The Future of Racing with Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Neil deGrasse Tyson

What difference does the driver make? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly break down the science of NASCAR in Neil’s interview with NASCAR Hall of Famer & NBC Sports Analyst, Dale Earnhardt Jr., with the help of physicist, Diandra Leslie-Pelecky.
Is this the fastest cars can go? Learn about the rules of NASCAR racing and the Next Gen car. Is standardization actually beneficial to the sport? We discuss innovation in race cars and what can be done with nanoparticles to make racing faster.
Why don’t they fill tires with air? We explore the thermodynamics of tires and the gasses used inside of them. Is there a sweet spot for tire pressure? Find out about the aerodynamics of racing an oval track and how drafting can impact a race.
Is NASCAR going to go electric? Discover the reasons why or why not. What elements would still need to be improved upon? We also discuss safety, concussion in racing, and how the HANS device could make basal skull injuries a thing of the past.
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About StarTalk:
Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
#StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson

[@kyleurbanik1879]

A lot of people write off NASCAR as hillbilly bs but I love the engineering and physics side of it. I-racing simulator which might not be dead on will give you a really good idea about how hard it is to “drive in circles” they literally drive the cars to the edge of control like walking a tightrope.

[@dsgp7835]

Kyle, I agree. Technically, NASCAR is no longer hillbilly but, there is a portion of the fanship that uncivilized. The sanctioning body is trying hard to preserve the sport. Unfortunately there is a portion of their audience that is very loud in their protest to the direction NASCAR is headed.

[@dedo7326]

When I learned that you can pack air under another car to get them loose and possibly spin out was the day I fell in love with nascar and that if you drive past another at a certain point you can side draft them and slow them down while taking air off of them. It’s amazing stuff the fact they are going really really fast and able to manipulate air just 🤯

[@jimduffy6767]

What’s wrong with hillbillies?

[@jimduffy6767]

@Trey Baxter you get over that wuick

[@SwigerQ86]

​@DSGP the things on the news lately. The city dwellers are the uncivilized. ..

[@SakaGames]

For the car having more yaw, I remember the COT era and Penske had his cars (Sam Hornish Jr) so crabbed out that you could see the passenger door number while the car was coming straight at you. And yes, the crabbing was banned pretty quick.

[@clinchleatherwood1012]

I remember too! Looked awesome but NASCAR was having none of it! haha

[@Coolbreeze0988]

I would have loved to see what type of cars 20 years of development on the twisted sister Gen 4 cars would have produced.

[@chada75]

Still legal in ARCA.

[@p.melvinshyturtle3722]

2007 season.

[@wymans668]

Neil asked "Does it take a tragedy to introduce a safety feature?" which started me thinking back to some training I received when in the military. And that was one of my trainers making the statement that every safety rule in the military was wrote in blood. Because someone had to die for a rule to be wrote.

[@taunhawk9888]

yup, same is said about FAA aviation rules

[@TheSCPStudio]

Lol, you act as if forward thinking doesn't exist. You do realize they said most of that to scare you into compliance right? The military thrives off of brain washing techniques.

[@vikingthedude]

Same in my household

[@squiggly_lines]

*written ...we can assume you were not an officer....

[@wymans668]

@@squiggly_lines No. I was enlisted. Also I was not an English major.

[@JD987abc]

This episode is one of the best of star talk. Your guests were incredible in explaining how auto racing and physics are closely related.

[@tarmstrong9906]

I been away because of a family illness which sadly ended today. I still like to pop in and out and catch your alls show that teaches us the fascinating things about outer space. Always wonderful fun to sit in with you all.

[@aaronhendrickson450]

Dale Jr. Definitely knows how to work on the cars and what the parts do to each set up 🤣 he just didn't have to deal with it and he didn't go very far into detail. He knew what different shocks and springs meant back in the 80s

[@nobodysdifferent]

dude knows his way around an engine😈‼️

[@wev2344]

Neil having a current engineer and a driver for this kind of show is also great. You should get Larry Mac next time!

[@Lcngopher]

If she is talking about junior johnson when she says there is another junior, he actually passed away back in 2019. There is actually another junior still racing in nascar. Thats martin truex jr.

[@laurin4405]

I had thought of Jr Johnson when she said it too.. Been away from NASCAR a few years(just a fan, not participant), so I had not known of Junior Johnson's passing... Man was Eyeball-deep in the Sport🏁🚗🏁

[@jackson_68]

Ricky Stenhouse Jr also

[@Lcngopher]

@@jackson_68 forgot about him. And he won the 500 too. Im now disappointed in myself😔

[@jackson_68]

@@Lcngopher Now that I think on it more...Bubba Wallace might be a junior also (Darrell Walace Jr?)

