Following fatal crashes of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. at the New Hampshire International Speedway during the May Busch Series and July Winston Cup Series races, respectively, NASCAR adopted a one-inch (2.54cm) restrictor plate to slow the cars headed towards the tight turns as part of a series of reforms to alleviate stuck throttle problems which were alleged to have caused both fatal crashes. Restrictor plates operate the same way in fuel-injected engines as they do with carburetorsthey reduce the airflow which reduces fuel into the engine NASCAR will continue to use restrictor plates for races held at superspeedways in Talladega and Daytona In general, a fuel-injected system is easier to manage and maintain than a carbureted . After a series of flips and dangerous crashes in the 1980s, NASCAR began requiring all cars to run a restrictor plate at Daytona and Talladega. (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). Restrictor plates were implemented in NASCAR first in 1970. Because of the reduced horsepower of the cars, the cars form large packs. As a staunch defender of restrictor plate racing, however, this . The 2011 Sprint Cup season was the last complete Cup season with carbureted engines; at the end of the 2011 season, NASCAR announced that it would change to an electronic fuel injection system for the 2012 racing season. What my dad had done was had somebody make a 600 hundred thousandths hole in that plastic block. Ford started to sell "cammers" to the public to homologate it (mostly to dealer-sponsored privateer drag racers), but NASCAR changed the rules to specify that all NASCAR engines must use a single cam-in-block. And usually when there's more crashes, there's more conflict. The first restrictor-plate Daytona 500 was in 1988 when Bobby Allison held off his son, Davey, in the race's only father-son, one-two finish. It then made less HP then the 426 hemi. [25][26][27] In fact, before NASCAR instituted the gear rule, Cup engines were capable of operating more than 10,000rpm, and producing near 1,000 horsepower (750kW). When a driver crashes, usually, they take that pack with them. 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. "If I hadn't done it, somebody else would have come along and done it. IndyCar use a variation of E85 fuel. The track has since been changed with SAFER Barriers to improve racing safety. However, even without official factory support or the use of fuel injection, Buck Baker won in 1957 driving a small-block V-8 Chevrolet Bel Air. Rather, aerodynamic air intake reduction through the use of a 390 cfm carburetor, and eventually a tapered carburetor spacer was implemented for those races. Without the restrictor plates, you start to actually see the variances in power and handling among each car at top speed. The first flap oriented 140 degrees from the centerline of the car typically deploys first. The speed limit depends on the size of the track and the size of pit road. After a summer where the two subsequent superspeedway races were run with smaller carburetors (390 cubic feet per minute (cfm) instead of 830 cfm) proved to be inadequate to sufficiently slow the cars, NASCAR imposed restrictor plates again, this time at the two fastest circuits, both superspeedways: Daytona for all NASCAR-sanctioned races and Talladega for Cup races. (up to 2.5hp/cu. CONCORD, N.C. -- The debate has lasted 30 years. As a car is turned around and reaches an angle where significant lift occurs, the low pressure above the flaps causes them to deploy. In many cases, a spotter is a former driver. Why Did NASCAR Use Restrictor Plates? This also is the source of the Big One. Cale Yarborough almost made it into the stands in the 80's and NASCAR deemed restrictor plates to be an answer. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) There has been a string of goodbyes at Daytona International Speedway in recent years, from Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick. The NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series mandated the use of restrictor plates at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway from 1988 to 2019. The severity of crashes at higher speeds is also much greater, shown by telemetry readings of wrecks such as Elliott Sadler at Pocono Raceway and Michael McDowell at Texas Motor Speedway that were far higher than registered on restrictor-plate tracks. I have spent the last few months doing research and collecting firsthand information on these things to find out exactly what the deal is. Under normal circumstances, the glass bends and absorbs the force of the object. 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]. NASCAR, the highest governing body and top level division for stock car racing, has used a range of different types of engine configurations and displacements over its 72-year history; since its inaugural season in 1949. 