Aerodynamics
Refers to the way air flows over the surfaces of a race car, over and under the body or through the engine and radiator. It also includes the wake of turbulent air left behind a car as it travels.

Air Dam
Is an extension on the front bumper that blocks air as it hits the front of the car. It keeps too much of the air from flowing under the vehicle and reducing its speed. It plays a big role in the aerodynamics of a car, keeping the front end stable.

Apron
The paved portion of the racetrack that separates the racing surface from the (usually unpaved) infield. It is usually flat in comparison to the racing surface. If a car has a problem, the driver goes there to get out of the way.

ARCA
Automobile Racing Club of America. The organization that governs and makes rules for ARCA racing. Many of ARCA's stock cars are hand-me-downs from NASCAR's Nextel Cup and many ARCA drivers go on to race in the Nextel Cup.

Associate Sponsor
Associate sponsors are companies that sponsor racing teams. They pay less money and, in turn, get less exposure on the car or the uniform than the primary sponsors do.

Backstretch
The section of the track located on the opposite side of the track of the start/finish line. On an oval track, it is between the second and third turns.

Banking
The angle of a racetrack’s racing surface.

Bite
See Wedge.

Blocking
A driver positions his car to keep the driver behind him from passing.

Bobby Allison
Bobby Allison (born December 3, 1937 in Miami, Florida) was a NASCAR championship driver and was named one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.

Bubble
A driver who is sitting "on the bubble" is the slowest driver of the top 25 during first-round qualifying. The driver can be knocked off the bubble, meaning bumped out of the field until second-round qualifying.

Bump Drafting
Refers to a type of drafting (see Drafting) where two cars are in a draft and the trailing car "bumps" the rear end of the lead car accelerating both cars forward. This is accepted practice in the straightaways but can lead to accidents when performed in the corners.

Buschwhacker
A Nextel Cup driver who races in a Busch Series event.

Camber
The amount that a tire is tilted from vertical so the tire can touch more of the racing surface.

Carburetor Restrictor Plate
A thin metal plate with four holes that restricts the flow of air into and engine’s carburetor, thus reducing horsepower and speed. It is used to slow down the race cars at the superspeedways, Daytona and Talladega.

Catch Can Man
The catch can man stands behind the car on the left side and holds a special container at the end of the car to collect gas that overflows from the gas tank during refueling.

Charlotte, North Carolina
The acknowledged center of the stock car racing world.

Check Valve
A safety valve that prevents fuel spills if the car turns over.

Competition Performance Index (CPI)
A formula that evaluates driver performance in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series, including average finish, number of wins, driver attendance, and the average number of cars in the field.

Contingency Programs
Bonus money given by companies whose products a driver uses or whose decals a driver runs on his car.

Crew Chief
The leader of the race team who oversees employees and handles the building and fine-tuning of a race car. He is responsible for deciding which changes to make to the race car throughout the race weekend and what race strategies to use on race day.

Dale Earnhardt
Legendary racecar driver Dale Earnhardt won the most Nextel Cup Series Championships during the 1990s, finishing the decade with four championships. Earnhardt also dominated during the 1980s when he won three Nextel Cup Series Championships, tying Darrell Waltrip's record for the decade. Earnhardt's brilliant NASCAR career came to a tragic end, however, on February 18, 2001, when he died in a crash on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Deck Lid
The rear trunk lid.

Dirty Air
The turbulence created in the air flow behind a race car. This occurs a little further back behind the car than the vacuum created during drafting.

Displacement
The size of an engine measured in cubic inches. A NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car’s engine cannot be larger than 358 cubic inches.

Donuts
The black circles left on the sheet metal side of a car when another car's tire rubs up against it during a race.

DNF
Did not finish.

DNQ
Did not qualify.

DNS
Did not start.

Downforce
The air pressure and downward force that pushes a car onto the track, causing it to stick on the racing surface. It keeps cars from losing traction at high speeds, especially going through the turns.

Drafting
Drivers race in single file and share air flow among them. Cars cut through the air much faster together than they do separately. The first car creates a vacuum that actually pulls the car behind it.

Drag
The aerodynamic force of resistance that hinders a race car as it moves through air. It is caused by air flowing beneath the car and lifting it higher in the air, as well as air flowing through the cooling system, ducts in the body, friction between a car’s body, and open windows. Air travels into these openings instead of smoothly sliding over the car. With less drag, a car can accelerate faster, especially at higher speeds, because the car needs less horsepower to move forward through the air.

