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Sprint Cup
HEMBREE: Welcome To The Star Trek 500
EFI data opens a new world for teams, but drivers are protective of key information…
Electronic fuel injection (EFI) was officially introduced on cars at Daytona International Speedway in 2012. (Photo: Getty Images)
What’s a megabyte between friends?
NASCAR now is overloaded with data that has been churned out by the new sensor units that came courtesy of fuel injection and the electronic control of fuel delivery.
Next question – what to do with it.
Officials talked in the preseason of sharing portions of that information with all teams, especially some of the particulars gleaned from cars finishing in the top five. It now seems less likely that that will happen, in part because of drivers’ general displeasure about sharing technical information that might make the difference between winning and that first alternative to winning – second place.
“I would rather not have that,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday. “It would benefit to be able to see that, but I think it is a slippery slope. With the fuel injection, it brings in the ability this year to be able to see data that we’ve never been able to see before. I think we should ease into how we use that data and how NASCAR allows us to use that data [so as] not to upset the culture of the sport or how things have worked in the past.
“I think if we take this new door that has been opened to us and abuse it, it might not be good for the sport. I think it’s better for competition for everybody to have a few secrets.”
It’s been said there are no secrets in the garage area, but the performance of some teams this year might contribute to thinking that some folks know some stuff that others don’t. People were interested, for example, in getting some extra insight into how Tony Stewart was able to power away from the field on repeated restarts last week at Las Vegas.
EFI data can provide specific input on points of acceleration, throttle bursts and other minutia – and virtually all of it could be useful in the right crew chief’s paws.
NASCAR likes to “level the playing field,” to bring up an oft-repeated phrase, and spreading a wealth of information across the garage certainly could contribute to that idea. But it also doesn’t seem fair to those who have discovered the extra twist that can make the difference between great and simply very good.
“The thing is with us drivers is what we do with the pedals and steering wheel and all that stuff is our proprietary stuff,” Carl Edwards said. “From NASCAR’s perspective, I can see how they would want everyone to not have an advantage and keep feeding everyone information to make it tougher and closer.
“There have been times I thought there were things I did in the car that I wouldn’t want anyone else to see. If those days are over, then they are over. I guess that is just the way it is.”
Kevin Harvick said the information flood can be overwhelming, even within teams.
“I know that we have between my car and the other three or four cars that we have access to it’s a boatload of information,” he said. “There’s a lot there. We have throttle traces, fuel mileage, fuel consumption. There is so much information on there that there’s a lot of new tools you can use, for sure.”
How complex those tools will become is an important question.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
NASCAR now is overloaded with data that has been churned out by the new sensor units that came courtesy of fuel injection and the electronic control of fuel delivery.
Next question – what to do with it.
Officials talked in the preseason of sharing portions of that information with all teams, especially some of the particulars gleaned from cars finishing in the top five. It now seems less likely that that will happen, in part because of drivers’ general displeasure about sharing technical information that might make the difference between winning and that first alternative to winning – second place.
“I would rather not have that,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday. “It would benefit to be able to see that, but I think it is a slippery slope. With the fuel injection, it brings in the ability this year to be able to see data that we’ve never been able to see before. I think we should ease into how we use that data and how NASCAR allows us to use that data [so as] not to upset the culture of the sport or how things have worked in the past.
“I think if we take this new door that has been opened to us and abuse it, it might not be good for the sport. I think it’s better for competition for everybody to have a few secrets.”
It’s been said there are no secrets in the garage area, but the performance of some teams this year might contribute to thinking that some folks know some stuff that others don’t. People were interested, for example, in getting some extra insight into how Tony Stewart was able to power away from the field on repeated restarts last week at Las Vegas.
EFI data can provide specific input on points of acceleration, throttle bursts and other minutia – and virtually all of it could be useful in the right crew chief’s paws.
NASCAR likes to “level the playing field,” to bring up an oft-repeated phrase, and spreading a wealth of information across the garage certainly could contribute to that idea. But it also doesn’t seem fair to those who have discovered the extra twist that can make the difference between great and simply very good.
“The thing is with us drivers is what we do with the pedals and steering wheel and all that stuff is our proprietary stuff,” Carl Edwards said. “From NASCAR’s perspective, I can see how they would want everyone to not have an advantage and keep feeding everyone information to make it tougher and closer.
“There have been times I thought there were things I did in the car that I wouldn’t want anyone else to see. If those days are over, then they are over. I guess that is just the way it is.”
Kevin Harvick said the information flood can be overwhelming, even within teams.
“I know that we have between my car and the other three or four cars that we have access to it’s a boatload of information,” he said. “There’s a lot there. We have throttle traces, fuel mileage, fuel consumption. There is so much information on there that there’s a lot of new tools you can use, for sure.”
How complex those tools will become is an important question.
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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