18 Mar 2022, 17:24 UTC By: Silvian Irimia This weekend, the NASCAR Cup is moving to Atlanta on a repaved and reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway. The restrictor plates will cut down on the cars' acceleration and possibly make a full-throttle lap around the 1.5-mile track possible. Back in the day, cars could easily average more than 200 miles per hour at superspeedways, so in 1988, NASCAR instituted the restrictor plate requirement to slow cars down and make the races. So it will be interesting. NASCAR introduces restrictor plates NASCAR began using carburetor restrictor plates in 1988 to reduce Daytona/Talladega speeds and two years ago made a technical switch to tapered spacers, which . This is the largest carburetor restrictor plate opening since the one-inch mandate in 1988, the first year the horsepower-reducing plates were used in the Cup Series at Daytona.[43][44][45][46]. At the high-speed superspeedways, track limits are marked by a double yellow line separating the apron from the racing surface. "No matter what you call it, you're still restricting the air flow to the engine," two-time Daytona 500 winner and 1988 NASCAR champion Bill Elliott said. The vehicle hit the barrier at about 200 miles per hour, going airborne before . A 0.922-inch spacer will be used at all oval tracks 1.33 miles and above, which will decrease engine horsepower to about 550. Rusty Wallace tested a car at Talladega Superspeedway without a restrictor plate in 2004, reaching a top speed of 228mph (367km/h) in the backstretch and a one-lap average of 221mph (356km/h). They have not only won the most races, but been. The plates were put into use in 1988 as a result of a wreck in the 1987 Winston 500 at Talladega that involved the car of Bobby Allison crashing into the front stretch catch fence at a high enough speed to destroy almost 100 feet of the fence and put the race under a red flag condition for two hours. NASCAR implemented restrictor plates in 1988 after a frightening crash involving Bobby Allison, who flew into the catchfence at Talladega in 1987. [citation needed]. I guess it's all about how you word things these days.". Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. Before we get into the list, here is a quick history lesson. With that change, NASCAR also mandated the use of larger rear spoilers, larger front splitters, and specially-placed front-end aero ducts. The restrictor plate limits air into the engine, reducing horsepower and speed at these tracks from 230-240mph to 195-200mph. 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In addition to these technical rules, restrictor-plate races and road courses are the only races where NASCAR enforces track limits. After a somewhat successful NASCAR All-Star Race, NASCAR has a decision to make on using restrictor plates more often, and it's not an easy decision. In 1995, changes were made. The criticism stems from reduction in throttle response brought by the restriction. NASCAR has continued to use the same restrictor plate dimensions for 31 years. For the Winston Cup race, it was used just once at the 2000 Dura Lube 300. This rule was implemented for the Sprint Cup Series, which switched to electronic fuel injection for 2012. Daytona International Speedway has generally been less competitive because the age of the asphalt (the track was repaved in 1978 and again in 2010) has reduced grip for the cars and thus handling has impeded passing ability to a significant extent. Not Yet Reviewed. Daytona International Speedway has generally been less competitive because the age of the asphalt (the track was repaved in 1978 and again in 2010) has reduced grip for the cars and thus handling has impeded passing ability to a significant extent. Small block engines, in the 366 cubic inch range, were exempt from the plates; the first car to race with a small block engine was Dick Brooks at the 1971 Daytona 500, where he ran a 1969 Dodge Daytona with a 305 CID engine. NASCAR's restrictor-plate tracks cause drivers and fans to play a dangerous game NASCAR drivers Kevin Harvick, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and AJ Allmendinger were all involved in a crash on the final. NASCAR uses an electronic scoring system, similar to the VASCAR system, to monitor the speeds of cars on pit road by measuring the time it takes to get from checkpoint to checkpoint. The combination of those features increased drag on the cars, counteracting the increased horsepower, keeping the cars close to the speeds they were running prior to the switch to the tapered spacer. