Hendrick Motorsports

Hendrick Motorsports on NASCAR-lajin yksi ehdottomista kestosuosikeista. Eikä ihme, sillä tallin riveissä työskentelevät parhaiden kuskien lisäksi myös alan parhaat insinöörit ja tallityöntekijät. Kaksinkertainen mestari ja tallin ykköskuski Jimmie Johnson vienee tallin sen 12:een Sprint Cup -mestaruuteen tänäkin vuonna.

Team Penske

Team Penske haastaa tänä vuonna Hendrick Motorsports -tallin uuteen mestaruustaisteluun. Viime vuonna kuskit eivät yltäneet voittoon, mutta toisaalta sekä Joey Logano että Brad Keselowski aloittivat kisan molemmat viime vuonna eturivistä. Tallin nopeat autot ja tiimin testaamat uudet ”kikat” tulevat hengittämään Johnsonin niskaan.

Joe Gibbs Racing

Joe Gibbs Racing -talli lyö pöytään monen asiantuntijan mielestä NASCARin historian kovimmat kuskit. Carl Edwards ja Denny Hamlin saavat alleen myös täysin uuden auton, sillä viime vuoden Toyota Racing Development -auto ei yksinkertaisesti tuonut tarpeeksi vauhtia. Pidä siis silmällä Joe Gibbs Racingin kaaroja. Muiden kuskien ei kannata unohtaa katsoa välillä peiliin, mikäli Edwards ja Hamlin ovat lähettyvillä.

Stewart-Haas Racing

Älkäämme unohtako viime vuoden mestaria Stewart-Haas Racing -tallia. Tällä hetkellä ainoastaan he ovat Hendrick-tallin ja mestaruuden välissä. Kannattaa siis seurata tarkkaan, onnistuuko talli pilaamaan Johnsonin juhlat ja nostamaan pystin kauden päätteeksi jo toista kertaa peräkkäin.

The Need for Speed

We are all aware that any stock car must be able to handle sudden bursts of power when required. So, take some time and equip your vehicle with a nitrous oxide kit. Most are very easy to install and you can find some unbelievable prices through online auction sites.

Safety in Mind

Although racing can be a great deal of fun, you should never sacrifice your safety for thrills and chills. Every car should be equipped with a sturdy roll cage. If you do happen to overturn your vehicle, this can very literally save your life. Keep in mind that there are many do-it-yourself suggestions to be found online, but it is always better to purchase a professionally designed cage to ensure your physical safety.

Get a Grip

Choosing the right tyres is essential in order to experience superior levels of control when racing. Depending upon the conditions, there are a number of different variants. Wider tyres are suited when you require more traction but they will detract from speed. Narrow models with deeper treads are excellent for off-road events while you should always keep a set of tyres designed to be used when the surface is slick or it has just rained.Getting back to the basics is one of the best ways to make sure that your stock car is as safe as it is efficient. Choose to be a winner by following these easy steps!

Ylämäki ja sprintit

Ylämäki- ja sprint-kisat ovat autourheilun yksinkertaisemmat kilpailumuodot. Kilpailussa ei kisata muiden kuljettajien kanssa samaan aikaan, vaan yksin aikaa vastaan. Luonnollisesti sarjasta löytyy eri luokkia, jotka jaottelevat kisaajat auton tehojen mukaan ja kuskit voivat tietenkin edetä nopeasti ”kuninkuusluokkaan”. Ja mikä tärkeintä, kulut eivät ole miljoonien suuruisia, sillä auton lisäksi vaaditaan vain turvallisuusvälineet.

Autotestit

Autotestit muistuttavat autokoulun rata-ajoa, mutta todellisuudessa kyseessä on ylämäki- ja sprint-kisojen tavoin kisa kelloa vastaan esteradalla. Radalla saattaa olla esteitä, jotka vaihtelevat yksinkertaisista ”tötsistä” pysähtymistä varten merkittyihin alueisiin. Kyseessä on siis puhtaasti tekninen laji, jossa vauhdinhakuiset kilpailijat jäävät viimeiseksi.

Navigointiajot

Navigointiajot muistuttavat ensisilmäyksellä suunnistusta, mutta huolellisempi tarkastelu osoittaa, kuinka kyseinen laji on huomattavasti jännittävämpää. Kaikille kuskeille jaetaan nimittäin kartta tiettyyn määränpäähän. Ja toisin kuin monessa muussa ajourheilulajissa, tässä vauhdilla ei voita. Kilpailijoiden on pidettävä yllä tiettyä nopeutta ja maaliin saapuminen liian myöhään tai ajoissa vähentää lopullisia pisteitä.Hyväksi onneksi autourheilusta löytyy entistä enemmän vaihtoehtoja, joiden avulla budjetointi ei ole se tärkein elementti. Tässä siis kolme erinomaista vaihtoehtoa, joissa ei pala raha eikä edes välttämättä rengaskumi.

Lajin kulta-aika sijoittuu 50-luvulle

Lähes 70 vuotta sitten kuskit olivat verrannollisia Hollywood-tähtiin, eikä heidän elämästään puuttunut glamouria. NASCAR-sarjan suosio perustui kovaan ja huipputasaiseen kilpailuun. Nimittäin ensimmäinen Daytona 500 -kilpailu kesti kolme päivää, joiden aikana Petty ja Johnny Beauchamp taistelivat voitosta. Lopulta Petty veti pidemmän korren. Jännittävät kilpailut johtivat lopulta siihen, että yleisömäärien kasvaessa kilpailuja aloitettiin televisioimaan. Loppu onkin jo historiaa.NASCAR-lajia pidetään yleisesti etelävaltioiden punaniskojen viihteenä. Tämä, kuten kovin moni muukin etelän osavaltiohin liittyvät myytit, on juuri niitä myyttejä. Vaikka ovaalissa ajaminen ei alkuun vaikuta erityisen haasteelliselta tehtävältä, muistetaan se, että Kimi Räikkönen ei onnistunut teknisestä ajolahjakkuudestaan huolimatta pääsemään edes lähelle kärkisijoja NASCAR-sarjassa ajaessaan.Ehkä lajissa piilee jotakin, mitä me muut emme näe.