[@ctcboater]

When I was a kid (in the 1950s), I remember hearing the Circle Track cars racing - at a track 4 miles away. This was not an open desert. It was a suburban neighborhood.

[@juansequeirabaquero1780]

What an amazing episode. Chucks explanation on sensory driving his motorcycle was brilliant!

[@andoletube]

Agreed. He's deceptively intelligent, even though he plays the fool a lot of the time.

[@chisquare5701]

@@andoletube I don't find anything deceptive about his intelligence. He's very quick-witted, and versed on an array of topics at a conversation level. He plays 'normal', but he's really a nerd. Just my take...

[@knightwolf1138]

Thank you so much Neil for covering this subject. I’m literally in tears because my love for physics has now become combined with fond memories of the times watching and attending Nascar with my late grandfather. Diandra- I just ordered your book! Thank you!!!! Thank you Chuck for providing the laments perspective!!! Gary’s perspective as someone who is new to sport was interesting as well! JR ❤ U are a legend! RIP Dale Sr.

[@RustyChapman]

Here comes a Mopar fan rant that goes back 60 years to the debut of the 426 Hemi; dominant in '64, banned in '65. A few years later, the Dodge Charger Daytona and Plymouth Superbird, once again dominant, restricted to running the Trans Am 5 liter small block engine. In the modern era, Dodge was banned from running the 3rd Gen Hemi, and the tail panel, above the rear bumper, was concave on the Dodge cars, 20 years ago. The air would 'barrel roll ' of the back of the race car; BANNED. I was a Nascar fan as a kid, and for those few years that Dodge competed, but when Dodge left, so did I.

[@flacko_jody2130]

Most fans know all the small details in nascar thats why they're fans. If you dont know whats going on you wont like it. Gary asked good questions

[@Bikebrh]

It's not just fans that are attracted to the danger, it's a lot of the drivers. My uncle raced for over 40 years in all kinds of racing disciplines from NASCAR, drag racing, drag racing on sand, IMSA and other forms of sports car racing. He would be the first to say that he has always had a lot of daredevil in him. Starting racing in 1965 or so he told my mother that he did not expect to live to old age, so the fact that he is now 76, healthy, and never having a day job because he's been running a fabrication business out of his garage ever since he dropped out of college in 1966 because he was making too much money is all a bonus to him. He's living his best life now, taking his 85 Countache that he resurrected from being wrecked to show winning condition to car shows, and is currently installing a Corvette motor into some sort of Micco aircraft.

[@jackson_68]

Uh huh

[@aarontalksculture4946]

I love when random things I like that are unconnected come together. I've been following Neil for several years and I'm a lifelong NASCAR fan. Dale Jr was my favorite driver. LOL😆 Also I've been watching Neil on VladTV. This is wild. This weed is tooooo good.

[@kylewagoner]

Yeah my thoughts exactly. Weird worlds colliding. Now if they started talking about their favorite bands and Pokémon games I’ll know I’m in a simulation.

[@rbee6507]

Hilarious. NASCAR doesn't get the respect it deserves, still, even from the U.S. sadly enough! Had no idea Neil was on Vlad btw, will have to check it out. Thanks for mentioning.

[@maxrupo]

Listening to you has been a serendipity of information and fun. Thanks a lot.

[@morbidmanmusic]

yes, but i bet they pump car sounds thru speakers in the stadium! Half or more of the event is the sound.

[@MajikBeard]

This is my favorite episode of any show ever….

[@clintonwoodby4763]

Did she really say JR doesn't know what type of spring should go in a racecar?😂

[@sethreid436]

I so appreciate this video. My dad was a lifelong Nascar fan and he brought me along. But Dr Diandra got me really interested when I found her vlog when she was embedded with Elliot Sadler's no. 19 team. JR is a gem for the sport and I’m glad you got to speak with him and gain some understanding of the world of racing

[@maschwab63]

How about a pressure relief valve core? You set the pressure you want and inflate to that level. If it goes over the set PSI it lets air out to the set tire pressure. And discard the valve with every tire.

[@67kemo]

That's actually a great idea. If I may, the one downside is that would create another point of failure on the tire. Sounds like it could work, though. We know how to create precision instruments, after all.

[@alexschneider2206]

Off road guys use tire deflator to air down to a set pressure just like your talking about but I've never heard of them being used while driving. I like the idea

[@Bikebrh]

That's very illegal in NASCAR. I think someone got busted for it last year, costing the team a bunch of money and getting the crew chief a lengthy suspension.

