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Nascar’s Screech and Slam? It’s All Aerodynamics

To prepare the drivers for the “Car of Tomorrow” being introduced at the 50th running of the Daytona 500 this Sunday — billed with characteristic stock car understatement as “the Most Anticipated Event in Racing History” — the racing teams’ engineers have spent the winter testing their versions of the new car in wind tunnels and running huge computer simulations called C.F.D.’s (for computational fluid dynamics).

To understand what is happening on the track and in the garage here at Daytona, you need either a crash course in aerodynamics or the guidance of Dr. Leslie-Pelecky and her new book, “The Physics of Nascar," according to The New York Times.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:43 AM to Racing | Permalink | Comments 0

Repo lots overflow with reclaimed cars

So many vehicles are being snatched from owners who stop making payments that some repo operators and auto auctioneers say lots are overflowing, according to USA Today.

Car and truck repossessions this year are headed for the highest level in at least a decade, thanks to easy credit and a faltering economy, said Thomas Webb, chief economist for a unit of Atlanta-based Manheim, one of the largest wholesale auto auction services.

This year's predicted 10% rise in vehicle repos to 1.6 million would be a third higher than 10 years ago, he said. The increase comes atop a 10% rise in repos last year.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 10:24 AM to Sales | Permalink | Comments 0