Full Throttle

The inevitable has happened. After the success of the [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/cts.gif]Craftsman Truck Series[/avatar] race at Daytona this year - a race that featured a three-wide photo finish - the announcement that NASCAR will stage a truck race in Talladega is not only unsurprising, but a welcome addition for those of us that remember the pre-restrictor plate days of [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/cup.jpg]NEXTEL Cup[/avatar].

The first Talladega [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/cts.gif]Craftsman Truck Series[/avatar] race will be held as part of the UAW-Ford 500 weekend Oct. 6-8, next year. The trucks should put on a similar show to Daytona and with their boxy shape, smaller carburetors and shorter race distances many are of the opinion the resulting action is better than [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/cup.jpg]NEXTEL Cup[/avatar] or the second tier [avatar:http://cranialcavity.net/files/bgn.gif]Busch Series[/avatar], myself included.

For the “post restrictor plate fans” it will also put on display a racing tactic they may know very little, if anything about, the “slingshot maneuver.” The current aero package for the Cup cars has seen the tactic fall by the way side due the the slipperyness of their shape as they slice through the air.

The trucks with a more upright stance and larger frontal area create a larger hole in the air. That “hole” creates a vacumn behind the lead car the trailing car sucks itself into. As a result the trailing driver can actually lift the throttle slightly and not only maintain position but gain a speed advantage on the lead vehicle. The discovery of the draft is generally credited to Junior Johnson in 1960 while driving his Chevy and chaseing down the, then red hot, Pontiacs.