NASCAR cars are extremely ingenious machines modified to precision to give the best results possible. The upper echelons of stock car racing are all occupied by NASCAR series. AMong them, the NASCAR Cup Series is the most elite racing division. It is an exhilarating series where more than 40 drivers compete over the weekend to achieve victory. A 36-race calendar that is full of twists and turns and more than anything else, full of speed and adrenaline. NASCAR drivers are more than capable of handling these horsepower beasts. They train night and day to tame these monsters that can easily reach 190 mph.
NASCAR Cup Series cars feature advanced technology from performance advancements to safety measures. The Next-Gen cars are kitted with Electronic Fuel Injection to replace the outdated carburetor technology. NASCAR cars also have a barebones roll cage with only a RPM meter on the dashboard. It is derived from the consumer version of the production cars but eliminates all features unnecessary for racing. A NASCAR car doesn’t even have airbags and has HANS, Hand and Neck Safety devices to prevent drivers from sustaining injuries in crashes. These cars also miss out on a very component without which a car cannot be declared road legal.
Fake Headlights on NASCAR cars
The movie released by Disney, “Cars” took a hilarious dig at NASCAR. Lightning McQueen, who is the titular protagonist of Cars, races in the Piston Cup, which is a spinoff of the Cup Series. He revealed that the headlights on his front bumper were in fact stickers. This is a straight reference to the reality of NASCAR cars. The headlights which appear on NASCAR vehicles during races are merely decals.
A NASCAR vehicle doesn’t even need headlights. NASCAR races during the night happen under extremely bright floodlights. Now, while the absence can be a punishable offense in road cars, it is merely an extra component on NASCAR race cars. In a video released by Joe Gibbs Racing, it is revealed that these decals are put on the car because they make it “look cool” and resemble their production counterparts.
The absence of headlights on NASCAR cars can be attributed to the extra weight and wiring of these components which are unnecessary during races. These burdens are going to decrease the performance of the car even if by mere milliseconds. Also, the glass in the headlights can cause a puncture in the super soft tires that NASCAR uses. The headlights are nothing more than a risk and performance burden, thus they are replaced by similar decals.
FAQ's On NASCAR cars have fake headlights
A. NASCAR cars have fake headlights to resemble their production models and to shed away the extra burden of headlights.
A. The tracks which NASCAR races on are always illuminated thus they do not need any lights.
A. NASCAR drivers have spotters to help them with the situation around them even though they do not have mirrors.
A. NASCAR cars already run at 200 mph; they do not go faster to ensure safety and minimize wrecks.
A. Yes, NASCAR is much safer than Formula 1.
