The F1 Car or the NASCAR?
When we ask a hot blooded kid ‘which car is better in comparison?’, their minds translate the question to ‘which car is faster or flashier (usually the red car)?’
The simplicity with which these kids translate the question is the basis for the two most popular current races, namely the Formula one (F1) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Both races are a series of races where crossing the finish line fastest is the major deciding criteria and although the goal of crossing the finish line fast is a function of different parameters. One can argue that the most prominent parameter would be speed and definitely not the vroom vroom sound quality or the most colourful and sadly not even the energy efficiency.
These competitions, unlike their less costly and more energy efficient brother — The Shell Eco Marathon, are much more focused on speed and it’s no surprise that one would then ask the question — ‘which competition has the faster sets of cars’.
Taking a look at the comparison table shown below for both competitions, it’s clear that the F1 car is much faster than the NASCAR. The F1’s faster speed is attributed to its weight, open wheel design and downforce, and these attributes would allow the F1 car to maintain a constant speed around the oval shaped circuit track of the NASCAR race while the NASCAR stock cars would lose speed in addition to having a lower top speed. This tells that the F1 car would easily beat a NASCAR on a NASCAR track, what we should be writing about is how many times it would overlap ☺.
This does not mean that the F1 cars are explicitly better than the NASCAR’s; it depends on what parameter you choose to make your decision. Both competitions, just like the Shell Eco Marathon, are extremes that push engineering to the limit and in the process, new knowledge is developed and used to improve general engineering design while also providing a fair means of entertainment for the audience.
I personally would definitely prefer to watch the faster F1 cars but would rather drive a NASCAR shaped car and aim for the energy efficiency of a SEM car. What about you? What’s your golden combination of the three?
References
- Jack Dougherty. (February 13th, 2021). How fast do NASCARS go?
- Wikipedia. (2021) List of Formula One race records
- F1 Chronicle. (September 29th, 2020). What’s the Difference Between Formula One and Nascar?
- Wikipedia. (2021). Formula One car
- Darjan Petric (March 27th, 2019). F1 2019 cars length, wheelbase and rake data
- Goran Radanovic (April 11th, 2020). 15 Major Differences Between Formula 1 And NASCAR.
- Flow Racers. (2021). Would An F1 Car Beat A NASCAR On A Super Speedway Oval Track? —
- Anna Duxbury. (June 11th 2021). How fast is an F1 car?
- Wikipedia. (2021). Formula One regulations
- Christine Helms. (August 8th, 2019). NASCAR may be the fastest way to learn about physics
- Wikipedia. (2021). Red Bull Racing RB15
Written By:
Efezino Elutabe (Mechanical Design Sub team)