NASCAR Basics: What is the difference between Drafting and Slingshotting?

Aerodynamics play a major role in determining the results of NASCAR's racing series. To maintain aerodynamic balance and to capitalize on the gush of air that circulates amid the traffic of almost 40 cars throttling at full speed, team engineers have come up with certain techniques to seek an edge over opponents. Two such techniques are Drafting and Slingshot.

But before delving deeper, one needs to understand how drag works. Drag refers to the air flow that works against the trajectory of a car in motion, slowing it down. Drag and gravity together influence the car's path as it races.

As the car moves, the surrounding air is redirected behind. This creates a low-pressure zone around the rear bumper of the car, which creates a suction that pulls in the car nosing behind. Riding this pocket of air could reduce the effect of drag on the trailing car significantly, putting less pressure on the engine, conserving fuel, and reducing the overall friction on the car. This strategy employed by a trailing car is called Drafting.

NASCAR legend Junior Johnson was the first to discover the effects of drafting during a practice session at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. He was also the one to win that race for the first time in 1960, held in the second edition of the Daytona 500.

The next step towards succesfully passing a car, right after drafting, is a slingshot. The trailing car will follow the leader closely, riding the draft, and usually right around the turns, the driver will veer around the lead car and break the vacuum. This often provides the trailing driver an extra boost which, if utilized properly, could help it pass the other driver. However, this technique needs years of experience to master.

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Are all forms of drafting legal in NASCAR?

Although drafting is a common scene in the races that NASCAR organizes every weekend, there are certain limits to this maneuver which might prove dangerous for everyone in the traffic, even when executed perfectly. There was a time when something called tandem drafting got banned by NASCAR.

Tandem drafting refers to a car getting so close to the lead car that it touches its bumper. This tactic, first used in the 2013 Daytona 500, proved to be near-fatal for Kyle Larson, whose car went airborne after crashing out during the last lap of the DRIVE4COPD 300.

Besides catching fellow drivers such as Justin Allgaier, Brian Scott, Parker Kligerman and Dale Earnhardt Jr., the debris emitted by the collision and subsequent mess flew across the catch fence and injured several spectators. Larson came close to losing a limb in that race. Hence, NASCAR banned tandem drafting in 2014.