Hillclimbs and sprints

This is one of the very simplest forms of motorsport, where drivers compete against the clock rather than against each other. There are variety of different classes which range from road cars up to high-powered specials, so there’s room to progress as you improve. You’ll need some basic safety equipment but otherwise the costs are relatively low.

Autotests

This too is competition against the clock, but it involves negotiating an obstacle course; driving around cones, stopping in marked out boxes and so on. You can compete in a standard road car, again there are different classes, and there are events around the country.

Navigation rallies

Unlike championship rallies, which are all about setting the fastest pace, a navigation rally involves following a route and arriving at checkpoints at the right time. Competitors have to stick to speed limits and there are penalties for being too late or too early at each check. Rallies are usually run at night when there’s less traffic.

Beachcross

If you prefer your motorsport on two wheels a good low-cost option is beachcross. As the name suggests it involves racing motorcycles or quad bikes on sandy beaches. Riders do need to have an MCF competition licence in order to take part.

Top 5 Tools

1. Racing Jack:

When you change the wheels (for different tyres or due to damage) you are going to need to do so safely, with speed and ease. Racing jacks are different for a few reasons; they can be elevated in just a few pumps , they have padding to prevent damage to the vehicle and they are lightweight for ease movement.

2. Portable air tank:

Tyre pressure really matters when trying to beat your time on the track, so don’t waste fuel, energy or time and keep this handy little sidekick close to pump up your tyres.

3. Small mirror and a flash light:

These may not seem like tools at all, but you really cannot do without either of them. No matter how well lit the garage is, or how bendy you are, a mirror and a flash light can reveal problem that you just can’t normally see; you’ll want to find these quickly and effortlessly to minimise the repair time.

4. Wheel air gun:

This will undo the bolts on every wheel in 2 seconds flat, this will not only save you time in a race situation, but also save energy and reduce the potential for injury to your wrists.

5. Stringo Vehicle Mover:

In order to avoid noise, exhaust fumes or if the car won’t start then you would normally have to roll up your sleeves and push; Pushing a vehicle can be both dangerous and stressful but Stringo have made it simple and fast.Stringo is the leading manufacturer of vehicle movers in the world. Their innovative designs mean that the job can be done with complete ease. Because of their 30 year old history, Stringo has a lot of experience in their field.These are the basics for any racing car mechanic to ensure that they can carry out their work fast and effectively; There are obviously many tools available, but these will get you off to a healthy racing start.

Four wheels and an engine

The answer is eye-watering. Need a car, right? Right. Car needs an engine, yes? That will run you… $3.5 Million. A year. For each driver. NASCAR’s teams run a continuous engine tuning and production operation, hoping to get a leap on the other drivers, and so spend fortunes on research and construction and you’ll need to keep up to get the big bucks.

Building a team

The car is yours. Somehow. The piggy bank is looking a little bare, but at least you can jump in and start raking in prizes now. But wait. Who is going to repair the car? Tune it? Bring your superstar driver various chilled drinks? Manage the advertising revenue? You get the picture. A team needs about 90-100 highly trained members, and they have highly trained pay checks. $2.5 Million worth of highly trained, and that’s a low estimate. Top teams may spend one and a half times that. Throw in the smaller extras, like travel, tyres, driver salary and all together a NASCAR team will run you around $10 million a year.Still, when your NASCAR team is up and running, you could expect to get $20 million from sponsors and winnings. Maybe time for that second mortgage…

Hendrick Motorsports

This team has long lead the way in the vibrant world of NASCAR. One of the things that sets Hendrick Motorsports apart from other teams is the knowledgeable teams and excellent drivers. Racer Jimmie Johnson is one of the stars of the Hendrick Motorsports team and he won the championship in 2007 and 2013. This season crew chief Steve Letarte will be replaced by Greg Ives and it is a good bet that the team will go on to win their 12th Sprint Cup championship.

Team Penske

Although they did not win in 2014, both Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski performed exceptionally well and consistently qualified well enough to secure the coveted front starting positions. Their cars bring a lot of speed and power to the races and the enhancements that the garage crew have installed mean that Team Penske are set to give Hendrick Motorsport a run for their money this year.

Joe Gibbs Racing

This season, Joe Gibbs Racing offers one of the strongest lineups of racers in the history of NASCAR. This season the team has added Carl Edwards to their crew, who is set to make a significant contribution. One of the main things that prevented Joe Gibbs Racing from leading the way last season was their cars, which were supplied by Toyota Racing Development. These cars were simply not fast enough to make the grade and substantial improvements have been made this season to help drivers such as Denny Hamlin reach the speeds they need to be true contenders. While Joe Gibbs Racing has a lot to prove this year, they have been working hard and will be one of the main teams to watch.

Stewart-Haas Racing

Although Stewart-Haas Racing won the championship last season, overall they did not perform as well as some of the other teams and it can be said that star driver Kevin Harvick did virtually all of the work. The teams drivers for 2015 include Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch and Danica Patrick, all of whom have many years of racing under their belts. Last year Stewart-Haas Racing achieved six wins and 23 placings in the top five and NASCAR fans can be sure that they will be going all out this season to really show what they can do.