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An expanded Web version of segments seen on CNN New college sport favors brains over brawn
Car racing tests engineers' skills
November 13, 1997
Web posted at: 11:35 a.m. EST (1635 GMT)CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (CNN) -- The sounds of screeching tires and racing engines and the smell of gasoline fill the air as cars battle furiously for position on the track at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
But the cars careening around the course are clearly not NASCAR's powerful Fords, Chevies and Pontiacs, and the drivers and crews are not pros from the Winston Cup Circuit.
The teams that work on these cars are made up of engineering students from six universities here in the heart of stock car racing country. They are members of a new group called NCAR, for National Collegiate Association for Racing.
And their mission is to give brainy students -- geeks, if you will -- a new intercollegiate sport where they have the advantage over brawny athletes.
Engineering skills are key
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While the drivers' skill and nerve are important, subtle adjustments, known as the "setup," present the challenge to engineers. Small changes like tightening a spring slightly or adding just a touch of air to the tires can make the difference between winning and losing.
"Setup is key. I mean, if the car handles well going into a corner and coming out, that person's going to be the fastest," said Max Fitzgerald, an NCAR member from the University of South Carolina. (
102K/6 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
Their requisite racing machine is not just any old automobile. Students use Legends cars, five-eighths scale models of cars from the 1930s and '40s, powered with motorcycle engines.
Few modifications allowed
College race cars 510 K / 13 sec. QuickTime movie The cars are built to give amateur racers a level playing field, and the students aren't allowed to make major changes to the engine or chassis.
"We can vent the engine to cool it, we can change spring rates and general setup items, caster, camber, toe, the wheel base, the rear axle offset, just general stuff," Fitzgerald said.
Part of setting up the car is adapting it to each driver's preferences. Drivers and crews exchange constant feedback. Driving is part of the learning experience.
"All of these students are able to simulate on the computer the performance and dynamics of this car, but the subtleties of half a pound psi (per square inch) we can't simulate on a computer," said Craig Rogers, dean of engineering at the University of South Carolina. (
"They have to be able to feel it and they have to be able to see it, and this is a wonderful opportunity for them to be able to see what engineering is all about," he said.
Down to the wire
All their months of tinkering, planning and practice come down to this exhibition race on the speedway where, without warning, one eager driver spins out.
The rebellious car causes a chain reaction crash. A wheel pops off of one car; another's body is dented. While no drivers are hurt during the course of the race, not all the cars leave the track intact.
So, in the deciding heat, luck and determination put driver Trudy Fender, behind the wheel of the South Carolina car, out in front to stay.
New sports revenue
The idea for NCAR developed from conversations between Rogers and Charlotte Motor Speedway President H.E. "Humpy" Wheeler.
"I've always wanted to get racing in colleges, because I think it would be good for the sport, the colleges and our image really," he said. (
But Rogers says that he favors the college angle not to develop a work force for motor sports, but to develop students. "That would have a great deal of utility across all of the industry," he said. (
NCAR hopes to include more colleges next year, and expand the schedule to as many as seven races at different tracks. It also hopes to attract sponsors who, like advertisers in the pro racing circuit, would place their company name on the side of the race cars.
The sport could become a major revenue source for colleges, Wheeler said, without competing with football and basketball sponsorships at all. "This is going to be new money coming in," he said.
And supporters point out one big advantage NCAR's coaches will have over their colleagues in traditional sports. There is no worry about having your star athlete flunk out, since most of these students are at the top of their classes.
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Legends Cars
- Charlotte Motor Speedway - NASCAR Online
- College of Engineering - Univ. of South Carolina
- Sports Car Club of America
External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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