Dropping The Rag
Waiving the green flag to start or restart the race.

Fabricator
Team member who puts sheet metal on the car’s frame and molds it to the shape of the car, creating the body or outside shell of the car.

Field
Refers to the entire group of cars on the racetrack.

FinishLine
The closest finish in NASCAR history took place at the Darlington Raceway on March 16, 2003, when Ricky Craven beat Kurt Busch by a mere .002 seconds. The two drivers actually finished the last stretch of the race with their cars touching!

Five-Point Seat Belts
Five belts that come together at the center of a driver’s chest. Each of the belts passes through a steel guide that is welded onto the car’s frame. One belt goes over the driver’s left shoulder, one goes over his right shoulder, another comes from the left side of the seat, one comes from the right side of the seat, and another goes between the driver’s legs. They are all latched together at a single point, where a quick-release buckle locks them into place.

Flagman
The NASCAR official who is positioned over the racetrack, just above the start/finish line. The flagman signals to the drivers by waving different-colored flags that mean different things.

(NASCAR) Flags
Green - Start: Go, the race has started or restarted.
Blue/Yellow Stripe - Move Over: A car must yield to a passing car.
Yellow - Caution: Caution, all drivers must slow down and maintain their position. They are not allowed to pass.
Yellow/Two Vertical Red Slashes - Oil On Track: Signals an unsafe surface condition.
Black - Pull Into Pits: The driver at whom this flag is waved must get off the track.
Red - Stop: All drivers must stop. For example, for a rain delay. During a red flag period no repairs or maintenance of any kind may be performed on the race cars.
White - Entering Last Lap: The lead car has one lap to go.
Checkered - The Race Is Finished: The winning car has crossed the finish line.

Formula One
Formula One, abbreviated to F1, and also known as Grand Prix racing, is the highest class of auto racing defined by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), motor sport's world governing body. The "formula" in the name is a set of rules which all participants and cars must meet. The F1 world championship season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix, held usually on purpose-built circuits, and in a few cases on closed city streets. The results of each race are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for drivers and one for constructors. It is a massive television event with millions of people watching each race in more than 200 countries. The cars race at speeds of up to 350 km/h (about 220 mph). The formula introduces a number of restrictions and specifications that cars must meet.

Free Pass
The free pass rule, also known as the "Lucky Dog" rule, states that when a caution flag flies, the first driver who is one or more laps down gets a lap back. NASCAR implemented this rule in late 2003 as a safety measure to prevent drivers from racing back to the yellow (the start finish-line) to allow safety vehicles quicker and safer access to the incident. Until then, drivers were allowed to race back to the yellow because the caution period did not formally begin until the leader crossed the start-finish line. Often, a driver with a big lead would slow his car on the way to the line to allow lapped cars to make up a lap. This was known as the “Gentleman’s Agreement.” To compensate for the elimination of this tactic, NASCAR implemented the free pass rule which immediately became known as the "Lucky Dog" rule. The rule further states that if the driver who is designated to receive the "Lucky Dog" brings out the yellow, then that driver does not get a lap back nor does anyone else.

Frontstretch
The straight section of the racetrack between the first and last turns.

Fuel Cell
The gas tank on the race car.

Gas-And-Go
A quick pit stop where a car gets only gas.

Gas Man
The pit crew member who steps over the pit wall carrying a 90-pound, 11-gallon can of gas, and then fills the gas tank. When the first can empties, he usually gets a second can from the second gas man (who doesn’t go over the wall), and fills the tank with that gas as well.

Getting Hung Out To Dry
Racing slang that means a driver has lost the draft and is losing positions by the split second. To remedy the situation, the driver must get back in line with other cars where the aerodynamics are much more favorable to going fast.

Going Behind The Wall
A car is too damaged to be fixed on pit road, so the team brings it to the garage.

Hanging A Body
Sizing sheet metal, cutting sheet metal, and then molding it onto a car’s frame to form the shell of a car.

Happy Hour
The final hour of practice before an event, usually held in the late afternoon the day before the race.

Hat Dance
When a race winner puts on dozens of baseball caps with sponsors logos on them in Victory Lane. Each time a driver puts a cap on, the photographers snap photos to send or sell to the sponsor involved.

Head Protectors
Protection built into a driver’s seat to keep his head from moving to the left or right during an accident.

