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HardScrabble
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Anybody remember the movie "Redline 7000"?? James Caan drove the 28 Ford of Fred Lorenzen?? Wasn't that great and is not relevent to this post either, just curious.
Anyways Mike Mulhern has compiled some stats and statements on the current level of engine developement in WC. Turning a pushrod V8 at 10,000 RPM for 500 miles seems far fetched, but not that long ago you could have won a whole pile of money betting on Ryan's engine to live at Pocono a few weeks back.
After NASCAR's latest two chassis dyno runs, Winston Cup engine men - and crew chiefs, drivers and car owners - can assess where they stand. Car owners Robert Yates and Richard Childress have the strongest motor programs right now. And Joe Gibbs' Mark Cronquist is winner of "most improved," for his big horsepower gains since last season.
"That's what you get when you've got two crew chiefs and two drivers breathing hot down your neck," Jimmy Makar, Gibbs' general manager, said with a laugh.
"Over the last seven or eight years, it seems like we've gained about 10 horsepower each year," Cronquist said. "But in the last year it seems like we've picked up about 30. People have made a bigger improvement the last year, and that's because people have gotten out there and found better valve-spring guys and better cylinder-head guys and better cam-shaft guys."
• Jack Roush said his goal this year is make a 40-horsepower jump, and he says he's found 25 horsepower already. Roush also predicts 10,000 RPM will soon be the new Winston Cup red line, which is currently at about 9500, up from 9300 last season.
But then Roush had a number of engine failures last week at Michigan.
"Getting to 10,000 RPM won't be as easy as people think," Cronquist said. But he notes that the Ford engine design that Yates and Roush use allows their engine men to use much shorter strokes, which allows for much higher RPM, than Chevy engine men can use.
"Finding another 200 RPM is a big deal to us," Cronquist said. "If you can pick up 200 RPM, it's a major change for us. I know there are some teams flirting with 10,000 right now...but you also see them breaking more often. The higher you go, the more chances there are for something to break."
Anyways Mike Mulhern has compiled some stats and statements on the current level of engine developement in WC. Turning a pushrod V8 at 10,000 RPM for 500 miles seems far fetched, but not that long ago you could have won a whole pile of money betting on Ryan's engine to live at Pocono a few weeks back.
After NASCAR's latest two chassis dyno runs, Winston Cup engine men - and crew chiefs, drivers and car owners - can assess where they stand. Car owners Robert Yates and Richard Childress have the strongest motor programs right now. And Joe Gibbs' Mark Cronquist is winner of "most improved," for his big horsepower gains since last season.
"That's what you get when you've got two crew chiefs and two drivers breathing hot down your neck," Jimmy Makar, Gibbs' general manager, said with a laugh.
"Over the last seven or eight years, it seems like we've gained about 10 horsepower each year," Cronquist said. "But in the last year it seems like we've picked up about 30. People have made a bigger improvement the last year, and that's because people have gotten out there and found better valve-spring guys and better cylinder-head guys and better cam-shaft guys."
• Jack Roush said his goal this year is make a 40-horsepower jump, and he says he's found 25 horsepower already. Roush also predicts 10,000 RPM will soon be the new Winston Cup red line, which is currently at about 9500, up from 9300 last season.
But then Roush had a number of engine failures last week at Michigan.
"Getting to 10,000 RPM won't be as easy as people think," Cronquist said. But he notes that the Ford engine design that Yates and Roush use allows their engine men to use much shorter strokes, which allows for much higher RPM, than Chevy engine men can use.
"Finding another 200 RPM is a big deal to us," Cronquist said. "If you can pick up 200 RPM, it's a major change for us. I know there are some teams flirting with 10,000 right now...but you also see them breaking more often. The higher you go, the more chances there are for something to break."
The typical "snowball" thing.....starts out slow then gathers speed. The same will happen in engine technology........and 10 grand will not be the limit either!!