KJSWA

Anyone follow F1, or is everybody a NASCAR fan. Looking forward to the '09 season with all the rule changes, and there emphasis on overtaking.

Pilotpip

If it has four wheels and goes fast (including NASCAR), I'll watch it. Last season was one of the better ones in recent memory regarding F1. Just wish they'd come back to Indy for a USGP.

What are some of the big rule changes?

Zach

Back to slicks, the rear wing is much more narrow, the front wing is a lot wider and lower to the ground, and there is none of the stupid aero stuff sticking up all over the car. The car is a lot cleaner looking.

KJSWA

The wings can also be adjusted by the driver in car. But limiting the amount of aerodymanic development (no more horns) forces constuctors into developing other aspects of the car like KERS, the aerodymanic changes never filter down into road cars but with the new green movement the development of KERS could led to big things in production cars. F1 is R&D for road cars. There's also talk of a standard engine and changing the points system to a medals system. Theres talk of a USGP but not for at least another couple years.

Pilotpip

Oh for the love of God, don't go standard engine.

You people complain about NASCAR, what do you think they have?

KJSWA

Na, standard engine might be good, theres always the same two teams at the front of the grid, and the same 3 or 4 following. It seems like NASCAR has standard everything, the aerodynamics in formula 1 make a huge difference, plus the huge R&D budgets will always keep it very competitive. Comparing F1 to NASCAR is like comparing the space shuttle to a super cub. What exactly dose NASCAR stand for anyway?

Pilotpip

There's actually a ton of technology in nascar (Which stands for National Association of Stock Car Racing). The aerodynamics were really getting to be a strong point and this was one of the reasons for the push to the common template. The small teams couldn't afford the wind tunnel and R&D time.

Oddly enough, the common template and restrictions have done nothing to help the smaller teams there. You still have what basically amounts to two or three teams at the top every year.

KJSWA

I guess, but every car looks the same but ford taurus decal headlights, or chevy impala, but the shape looks standard. (I dont pay a lot of attention to NASCAR so I could be way wrong but hey, you dont ask, you wont learn)

Pilotpip

That's because they went to a common template for the bodies about two years ago. It's freaking hideous. The low dollar teams were crying that they couldn't compete because they didn't have the money to develop cars for the superspeedways, short tracks, 1 1/2 mile ovals and road courses. Big dollar teams spent time in the windtunnel tweaking every inch of the car to get the most downforce and least drag within the rules. The result was a common car regardless of badge and a lot of very restrictive rules regarding shock travel and other issues regarding performance. Very similiar to what F1 has done. First it was smaller engines, then they got rid of traction control, now they're talking about common engine templates. NASCAR is already developing a common engine to go with the common body.

Amazingly, in both sports these moves have done little to narrow the gap. You still have two or three front running teams (Roush, Hendrick and Gibbs in NASCAR, Renault, Mclaren and Ferrarri in F1) and the lower dollar teams still crying about the performance gap.

ysslah

That would be because no matter what part of the car FIA or NASCAR force the teams to share, the rich teams will find some way to spend their big dollars to be higher up on the list at the end of the day.