Infield
The enclosed area in the middle of the racetrack where team garages are located. During race weekends, this area is usually filled with large transporters, merchandise trailers, and driver and fan motorhomes.

Inside Line
The shortest distance around the track which, on a oval track, is usually separated from the infield by the apron. On road courses, it is the line closest to the curbs or walls forming the inner portion of turns.

Inspections
The process NASCAR officials go through to approve cars to race, qualify, and practice.

Intermediate Track
Racetracks more than one mile long, excluding superspeedways.

Jackman
The pit crew member who positions the jack under a specific spot on each side of the car, pumps the handle of the jack one or two times so that it lifts the car off the ground enough for the tire changers to change the tires, and then drops the jack and lowers the car.

Lap
One time around a racetrack. Also refers to when a driver passes a car and is a full lap ahead of that opponent. The driver is then said to have "lapped" that opponent. A driver "laps the field" by lapping every other car in the race.

Lapped Traffic
Cars that are not on the lead lap. Many times, these cars are considerably slower than the leaders.

Lead Lap
The race leader's lap. If the leader laps a driver, that driver is no longer on the lead lap.

Loose
When a driver goes through a turn and the rear of his car starts to fishtail, making the driver feel as if he is losing control of the car and about to spin out. The rear tires are not sticking well to the track and providing enough traction. This is also called "Oversteer".

Losing The Track
When it starts to rain heavy enough, the track becomes slick causing the tires on the race car to lose traction. When this happens the officials will stop the race. This is known as "losing the track."

Lucky Dog
See Free Pass.

Marbles
Debris such as sand, pebbles, or small pieces of rubber that tend to collect on a tracks apron or near the outside wall. They are often blamed by drivers for causing them to lose control.

Michigan International Speedway
Michigan International Speedway boasts a proud 37-year history of hosting America's best racing action. The Speedway is nestled on more than 1,400-plus acres in the Irish Hills of southeastern Michigan. Groundbreaking took place on September 28, 1967. Over 2.5 million yards of dirt were moved to form the D-shaped oval designed by Charles Moneypenny, who previously designed the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. The original layout included infield and exterior roads, which could be combined to form a single 3.1-mile interior/exterior road course, or divided into separate 1.9-mile interior/exterior road courses. The road courses were designed by Formula One great Stirling Moss and are still used on a limited basis for passenger car testing by area law enforcement agencies. The last interior road course race was held in 1984, and the last time the exterior road course was used was in 1973. With 18 degree banking and 73-foot wide sweeping turns, Michigan International Speedway provides drivers with three and four grooves to run around the two-mile speedway. When Michigan International Speedway opened in 1968, the 12,000-seat center grandstand stood overlooking the new two-mile oval, a symbol of a new era for the Irish Hills area. With smaller grandstands on each side, the track proudly boasted 25,000 seats. No one at the time suspected it was the start of something much, much bigger. Since its opening, the success of the speedway and the growth of motorsports has made Michigan International Speedway the largest sports arena in Michigan. The center grandstand was extended in 1985, in 1989, and again in 1990 to seat over 27,000. In 1999, a 28,000-seat, 10-1/2-story high structure was added to the center grandstand, increasing the number of seats to 55,000-more than four times its original size. In 1990, the first of two of the seven grandstands in turn one were erected, and in 1992, the first North Concourse grandstands (turn four) were built. By 1997, the eighth North Concourse grandstand was built in turn three. Over the last decade, Michigan International Speedway has increased its reserved seating capacity by 82,000, and since 1985, the Speedway has increased its seating by nearly five times. In 2004, the track added the Steel and Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) walls to the track to make it safer for all drivers competing at MIS. In 2005, MIS took on the largest renovation in its storied history by adding 870 additional seats with a new Club Level seating area called the Champions Club. The addition increased the seating capacity to 137,243. The renovation project included a reconfiguration of the frontstretch area, which added new ticket gates, vendor and display areas, several new concession stands, and a new skylounge structure high above the main grandstand near the start/finish line. The skylounge area holds 16 suites, press box, timing & scoring area, television and radio broadcast area, and race control for use by the sanctioning bodies. After more than 37 years of improvements and updates, Michigan International Speedway is still considered one of the country's premier racing facilities.

Modern Era
Period in NASCAR history that began in 1972.

Motor Racing Outreach (MRO)
Organization that provides religious services, daycare for team members' children, and organizes events for drivers and their families at the track.

NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. It was founded in 1948 by Ed Otto and William France Sr. for the purpose of promoting the sport of stock car racing. The very first NASCAR race took place on a dirt track at the old Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina on June 19, 1949 in front of a crowd of approximately 23,000 curious spectators. Christian "Jim" Roper took first place (and the $2,000 purse) in a Lincoln Cosmopolitan after reading about the race in a syndicated comic strip. Fonty Flock came in second, future Hall of Famer Red Byron took third, Sam Rice came in fourth, and Tim Flock took fifth. Several other legendary racers competed that first day including Lee Petty, Curtis Turner, and Buck Baker.

NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division
A different series than the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, where many drivers begin their professional racing careers. Drivers train themselves and hone their driving skills before moving up to NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Some drivers stay in this league because there is less pressure to perform.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is the newest NASCAR series, featuring souped-up pickup trucks.

NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge
NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series version of the all-star game. Only past champions and winning drivers are invited to the Nextel All-Star Challenge. It is one of the richest and most prestigious races each season. There are no points on the line, and the winner's purse is more than $500,000. Formerly known as the The Winston, R.J. Reynolds and its Winston brand ended its 33 year long sponsorship at the end of 2003. Nextel Communications took over title sponsorship for this series beginning in 2004.

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series
The NASCAR Nextel Cup Series is NASCAR’s top series, featuring premiere drivers. Formerly known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, R.J. Reynolds and its Winston brand ended its 33 year long sponsorship at the end of 2003. Nextel Communications took over title sponsorship for this series beginning in 2004.

NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The NASCAR Winston Cup Series was NASCAR’s top series from 1971 to 2003, featuring premiere drivers. See NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

One-Groove Racetrack
A racetrack with just a single path around it where cars stick to the track and handle well. If a driver gets out of that path, he could be on a portion of the track where there is not enough grip to keep his car stable and he could end up in the wall. Some tracks have more than one groove, a high groove and a low groove, meaning cars can run side-by-side or two-wide around the track. Some tracks have no grooves because cars race easily on any part of the track.

Oversteer
See loose.

Over The Wall Guys
The seven crew members who jump over the pit wall to service a car when it pulls onto pit road.

Owner
The owner of the entire team. He or she has a financial stake in the race team, and therefore has final say in hiring everyone who works on the team, from the driver to the crew chief to everyone who prepares the cars for racing. The owner must also secure a sponsor to help pay the bills.

Paint Scheme
The way a car is painted and decorated.

Panhard Bar
The part of the rear suspension that is attached to the frame on one side and to the rear axle on the other. It keeps the car’s rear tires centered within the car’s body. Also called the "Track Bar".

Pit Boxes
Pit areas, delineated with yellow lines, for the cars in the race to use during pit stops.

Pit Crew
A maximum of seven people who are allowed to go over the pit wall and service a car during a pit stop.

Pit Crew
There are seven members in a NASCAR pit crew: the front tire changer, the front tire carrier, the rear tire changer, the rear tire carrier, the jack man, the gas man, and the gas catch can man.

Pit Road
A separate road inside a racetrack that usually runs parallel to a track’s frontstretch. It is where cars go when they need gas, tires, or repairs.

Pit Stall
Where teams watch the race and keep their equipment. It is separated from the pit box by the pit wall. When a car pulls off the racetrack and travels down pit road where his crew services his car.

Pit Wall
The cement wall separating the pit box from the pit stalls.

Pit Window
An estimate of when the crew thinks the driver will need to make a pit stop to refuel.

Pole Winner (Pole Sitter)
The driver who records the fastest lap during qualifying and gets rewarded by starting the race from the inside of the two-car front row. The outside pole winner is the driver who had the second-fastest lap during qualifying. He starts the race from the outside of the front row.

Primary Sponsor
Companies that pay large sums of money to put their names on the car hoods, which is the best place to advertise because fans see them so well.

Provisional Entry
Guaranteed spot in a race, given to drivers who qualify poorly during the weekend and who are high enough in points.

Pucker Value
A scary moment on the race track for a driver would have a "high pucker value."

Push
See Tight.

Qualify
Drivers must qualify to participate in a race. This means they must complete one or two full-speed laps around the track and meet established lap times. This weeds out slower or unprepared teams that won't be able to get up to speed on race day. In NASCAR Nextel Cup Series racing, qualifying is normally held on the Friday before Sunday's race.