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. At these races, in addition to the restrictor plate, there are a variety of other technical rules and regulations to keep the cars stable and on the track. As the early 1970s use of restrictor plates was considered a transitional process, and as not every car used restrictor plates, this is not what most fans call "restrictor plate racing".[55]. Jeff Burton led all 300 laps in the ensuing race, despite a 23-car two-abreast battle in the first ten laps, a dramatic charge past 22 cars in 100 laps by John Andretti (who finished seventh), and two charges by Bobby Labonte in the final 50 laps where he took the lead but Burton beat him back to the stripe. Restrictor plates may have something to do with the Daytona crash on February 23. In 1961, Ford introduced the F1 390 in a low drag Galaxie "Starliner", but 1960 and '61 championships were won by drivers in 409-powered Chevrolet Impalas. For a while no special restrictions were needed for that (e.g. Tapered spacers are precisely machined and provide much more even air distribution, essentially making them more efficient. Jump to content Neowin In 1989, NASCAR changed rules requiring cars to use current body styles, similar to the Cup cars. At some tracks, mostly the road courses, NASCAR mandates multiple spotters at key locations around the track. By 1994, almost every form of motorsport had adopted pit lane speed limits, following NASCAR's cue. Drivers such as Rusty Wallace have cited data showing that the roof flaps used on the cars cannot keep them on the ground above 204MPH. But since plates were implemented full time at the two tracks in 1988, several drivers have made their mark as restrictor-plate aces. 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. It was a 600 hundred thousandths restrictor plate." "There was a spacer block between that and the actual motor. 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). Q: Do 1988 Chevy k1500's have restrictor plates? For the Winston Cup race, it was used just once at the 2000 Dura Lube 300. "As cars are closer and drivers are more aggressive, a mistake will create a bigger crash. A few top classes like Formula One limit only the displacement and air intake mouth dimension. [2] The windshield is made of Lexan which gains its strength from its flexibility. One of NASCAR's first series was the Strictly Stock series, which was for late model, unmodified cars. 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. Reason for restrictor plates [ edit] There have been four eras that NASCAR used restrictor plates. Beginning in 2008, teams in the top three series may not roll a car more than three pit box lengths to push start a car. In the transitional years (197176) where the seven-litre engines (430 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. Exceeding track limits to advance one's position is subject to a drive-through penalty, or if the foul occurs on the last lap that car will be relegated to the last car on the lead lap in official race results. Beginning in 2002 (at Indianapolis), many tracks were retrofitted with SAFER barriers along the walls of the track. However, an unexpected consequence of the introduction of the Car of Tomorrow and re-paving of Daytona and Talladega track surfaces has been the separation of the pack into two-car pairs. After the 20-year-old NASCAR driver makes his 50th start in the Xfinity Series, Burton is slated to race the following . [13] NASCAR also allowed the use of the Hutchens device but banned it in 2005 due to test failures. [citation needed]. Game changes a little bit. For decades that method was a restrictor plate. However, in its first year of competition, the Next Gen car gained safety-related controversies as the car's stiffer rear end caused concussions for both Kurt Busch (that turned out to be career-ending)[7][8] and Alex Bowman[9] in one season. After Group B cars were outlawed from rallying because they were too powerful (rumored to have reached 600hp), too fast and too dangerous, the FISA decided that rally cars should not have more than 300hp (220kW). However, the Modifieds still use a restrictor plate because the speeds are too great for that class of racecar without them. In addition, the packs were far smaller in 1988 through 1990 until more teams mastered the nuances of this kind of racing and improved their cars (and drivers) accordingly. Both these NASCAR series now use a restrictor plate and tapered spacer at the two tracks. These wrecks tend to be singled out for criticism despite multicar crashes at other tracks and the generally greater severity of impact on non-restricted tracks. "I don't think there will be a lot of change," said 2012 NASCAR champion Brad Keselowski, who has won four of the last 20 races at Daytona and Talladega. In 1995 Toyota Team Europe used an illegal device to bypass the restrictor (allowing an estimated extra 50hp). After a summer where the two subsequent superspeedway races were run with smaller carburetors (390 cubic feet per minute (cfm) instead of 830 cfm) proved to be inadequate to sufficiently slow the cars, NASCAR imposed restrictor plates again, this time at the two fastest circuits, both superspeedways: Daytona for all NASCAR-sanctioned races and Talladega for Cup races.