Nascar - camaro/mustang

[Water logged]

NASCAR seems to have some following here, so I thought maybe I could look for get a question answered.

At the beginning of this season, they made a big deal about the SS being replaced by the Camaro and how it takes time for the drivers to adjust to it. Now that the Ford Fusion is being replaced by the Mustang they are predicting the same adjustments are needed. Correct me if I am wrong, but the Camaro and Mustang will contain no chassis, body or engines from the street cars, they will still be the NASCAR ordained components. The change is matter of removing the SS and Fusion nose and replacing it with a Camaro and Mustang nose, both of which must meet NASCAR specs. The question is, what is it that these talented drivers have to adjust to?

Glenn

 

[jbuote]

Yeah, pretty much just a nose change...
If you look at the noses on Chevy, Ford, and Toyota Nascar cars, they are different..
Not just in decals, but shapes...

At the speeds they run, even tiny changes in shapes etc.. affect the aerodynamics..(Super-speedway, or smaller tracks behind another car etc..)
So, while the driver and crew are used to the "SS" (Chevy) of 2017, they know if the car is doing "A", then they need adjustment "B".. They're used to it..

With the new noses, if the car is doing "A", and they do adjustment "B" it won't have the same end result in the "Camaro" of 2018 as it did in the "SS".. so they have to get used to it..
Might be adjustment "E" they really need with the new nose.

Toyota went through this when they switched "Bodies" and Ford will too when they switch to the Mustang..

Some teams and drivers figure it out faster than others, and it looks like an advantage for a while.. And it is... LOL
Hope it helps!

 

[aspeck]

Adjustments made are aerodynamics, but even more than just the typical thought process is how the car is effected while drafting and how it will be effected when rubbing and bumping occur. With the noses that are straighter across, it is easier to "bump." But with the curve of the nose, the bump can send the bumping car as crazy or crazier than the car being bumped. Just a different animal at 200MPH.

 

[GA_Boater]

Any change in the shape, especially on the sides affects side drafting, too. A bad shape can make it impossible to control a car as you pass until you learn the nuances. But these guys are quick learners.