will dictate who wins. Back in the 90's teams complained to NASCAR about the nose of the manufacturer who was winning the most, they would get a modification and the whining would continue, that went on for years. NASCAR is still trying to figure out how to overcome aerodynamic problems. Fans don't like to see domination in racing - unless it is their brand.
 
Zerkfitting said:
I disagree. I noticed in the IMSA prototype class (in the past) when one manufacturer had an advantage and dominated races, the other manufacturers left the sport. NASCAR is about a level playing field. At the high speeds they run an aerodynamic advantage will dictate who wins. Back in the 90's teams complained to NASCAR about the nose of the manufacturer who was winning the most, they would get a modification and the whining would continue, that went on for years. NASCAR is still trying to figure out how to overcome aerodynamic problems. Fans don't like to see domination in racing - unless it is their brand.
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Too bad...with cars being the same, looks horsepower, ect...it's like IROC, racing. It's bland, and has no identity.
 
Zerkfitting said:
I disagree. I noticed in the IMSA prototype class (in the past) when one manufacturer had an advantage and dominated races, the other manufacturers left the sport. NASCAR is about a level playing field. At the high speeds they run an aerodynamic advantage will dictate who wins. Back in the 90's teams complained to NASCAR about the nose of the manufacturer who was winning the most, they would get a modification and the whining would continue, that went on for years. NASCAR is still trying to figure out how to overcome aerodynamic problems. Fans don't like to see domination in racing - unless it is their brand.
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yeah IMSA has the B.O.P. (balance of performance) now to deal with all of the differences in the cars. Working pretty good, the series is growing.
The quick fix back then in Nascar was that they used was to give the slower teams more rear downforce by making the spoiler higher to even things up. Way more complicated today. It isn't enough to have front and rear numbers similar. Teams have found ways around that with splitter and radiator tweaks, fans ducts, you name it.
 
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StandOnIt said:
The quick fix that they used was to give the slower teams more rear downforce by making the spoiler higher to even things up. Way more complicated today.
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Why is it more complicated, same principle, they just don't want to deal with it.
 
Ah the good ol days..3rd place was 5 miles behind from 1973:

upload_2018-2-8_12-39-32.png

http://racersreunioncom.jamroomhost...ng_Media/discussions/10/10909_discussions.png
 
Revman said:
And what a great day that will be! All cars going the same speed will produce such great passing! Innovation out the window. Manufacturer ingenuity out the window. Throw in spec engines, and it will be bliss. At least I will be able to go home. It's been a rough few years living under my seat in Fontana (desert winters are cold at night).
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I found great racing years ago ! every engine is different, every body is different ............... but its wonderful
 
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