CHICAGOMOTORSPEEDWAY

Safety Car: The course vehicle that is called from the pits to run in front of the leading car in the race in the event of a problem that requires the cars to be slowed. Scrutineering: The technical checking of cars by the officials to ensure that none are outside the regulations. Sectors: For timing purposes laps are split into three sections of about a third of the lap each. These sections are officially known as Sector 1, Sector 2 and Sector 3.Shakedown: A brief test when a team is trying a different car part for the first time before going back out to drive at 100 percent.Slipstreaming: A tactic whereby a driver catches the car ahead and ducks in behind to benefit from a reduction in drag over its body to achieve superior speed and slingshot past it before the next corner.Splash and Dash: A pit stop in the closing laps of the race when a driver calls in for just a few litres of fuel to be sure of making it to the finish.Stop-Go Penalty: A penalty given that involves the driver calling at his pit and stopping for 10 seconds with no re-fuelling or tire changing allowed.Tear-off strips: See-through plastic strips that drivers affix to their helmet’s visor before the start of the race and then remove as they become dirty.Telemetry: A system that beams data related to the engine and chassis to computers in the pit garage so that team engineers can monitor that car’s behavior.Torque: The turning or twisting force of an engine, it is is generally used as a measure of an engine’s flexibility. Good torque is particularly vital on circuits with a number of mid- to slow-speed turns, where acceleration out of the corners is essential to a good lap time.Traction: The degree to which a car is able to transfer its power onto the track surface from its tires.Traction control: A computerized system that detects and monitors traction. Turbulence: The result of the disruption of airflow caused by an interruption to its passage, such as when it hits a rear wing and its horizontal flow is spoiled.Tire compound: The type of rubber mix used in the construction of a tires, ranging from soft through medium to hard, with each offering a different performance and wear characteristic.Understeer: A condition when the front end of the car doesn’t want to turn into a corner and slides wide as the driver tries to turn in towards the apex.