Building SPEED

Gears: Finding Pit Road Speed

Ever wonder how drivers know how fast they are going given that they don't have speedometers in their car? Get geared up to find out.

Updated: 04. 27. 2098

Students investigate how you can calculate the speed of a car based on its engine, transmission and rear-end gear.

Updated: 10. 06. 2009

Updated: 04. 27. 2098

An explanation of the machinery behind getting power to the wheels.

12. 20. 2009: An article on materials science and NASCAR from the MRS Bulletin
08. 04. 2009: The 'Change Password' function works -- finally!
04. 27. 2009: A new Module about gears and a Race Gear module about transmissions have been posted.
04. 14. 2009: A new Crew Chief Note added about Power and Torque and a new Race Gear module Comparing Engines
04. 03. 2009: New NASCAR videos for teaching are now available at www.science360.gov. Look for The Science of Speed series.
04. 02. 2009: See a new announcement about teaching with NASCAR via NASCAR Now.
03. 27. 2009: Teachers - if you experience any problems with registration, please drop a note to admin(at)buildingspeed.org for assistance.
03. 15. 2009: Launch of the new site!