[@67kemo]

@@Bikebrh That's unfortunate. It seems to me, if everyone had them, it would level the playing field. I'm curious about safety concerns, though. Or, what caused them to omit them in the first place? Did they think their use could confer an advantage for certain drivers, somehow?

[@Bikebrh]

@@67kemo I think it's a difference in philosophy between NASCAR, and some other racing series like F1. F1 is all about the gadgets and tech, whereas NASCAR is purposely lower tech, partly to keep costs down, and partly to force the crew chief and pit crew to keep adjusting throughout the race based on the feedback the driver gives them. F1 is all about the car, the driver is almost secondary, NASCAR is about the driver. F1 tech is about making the car easier to drive, NASCAR rules are about making the car harder to drive. If everybody has those valve stems, it takes tire pressure off the table as something you must adjust.

[@Luger_9mm]

they need to be talking about the physics of sprint car racing i wanna see that conversation

[@madman2096]

Way to go Lord Nice, giving motorcycle input on how "seat of the pants" rules over looking at instruments.

[@dejanpetreski3872]

Great episode. Can you do Formula1 part too, that would be great.

[@olgaantoneli729]

Second that! How great would it be to have as a guest Adrian Newey or James Allison!

[@ChrisGuthrie]

Yall were mind blown with the cool engines making more horsepower, welcome to nitrous 101.... also, you don't use a torch to warm tires, you use tire warmers like MotoGP and F1.. and to add to this, check your tire pressures when the seasons change. Ambient temperature changes affect tire pressure, and thus tire longevity and performance.... last thing, chuck, for the bikes, always push the inside handlebar to lean into corners, never pull the outside

[@michaelhall2859]

Regarding the talk about nitrogen being used in tires. As a rule of thumb when using ambient air (with some variation for humidity of said air when tires are filled) air pressure will increase by 1 psi for every 10°F of temperature. If all tires built the same amount of heat this wouldn't be as much of an issue. However, that is not the case. Nitrogen alleviates this greatly if properly applied. That is one small fragment of the puzzle. Don't even get me started on calculating fuel consumption and it's affect on weight distribution and handling during the closing laps of a race.

[@stephencarter1442]

My two favorite people in one segment, Frickin Awesome you Two Rock!

[@maineiacial]

I remember how hard it was to adjust to watching an LCD screen display images so quietly after listening to the high pitched whine of a 90s tv. Im so glad so many of my friends survived

[@driftwood9705]

Magnetical particle, I’m wondering if that has something to do with the timing belt and setting the timing and skip !

[@flyingark173]

Wow I've never thought of ground effect in a lateral situation, but getting close to the outer wall is basically that

[@michaelxr2460]

It creates a cushion of air they can lean on to keep a higher momentum through the corner.

[@kyleurbanik1879]

Yeah Kyle Larson is always pretty fun to watch, he’s the master of running the wall. There’s a couple tracks he runs like inches from the wall it’s awesome.

[@aaronb7990]

There was a season that the teams found an area in the rear end hub tolerance that let them make the cars track with like a foot of yaw. It looked hilarious on the straight but was super fast on the 1/2 miles that they could use the wall air cushion 'lateral ground effect'.

[@d.e.7467]

Formula E (as in electric) is in its 9th season. The circuit is coming to Portland International Raceway in late June. I think it's the only appearance in the States.

[@gageguy]

I hope it's televised. Can't wait to see more acceleration in a Formula type race. And hearing only the aerodynamic noise of the cars will be interesting.

[@tinracing]

@@gageguy Formula e is always broadcasted

[@dfresh834]

As a cyclist, I completely understand what Jr. Is saying about sound. It is horribly dangerous to have a silent car approach from behind. I don't know it's there, and most drivers fail to understand right of way.

[@danielthoenen6045]

Amazing video. Get more experts like Dr. Diandra. She was, and I presume is, brilliant.

[@yqweqwun7390]

plss help. Why dont we rate energy of battery like joules. Volts as i understand tell us the pushing power that battery can exert on charge. Sowhy do we add Ampere hours if we already know pushing power?

[@Attila_Beregi]

interesting difference is that electric race cars will not lose weight over the race... i wonder if the full weight during the entire race will impact tire wear and tire tactics for example

[@danhanks2936]

About electric motor noise, it would not be technically hard to have an audio generator produce sound that would indicate motor load. Thanks Neil I love your show.

[@andypeiffer5]

Love seeing Jr. on here!

[@charlesminckler2978]

The silence of electric cars lets you hear stuff you couldn't hear before. Road noise, Wind noise, tires losing grip. A plague for EV manufacturers but can be used in racing.

