The Importance Of Chemistry In NASCAR

NASCAR is one of the world’s most popular sports attracting millions of viewers every Sunday to watch their favorite drivers race hundreds of miles across the race track at intense speeds. Many people who love to tune in and watch the sport are not aware of the chemistry behind NASCAR. For the cars to be able to operate the way they do, a lot has to go into building them. Each track that is raced on brings different challenges to the race team whose job is trying to get their car to be the fastest and most efficient. Chemistry exists all throughout the car and in major parts of the car like the gas tank, windshield, engine and the tires. All four parts of the car carry different unique features.

One very important part in a NASCAR …show more content…
The cars have to travel through the pit stop throughout the race and have their tires changed numerous times. In Brian Rohrig’s article it states “The tires are often under inflated when they are first installed on a car, and after a few laps, the tires heat up and the pressure becomes greater.” The tires pressure increases during the race because of Gay-Lussac’s Law. The law confirms the fact that the pressure of a gas increases as its temperature increases. When a NASCAR car starts moving at its electrifying speed around the track the tires pressure increases and this helps increase the grip of the tires. With a better grip of the tires it becomes easier to control and therefore easier to reach faster speeds. Also a NASCAR car is filled with nitrogen rather normal air in the average car. In a ChemMatters article it states “Another difference between NASCAR car tires and normal tires is that NASCAR car tires are filled with nitrogen not normal air” (Rohrig). Nitrogen has less moisture than normal air does, so having nitrogen in the tires holds less moisture in the tires. Moisture can alter the tire pressure because the tires will begin to expand. With more pressure there will be more of an effect on the control of the car. Having nitrogen filled tires is safer than having tires filled with normal air. The tires of a NASCAR car are different than tires of a normal car. NASCAR …show more content…
A NASCAR car has 8 cylinders just like a normal car and in the each cylinder is a space where piston movement occurs. In an article written by Brian Rohrig he writes “The faster the pistons move up and down, the faster the crankshaft rotates. And the faster the crankshaft rotates, the faster your car goes.” The crankshaft allows the tires of the car to spin, so if the pistons are moving faster the crankshaft operates more effectively and so does the car. The piston movement is the most important part of the engine because of what it allows to happen. Without the reaction taking place quickly the crankshaft would not operate as fast and the tires would not move as fast. Piston movement is so important because of what it controls. In an article written by Brian Kennedy it writes “A spark plug makes a tiny electric spark which ignites the gasoline and air causing the piston to move. The piston’s movement is linked to the wheels, causing them to turn.” Before the gasoline is ignited the piston shrinks in size and the gasoline is compressed. The compressed gasoline is then ignited which allows the car to be able to travel. The piston movement reaction is a very quick process that moves at a rapid speed. Piston movement is a very important part of the engine of a NASCAR car because of what it