Building SPEED:  The Physics of NASCAR®

5:30 pm Friday, October 26th, Weasler Auditorium, Marquette University

On February 18th, 2007, almost a quarter of a million people gathered in Florida to witness the culmination of months of intensive research at the forefront of aerodynamics, materials science, and energy conversion.  This crowd was not gathered to watch a shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral.  They were seventy-five miles to the north in Daytona Beach, enjoying the unique combination of science and sheer guts it takes to pilot a racecar at 190 mph around the thirty-one-degree banked turns of Daytona International Speedway. 

Every NASCAR® fan – at one time or another – asks the same question:  Why isn’t my favorite driver winning? This is your chance to learn how much more there is to NASCAR® than ‘Go fast, turn left and don’t crash’.  If you’ve ever wondered why superspeedways have banking, why racecars don’t have mufflers, how ‘bump drafting’ works, or what in the world ‘Let’s go up a pound on the right rear and add half a round of wedge’ means, this is an evening you will not want to miss.  You’ll learn how important developments such as safety equipment, the introduction of unleaded gasoline, and the Car of Tomorrow, are changing racing.  This fast-paced tour through the Physics of NASCAR® will take you from behind-the-scenes of Charlotte race shops onto the race track just in time for you to really appreciate next week’s race. 

Diandra Leslie-Pelecky

A group of racecars piloted by the best drivers in NASCAR® are turning a corner.  Without warning, one of the cars suddenly hits the outside wall.  None of the cars touched, there were no engine failures or flat tires… so what happened?  This is the question that sparked Diandra Leslie-Pelecky’s interest in the Science of NASCAR®.  Finding the answers to this and other questions took the University of Nebraska – Lincoln professor from behind the scenes at top race shops to the asphalt at Texas Motor Speedway. Diandra Leslie-Pelecky earned the Ph.D. from Michigan State University and joined the University of Nebraska in 1994, where she is an Associate Professor of Physics.  Her research focuses on magnetic nanomaterials – structures that are a few thousandths the width of a human hair.  The materials she and her research group develop have potential applications in improving magnetic resonance imaging and cancer treatment.  She has extensive experience with science education in K-12 schools, at the college level, and for the general public.  She runs a website about science and cars at www.stockcarscience.com, where she writes a weekly blog about happenings in motorsports. Diandra lives in Lincoln with her husband, physicist Robert Hilborn.  Although they remain officially neutral, their two cats, Chaos and Vector, cheer for the 22 car. Their dog, Darwin (a hound dog mutt) is an Elliott Sadler fan because he figures anyone who has that many hound dogs has to be worth howling for.

Banquet Menu, Served Buffet Style by the Chefs of the Ambassador Hotel ($30) after the talk.

Appetizers: Smoked Chicken Quesadillas, Relish Tray with Dips

Salads:  Roasted Red Potato Salad with Bacon, Apple, & Red Onion, Roasted Corn & Orzo Pasta Salad, Green Salad with Choice of Homemade Dressings

Entrées:   Whisky Peach BBQ Spare Ribs, Chili-style Chicken Sandwiches, Bratwurst with Caramelized Onions & Peppers, Vegetarian Lasagna

Deserts: Chocolate Pecan Treats

Beverages: Coffee, Tea, Milk

Saturday Box Lunch from Jimmy Johns – order forms available at the check-in desk ($8)