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CUP: Under The Hood - Humble Roots To 800 Horsepower
Jeff Andrews, Director of Engine Development at Hendrick Motorsports, talks about the evolution of the V-8 NASCAR engine...
SPEED Staff  |  Posted August 19, 2010   Charlotte, NC
“Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State” is a series of behind-the-scenes articles about Hendrick Motorsports.
Editor’s note: “Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State” is a series of behind-the-scenes looks at what Hendrick Motorsports does to remain at the front of the hyper-competitive world of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing. This week, Jeff Andrews, Director of Engine Development at Hendrick Motorsports, talks about the evolution of the V-8 NASCAR engine.

One of the most significant developments in global automotive history occurred way back in 1955, when Chevrolet introduced the original 265-cubic-inch V-8 engine, known for decades as simply the small-block Chevy.

The lightweight and highly efficient V-8 was used for nearly 50 years, with production finally being discontinued in 2004. The small-block Chevy powered everything from economy sedans to high-performance Camaros, Chevelles and Corvettes, growing from 265 cubic inches to 283 to 327, 350 and finally 400 cubic inches.

For decades, the original small-block Chevy engine was raced extensively in myriad different types of racing, including sports cars, drag racing, off-roading, boats and, of course, NASCAR.

Fonty Flock scored the first victory for the small-block Chevy at Columbia, S.C., in 1955, and from there clear through the late 1990s, the engine won more than 600 races in what’s now known as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

It’s longevity in both passenger cars and automobile racing, and its unparalleled success on the track were proof positive of the brilliance of its design. Put simply, the small-block Chevy was one of the greatest engines ever, as well as the most successful design in NASCAR history.
Chevrolet's original 265-cubic-inch V-8 engine (Right) came out in 1955 and over fifty years later, the first purpose-built NASCAR-only engine, the R07 was brought to the table by GM Racing. (Image: GM Racing)

“If you look back 10 or 15 years ago, we were basically taking evolved iterations, so to speak, of the production car world in the the 1950s, 60s and 70s and making race engines out of those,” says Jeff Andrews, Director of Engine Development at Hendrick Motorsports. “The block that we were using basically dates back to the original small-block Chevrolet engine architecture of 1955.”

In 1998, Chevrolet introduced a modern version of the small block known as the SB2 into NASCAR competition. Although it had different cylinder heads, intake and exhaust manifolds, the SB2 had the identical cylinder-bore spacing, camshaft location and deck height – as the original small-block V-8 introduced in 1955.

That all changed in 2007, when Chevrolet introduced the R07, the first purpose-built NASCAR-only engine the automaker had ever designed. Using advanced development tools such as computer-aided engineering (CAE), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), and 3D modeling, GM engineers were able to create a 358-cubic-inch NASCAR Sprint Cup engine built with four goals in mind:

• Produce competitive horsepower.

• Be reliable.

• Enhance safety.

• Be cost effective.

“When the R07 we’re currently using was brought to the table by GM Racing, it was a dedicated design engine specifically for the NASCAR markets,” says Andrews. “Things like water flow and oil flow were looked at with modern tools that enabled us to evolve and develop a piece that was designed specifically for this market.”

The results were impressive: The modern R07 in non-restrictor-plate configurations now produces about 800 horsepower and has plenty of strength to withstand 500-mile marathons.

“If you look back to where we were 10 or 15 years ago, we were basically taking and putting a lot of money and a lot time and a lot of effort into a part to be able to run it 500 miles on a Sunday afternoon,” says Andrews. “This part now has been extremely durable. The power levels naturally are greater, because you design things into the cylinder head and the block that are for our market and don’t have to necessarily cross right now back and forth into the production world.”

And in the white-hot crucible that is NASCAR Sprint Cup racing, the R07 has more than proven its worth, powering Jimmie Johnson to his most recent three championships.

Competing against three other manufacturers, Chevrolets this year have won 12 of the first 23 Sprint Cup races of the season, as the brand is well on its way to its eighth consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Manufacturers Championship.

Read more... “Under The Hood Presented by Quaker State”
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