[NASCAR] restricted plates

[spiegel]

I?ve been getting into the auto racing vibe (Formula 1, cart, NASCAR etc) and I?m learning a new thing about the sport and its different modes.

Well I was watching the Aaron's 499 (NASCAR) today and they said it was a "restricted plate" track, well my question is what does that term mean, and what does that do to the race itself?

[supernova_00]

a plate that goes on the carburator to restrict amount of air into it. Keeps car from going over 190 or 195 mph. keeps track safer.

btw much like are governers...but since the car dont have all the electrical crap are cars have, they just get a plate to restrict the air

[Toastyone]

It is flat device with holes drilled in it designed to limit the amount of air that enters the engine. This effectively limits the horsepower of the engine and slows the cars down. AND SUCKs IMO because since the restrictor plates reduce the horsepower so much during plate races that aerodynamics often decide the winner instead of the engine. :pinch:

[marvngardn]

With the advent of soft wall barriers, the HANS device, and better car construction, I think it's time NASCAR eliminates plate racing.

[dj6ross]

Yeah basically it takes an 800hp engine and turns it into a 425hp engine.

A restricter plate could be compared to breathing as a human. No restricter plate would be like breathing normally. With a restricter plate would be like have to breathe through a straw. As you can tell you would be short on air.

[imtoomuch]

keeps track safer

585858393[/snapback]

That's highly debatable. Some of the NASCAR drivers hate the restritor plates because it makes the cars run closer together in tight packs which is extremely dangerous at 180+ MPH. The plates also take a lot of power away from the engines so the driver's don't have the luxury of acceleration to get away from wrecks that happen near them. Most of the drivers think there is a better way to limit top speed.

[spiegel]

That's highly debatable.  Some of the NASCAR drivers hate the restritor plates because it makes the cars run closer together in tight packs which is extremely dangerous at 180+ MPH.

585858415[/snapback]

in other words, thats the reason for the huge pileup in the race right?

(25 cars) :whistle:

[marvngardn]

Joo got it.

[imtoomuch]

in other words, thats the reason for the huge pileup in the race right?

(25 cars) :whistle:

585858447[/snapback]

Restrictor plates cause the huge packs. They don't create the poor excuses for drivers that are currently out of their leagues in NASCAR. So yes, you can blame partially blame restrictor plates.

[spiegel]

Restrictor plates cause the huge packs.  They don't create the poor excuses for drivers that are currently out of their leagues in NASCAR.  So yes, you can blame partially  blame restrictor plates.

585858465[/snapback]

well yea i know but i was just making sure id understand

however nobody knows how the crash started, the way i saw it dale jr hit the rear fender of the #4 car and all was shot to hell from there,

well thanks for clearing it up :D

[GUNNER]

Almost got it. It's actually a plate that goes between the intake manafold and the carb. It resticts the amount of fuel going into the engine. The carb's have almost a two inch hole for the fuel to come out of and the restricter plate holes are about half that size.

Last year Rusty Wallace ran some test laps without a plate and topped out at 220 mph by himself.

[DreAming in DigITal]

in other words, thats the reason for the huge pileup in the race right?

(25 cars)

Thats exactly right...restrictor plates have probably caused more death and injury than they have prevented.

[spiegel]

Thats exactly right...restrictor plates have probably caused more death and injury than they have prevented.

585858660[/snapback]

then why have them?

is it because of the size of the track?

:dontgetit:

[DreAming in DigITal]

Well back in the 80's Bill Elliot was running at Daytona (I believe) and he got his car up to about 230mph.Once NASCAR saw this they thought these guys would be killing themselves trying to run this fast constantly. So they implemented the restrictor plates on tracks that are typically bigger than 2 miles. They did it with good intentions but this caused all the cars to bunch up together and run right at 200mph within inches of one another. When that happens all it takes is for one person to get out of control and their wreck gobbles up the rest of the field because they are so close to the accident and moving at 190-200mph.

If they didn't have the restrictors on the cars then the field would be much more spread out and that would keep so many people from being involved in these huge crashes.

2 years ago NASCAR tried to correct this problem by cutting the size of the fuel cells in half (for restrictor plate races). The theory was that this would spread the field out because some would get in and out of the pits faster. Therefore spreading the field out. But just like you saw today it didn't really accomplish that. I has helped a little. But if you know or ask any NASCAR driver they will tell you that restrictor plates are extremely dangerous and they want them gone. Being that I live where I do I am able to visit their shops and talk to these guys and they all hate them. Even the old school guys like Petty and Earnhardt Sr.

[pythro]

NASCAR thought they needed them back in the day to make the cars safer, but due to the safety advances in recent years their need is debatable.

[beanboy89]

I don't know if anyone remembers this, but in 2000, at New Hapmshire, NASCAR used restrictor plates to slow the cars after the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin.

At Daytona and Talladega, the restrictor plates where introduced after, I belive, Bobby Allison's car got over the catch fence at Talladega, into the stands, so NASCAR wanted to slow the cars.

I really liked the areo package that Winston Cup(now Nextel Cup) used back in 2000 and 2001 with the wicker-bills and the roof strips, that the Busch series currently uses. Back then, NASCAR belived the races were too noncompetitive, so they wanted to make the cars punch a larger hole through the air, thus creating a larger draft and a large pack of cars. I recall watching a Talladega race in 2000 with 70 or so lead changes.

Then NASCAR introduced the no passing below the yellow line rule to prevent drivers from making risky passes on the apron. I think the first race with that rule in effect, was a caution free race at Talladega.

[finality]

NASCAR could have already done away with restrictor plates as technology has come far enough that the driver is safe enough if he takes the right precautions.

It makes Talladega and Daytona far too dangerous in my opinion as pack racing is just asking for half the field to be taken out in one shot. Saturday you'll see real racing under the lights at Darlington!

[russ0943]

Almost got it. It's actually a plate that goes between the intake manafold and the carb. It resticts the amount of fuel going into the engine. The carb's have almost a two inch hole for the fuel to come out of and the restricter plate holes are about half that size.

Last year Rusty Wallace ran some test laps without a plate and topped out at 220 mph by himself.

585858484[/snapback]

u might wanna check out howstuffworks.com and it will make a lot more sense. But what u said is basically right. the two inch hole u are talking about is what the fuel/air mixture comes out of and enters the intake and then the engine. The fuel itself is sprayed by jets in the carb where it is also mixed with air. The jets are fairly small, compare to tip of writing pen.