Race Car
A yellow strip across the rear of a NASCAR racecar signifies a rookie driver. In 1994, as a safety measure, NASCAR introduced roof flaps designed to disrupt the airflow over the roof of the car, eliminating the lift and preventing it from going airborne or rolling over at high speeds. When they say a Car is 'tight off' it means the car will not turn coming out of a corner. An 'air box' is the part of the car that lets air in the motor. A car is said to have 'pancaked', if they hit the wall so hard it flattened on side of the car.

Rear Spoiler
Metal blade that runs the width of the car atop the back of its trunk. It regulates air as it flows over a car and helps push the back end of the car into the track, which gives the car more traction and better handling.

Relief Driver
A driver who replaces the original driver due to injury or illness.

Restrictor Plate
See Carburetor Restrictor Plate.

Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937 in Level Cross, North Carolina) is a renowned former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. He is most well-known for winning the NASCAR Championship seven times (Dale Earnhardt is the only other driver to accomplish this feat, but with 76 victories and a lone Daytona 500), winning a record 200 races during his career, winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times, and winning a record 27 races (ten of them consecutively) in the 1967 season alone. (A 1972 rule change eliminated races under 250 miles in length, reducing the schedule to 30 [now 36] races.) Petty is arguably the greatest NASCAR driver of all time. He also collected a record number of poles (127) and over 700 top-ten finishes in his 1,185 starts, including 513 consecutive starts from 1971-1989. He also won seven Daytona 500s and nine Most Popular Driver awards. Petty is a second generation driver. His father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a NASCAR champion. Richard's son, Kyle Petty, is also a well-known NASCAR driver. Tragically, Richard's grandson, Adam Petty, was killed in an accident at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12, 2000. Meanwhile, Adam's brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang camp, a Hole in the Wall Gang camp established by the Pettys after Adam's death. Petty married his wife Lynda Owens Petty in 1958 and they have four children - Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty Farlow, Lisa Petty Luck and Rebecca Petty Moffit - and 12 grandchildren. The family still resides in Level Cross, NC where they operate Petty Racing and the Richard Petty Museum in nearby Randleman, NC.

Richard Petty Driving Experience
Is a opportunity to take command of the wheel and experience the thrill first hand by choosing the type of driving program that is right for you..

Right Off The Truck
A car is said to be great "right off the truck" when it runs well in the first practice without any major tweaking.

Road Courses
Racetracks with complex configurations of left and right turns at varying angles. The track may have elevation changes as well. Sears Point Raceway and Watkins Glen International are the only two NASCAR road courses.

Roll Bars
The part of the car’s frame that protects the driver because it is made of strong tubing with a minimum thickness like a tubular cage.

Roll Cage
The protective frame of steel surrounding a driver. It keeps the driver safe during an accident because it protects him from the impact of another car or of a wall if the car flips over. The roll cage consists of roll bars, which are made from steel tubing.

Roof Flaps
Rectangular pieces of metal attached to the roof of a car that are designed to lie flat when the car is moving forward, but pop into the air when a car spins backwards or sideways, helping keep a car from becoming airborne.

Rounds Of Wedge
Putting rounds of wedge into a car means a crew member is adjusting the handling by changing the pressure on the rear springs. See also Wedge.

Rubber
A piece of rubber that is placed between the coils of a spring to increase tension and taken out to decrease tension. This changes how a car handles.

Running Wide Open
When drivers presses the accelerator all the way to the floor (pedal to the metal).

Start Position
The Pole Position is the 1st starting position.

Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Moss (born September 17, 1929 in London) is a retired English racing driver. His success in a variety of categories placed him among the world's elite. Moss, who raced from 1948 to 1962, won 194 of the 497 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix. He once told an interviewer that he had participated in 525 races overall, as many as 62 in a single year, in 84 different cars. Like many drivers of the era, he competed in several formulae - sometimes at the same time. Stirling Moss was a pioneer in the British Formula One racing scene and placed second in the Drivers' Championship four times in a row from 1955 to 1958.

Safety Tires
A tire within a tire. Both are inflated and have a separate valve stem. In the event of a blow out or flat tire (typically the outer tire) the inner tire provides the ability for the driver to make it safely to the pit. These tires are generally not used on the two short tracks because of the lower speeds attained and the closeness of the pits.

Saving Tires
A driver takes it easy through the turns and doesn’t run the car too hard, so his tires don’t wear out too early.