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [citation needed] Restrictor plates remain a permanent fixture on the Modifieds and the racing has often broken 20 official lead changes for 100125 laps of competition. After four races with two different first-time. The shape of the spacer helps a car funnel more air smoothly into the manifold, increasing fuel performance, while ensuring airflow is still restricted. Only the Xfinity Series uses carburetors through into 2021, with no announced change to injection. [20] During spins, as a result of accidents or loss of handling, as the car rotates it eventually reaches an angle where the oncoming air reacts with the profile of the vehicle in the same manner as a wing. Through the Gears: Hendrick wins again, Kyle Busch tells us how he . Since the 2012 season, NASCAR Cup cars now have fuel injection instead of carburetors, but restrictor plates are still being used. Is restrictor-plate racing really racing? The reduction in throttle response, however, has never been shown to have impeded the ability to pass; the criticism was shot down in the first "modern" plate race, the 1988 Daytona 500, as the lead changed 25 times officially and saw several bursts where the lead changed several times a lap and also several bursts of sustained side-by-side racing, notably in the final 50 laps between Bobby Allison, Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and Buddy Baker. Safety in NASCAR has evolved into one of the biggest concerns in stock car racing's largest sanctioning body. Part of the issue with the plates seems to be the inability to pass. In restrictor plate racing the packs have brought about an often-enormous increase in positional passing; at Talladega Superspeedway the Sprint Cup cars have surpassed 40 official lead changes sixteen times from 1988 onward, including both 2010 Sprint Cup races at Talladega, which had 87 official lead changes in the regulation 188 laps. (The 2010 Aaron's 499 had 88 lead changes, but the 88th the race-winning pass by Kevin Harvick was on the last lap of the third attempt at a green-white-checkered finish). At Daytona and Talladega, most races are marred by at least one wreck, usually referred to as "the Big One", as cars rarely become separated. The 2011 Daytona 500 saw a record number of cautions including an early 17-car pile-up. However, after Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, safety burst to the forefront of NASCAR's technology development. The wreck sent debris into the stands including a tire and engine parts. That's pretty surprising - you double the engine power and you only get 50 mph more. . [19][20], In the 1980's, NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors began looking at alternatives from the 5-litre based (311cuin (5L) engines, as in short track racing there was a push for six-cylinder engines in short track racing to save on costs, with some series allowing weight breaks. The 2010 width is 63/64-inch. Both these NASCAR series now use a restrictor plate and tapered spacer at the two tracks. Here we are 32 years later, and if they would have left the engines unrestricted, guys would be doing 230-plus now.". This page was last edited on 4 February 2023, at 06:11. In 1957, Chevrolet sold enough of their new fuel injected engines to the public in order to make them available for racing (and Ford began selling superchargers as an option), but Bill France immediately banned fuel injection and superchargers from NASCAR before they could race. Reason for restrictor plates [ edit] There have been four eras that NASCAR used restrictor plates. This is the largest carburetor restrictor plate opening since the one-inch mandate in 1988, the first year the horsepower-reducing plates were used in the Cup Series at Daytona.[18]. The engine produces peak torque and almost maximum power at a relatively low RPM, and from there to the rev limiter the torque drops and the power does not increase much. In 1992, when the Busch Grand National series began racing at Talladega, the plates were implemented, in keeping with their use at Daytona. Talladega has been considered the more likely track for these instances to occur as the track is incredibly wide, enough to have three to four distinct lines of cars running side by side. [47] The transition was not complete until 1974 and coincided with American manufacturers ending factory support of racing and the 1973 oil crisis. [10][11] The engines are currently used in the Cup Series, Xfinity Series, Camping World Truck Series, and the Whelen Modified Tour. Nascar ended up plating the 366!! The only plate race thus far this year, the Daytona 500 in February -- dominated by Roush teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, challenged only by Dale Earnhardt Jr. before Kenseth won -- does . In 1965 Ford adapted two single-overhead-cams to their FE 427 V8 to allow it to run at a higher RPM (called the Ford 427 Cammer). This is a safety concern that has puzzled NASCAR. The restrictions are in the interest of driver and fan safety because speeds higher than the 190mph range used for Daytona and Talladega risk cars turning over through sheer aerodynamic forces alone. This kind of system is occasionally used in road vehicles (e.g., motorcycles) for insurance purposes, but mainly in automobile racing, to limit top speed to provide equal level of competition, and to lower costs; insurance purposes have also factored in for motorsports. That led to the use of restrictor plates. As a result, they are left with large blind spots. Free Shipping. In the transitional years (197174) where the seven-liter engines (427 cu in) had restrictor plates, Daytona and Talladega broke 40 official lead changes six times, while Michigan International Speedway broke 35 official lead changes in both of its 1971 races. The Automobile Racing Club of America also enforced restrictor plates at their events at the two tracks. - you double the engine power and you only get 50 mph.... You word things these days. `` - you double the engine, reducing horsepower and at... About how you word things these days. `` Bobby Allison, flew. 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