NASCAR Glossary continued

HAPPY HOUR
Slang term for the last official practice session held before an event. Usually takes place the day before the race and after all qualifying and support races have been staged.

HANDLING
Generally, a race car's performance while racing, qualifying or practicing. How a car "Handles" is determined by its tires, suspension geometry, aerodynamics and other factors.

INTERVAL
The time-distance between two cars. Referred to roughly in car lengths, or precisely in seconds.

LAPPED TRAFFIC
Cars that have completed at least one full lap less than the race leader.

LOOSE
(Also referred to as "free" or "oversteer.") A condition created when the back end of the vehicle wants to overtake the front end when it is either entering or exiting a turn. In qualifying mode teams walk a fine line creating a setup that "frees the vehicle up" as much as possible without causing the driver to lose control.

MARBLES
(Also referred to as "loose stuff.") Bits of rubber that have been shaved off tires and dirt and gravel blown to the outside of a corner by the wind created by passing vehicles comprise the "marbles" that are often blamed by drivers for causing them to lose control.

NEUTRAL
A term drivers use when referring to how their car is handling. When a car is neither loose nor pushing (tight).

OVERSTEER
See Loose

PIT ROAD
The area where pit crews service the cars. Generally located along the front straightaway, but because of space limitations, some racetracks sport pit roads on the front and back straightaways.

PIT STALL
The area along pit road that is designated for a particular team's use during pit stops. Each car stops in the team's stall before being serviced.

POLE POSITION
Slang term for the foremost position on the starting grid, awarded to the fastest qualifier.

PUSH
(Also referred to as "tight" or "understeer.") "Push" is a condition that occurs when the front tires of a vehicle will not turn crisply in a corner. When this condition occurs, the driver must get out of the throttle until the front tires grip the race track again.

QUARTER PANEL
The sheet metal on both sides of the car from the C-post to the rear bumper below the deck lid and above the wheel well.

REAR CLIP
The section of a race car that begins at the base of the rear windshield and extends to the rear bumper. Contains the car's fuel cell and rear suspension components.

RESTRICTOR PLATE
An aluminum plate that is placed between the base of the carburetor and the engine's intake manifold with four holes drilled in it. The plate is designed to reduce the flow of air and fuel into the engine's combustion chamber, thereby decreasing horsepower and speed.

ROOF FLAPS
These flaps are sections at the rear of a race vehicle's roof that are designed to activate, or flip up, if the air pressure flowing across them decreases. In the case of a vehicle turning backwards, the tendency for an uninterrupted flow of air is to create lift. The roof flaps are designed to disrupt that airflow in attempt to keep the vehicle on the ground.

ROUND
Slang term for a way of making chassis adjustments utilizing the race car's springs. A wrench is inserted in a jack bolt attached to the springs, and is used to tighten or loosen the amount of play in the spring. This in turn can loosen or tighten the handling of a race car.

SETUP
Slang term for the tuning and adjustments made to a race car's suspension before and during a race.

SHORT TRACK
Racetracks that are less than one mile in length.

SILLY SEASON
Slang for the period that begins during the latter part of the current season, wherein some teams announce driver, crew and/or sponsor changes.

SPOILER
(Also referred to as a "blade.") The spoiler is a strip of aluminum that stretches across the width of a race vehicle's rear decklid. It is designed to create downforce on the rear of the vehicle, thereby increasing traction. However, the tradeoff, again, is that more downforce equals more aerodynamic drag, so teams attempt, particularly on qualifying runs, to lay the spoiler at as low an angle as possible to "free up" their vehicles for more straightaway speed.

STAGGER
Stagger is a concept that has largely been eliminated with the use of radial tires. It refers to the difference in tire circumference between the left- and right-side tires on the vehicle. Typically, the left-side tires would be a smaller circumference than the right-side tires to "help" the vehicle make left-hand turns.

STICK
Slang term used for tire traction.

STICKERS
Slang term for new tires. The name is derived from the manufacturer's stickers that are affixed to each new tire's contact surface.

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