Scanners
Walkman-sized instruments that pick up radio waves in the immediate area. They allow you to listen in on conversations between drivers and their crews during practice, qualifying, and races.

Scuffs
Tires that have been on the car during practice, used for only one or two laps.

Setup
The way a car is prepared for qualifying and a race, including the suspension package, weight distribution, and engine tuning.

Short Track
Racetracks shorter than one mile in length, where aerodynamics and horsepower are not particularly important in winning the race. Bristol Motor Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Richmond International Raceway are the three NASCAR short tracks.

Show Car
Former real race car that has been taken out of rotation for being too old, suffering irreparable damage, or just not being suited to the driver. It is used for public display and promotions.

Sponsors
The companies that pay for the right to have their names on cars and team uniforms.

Spotter
Team member who watches a race from on top of the grandstands or press box. His job is to be the driver’s second set of eyes, telling the driver where to go on the racetrack to avoid an accident or when to pass another car.

Standing On Time
Standing on time means a driver is not going to participate in second-round qualifying. Instead, the driver hopes the time that he recorded during the first-round qualifying will be fast enough to make the field.

Sticker Tires
New tires that still have the manufacturer’s sticker on them.

Stop-And-Go Penalty
When a driver must come down pit road, stop in his pit box for a moment, and then drive down pit road to the racetrack.

Superspeedway
An oval track that is two and a half miles long where NASCAR requires cars to use a carburetor restrictor plate.

Suspension
The system of springs, shock absorbers, sway bars, etc. directly connected to the wheels or the axles, that affects the handling of a race car.

Sway Bars
Parts that alter the amount a car rolls to one side or the other through the turns.

Taping A Car Off
A crew member places tape over the grill of the car in order to keep air from entering the radiator and slowing the car down. This is done only during qualifying.

Team Hauler
The place where the team hangs out when they are not working on their car. It is a large semi truck that is a team’s base during a race weekend. It is a place to eat and hold meetings at the racetrack.

Tearing Down
When cars are torn down, teams take apart their engines, but tear downs also can include whatever NASCAR officials want. The winning team goes through a thorough tear down, meaning it will take apart the engine, the suspension, the power train, or whatever else officials want to check out.

Tech
NASCAR slang for technical inspection.

Telemetry
A series of sensors attached to various parts of the car. These sensors transmit information such a miles per gallon, revolutions per second, and transmission gear selection to a remote computer. It is illegal for teams to use during official NASCAR events.

Templates
Individual pieces of metal that conform to the body of a car. They are blueprints of each car make, used to ensure that cars conform to NASCAR specifications.

Tight
When the front tires don’t turn well through the turns because they are losing traction before the rear tires. When a car is tight, it also means it is "pushing" and if a driver isn’t careful, he will end up into the wall.

Tire Carriers
Pit crew member who hands the tires to the tire changers and takes the used tires away.

Tire Changers
Pit crew members who changes tires. One changes the front tires and another changes the rear tires.

Tire Specialist
Team member who changes the air pressure, measures the wear, and monitors the temperature of the tires that teams use during practice, qualifying, and races.

Track Bar
See Panhard Bar.

Transponder
A transmitter that teams affix to the bottom of their cars to monitor lap times around the track.

Tri-Oval
A modified oval racetrack with an extra turn to it instead of just four turns. Usually that turn is located mid-way down the frontstretch.

Wedge
The amount of weight on the left rear and right front corners of the car. Increasing the weight on any corner of the vehicle affects the weight of the other three corners in direct proportion. Weight adjustments are made by turning "weight jacking screws" mounted on each corner with a ratchet. A typical adjustment for a "loose" car would be to increase the weight of the left rear corner of the vehicle, which decreases the weight of the left front and right rear corners and increases the weight of the right front. A typical adjustment for a "tight" vehicle would be to increase the weight of the right rear corner, which decreases the weight of the right front and left rear and increases the weight of the left front.

(The) Winston
NASCAR's Winston Cup Series version of the all-star game from 1971 to 2003. R.J. Reynolds and its Winston brand ended its 33 year long sponsorship at the end of 2003. See the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge.

Wet
A car that is filled with the maximum amounts of fuel, oil, and water.

Window Nets
Screens made of nylon mesh material that cover the driver's side window. They keep the driver's arms and head in the car in the event of an accident.

Understeer
See Tight.

Victory Lane
A roped-off or fenced-in area located in the infield where drivers, crews, owners, sponsors, and families celebrate a victory.