AUSTIN, Texas — NASCAR, once a sport rooted in raw horsepower and gut instinct, has evolved into a high-tech battleground. Behind the wheel of every race car is a complex system of sensors and software that collects huge amounts of data, transforming the sport into a data-driven science.
Chris Gayle, crew chief for the Joe Gibbs Racing number 54 car, explains how teams leverage this data: “We get GPS data of the car’s location on the racetrack, speed, throttle, brake, steering, and this for basically any lap. We analyze this during practice to find that edge.”
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Every lap, every corner, and every brake press is meticulously recorded and analyzed to fine-tune the car’s setup and help drivers make real-time adjustments.
“We’ll spend a bunch of time posting videos for the driver to learn where to line up on the track when to throttle, and what techniques to use,” says Gayle.
Teams can even relay this information to the driver during the race. “We can tell them, ‘You’re losing time off turn 10, you’re 200 feet shy, and you need 100 more PSI of brake pressure,'” Gayle says.
So, there’s one race on the track and one in the garage. It’s a race for data, a battle to quickly analyze information and give drivers the edge they need to win. This blend of tradition and technology pushes NASCAR into the future at speeds around 200 miles per hour.