[@kendrox0994]

The collab I didn’t think I’d ever get, NDT with Star Talk and Dale Jr. Can’t wait to watch this! Edit: That was an awesome podcast with a lot of different perspectives to view from. I’ll have to share this with the guys in the iracing league, as we’re all motorsports, and especially nascar, fanatics.

[@aojracing4885]

The thing is that in an electric car you might not listen to the engine as much, but you hear the tires more, so you calculate grip from that. People who do simracing esports (yes, videogames, same things) sometimes lower the engine volume and increase the tire volume in the game to understand the grip level. Maybe in an electric cars you'll have more sound data, should ask a Formula E driver.

[@CH46BattleFrog]

Chuck, try counter-steering instead of pulling on the handlebars when going into a turn (you press on the opposite handle to turn). The motorcycle will lean for you and your tires will have better traction. This would also be fun for Dr. Tyson to explain, since it sounds counter-intuitive.

[@jackson_68]

There is no “try counter-steering”…at anything other than very low speed it is how two-wheelers work.

[@crazyco95]

Regularly watch both shows. When Neil talked previously about wanting to talk with someone about NASCAR, I was secretly hoping that would be Dale Jr. I am ecstatic

[@sstrick500]

Wow! Dale Jr and NDG....two of my favorite people!

[@JJs_playground]

17:48 when NdT asks can you put a cooling thing in there, that's what an intercooler in turbocharged car does. And you can add injectors that spray water onto the intercooler which reduces air temperature even further giving you more horsepower.

[@AcuraChannel]

I have an Acura racing channel among other automotive things, and your channel was recommended for me to watch Dr Tyson...Nascar going Electric will be interesting for sure...but the batteries will have to be able to hold a charge for a long time, or lap times will be changed according to how long the batteries will last .

[@J.D.Mc.]

They could design a side panel where they show up to pit, open the panel, slide out the duffel bag sized battery, quickly slide a charged one in, close the panel and take off. I imagine with a proper design they could keep pit times about the same.

[@AcuraChannel]

@@J.D.Mc. Not a bad idea..

[@itsd0nk]

@@J.D.Mc. That’s exactly what I was gonna say. They could design them to be swapped to a fully charged battery faster than a tire change. Wouldn’t even change pit times if done right.

[@J.D.Mc.]

@@itsd0nk Right! Like swapping a battery for your remote or nose hair trimmer. Just pop open a pannel and battery slides out. Since the car gas no other luxury type features it could easily be done.

[@H3LLS4NG3L]

OR the new pit stops can include a battery exchange. It would be easy enough to design slide-in/clip-in modularized battery compartments

[@eddiecampbell3514]

Thinking about the comment he made about focusing on what's going on and also keeping the person's eyes on what's going on directly in front of them and it reminded me of my uncle's newer Corvette where he had all his information digitally displayed onto the windshield so he literally never really needed to take his eyes off of the road and could just focus on his tires grip according to his speed in the corning so he didn't just spin out like some newby with an old mustang with enough power and never drove on any rainy days anyways because I was with him and he punched the accelerator at 75 mph and the rear tires began to spin out some and he let off pretty quickly because it scared the crap outta him since it was all a fresh build to create more power and he had yet to test it until that dry sunny day..lol.. but yeah the heads up display onto the windshield has been out for quite a few years now.. my daughter is 13, so this was all before she was even born.

[@TucsonHippy]

As for using Nitrogen in tires the aviation industry has been doing that for decades. 2 reasons, 1st nitrogen doesnt expand as you increase altitude, otherwise a tire set to 90psi at sea level would probably pop at 41,000 feet. 2nd as Dale says nitrogen isnt affected by temperature as normal air is. I know on the U-2s I used to work -95 degrees at altitude would condense the air in the tire if normal air was used. Hence nitrogen in aircraft tires.

[@chada75]

32:00 ARCA currently is an extreme example. The teams set up the cars to "Crab Walk" with the Right Rear sticking out.

[@jackdurham7134]

4 things contribute to an engines cooling ability, exhaust (remove the hot air), oil (oil coolers), and of course coolant system, lastly surface area of hot parts and air moving over them (air cooled engines)

[@ryanacree]

The tools NASCAR uses is the setup, which includes stuff like camber (front and rear), shocks, springs, wedge, castor, weight, tire air pressures, and then the driver has brake bias...I mean, the drivers are weighed different times during the year, and then the remaining weight they can choose where to put it. Before this new car, it could be custom roll cage that would twist they way that wanted it, and before the COT, they could even hang the bodies on the frame just askew for better downforce or reduced drag where they wanted it. It is all about less drag on the straights and more front downforce in the turns. It is about balancing speed and tire wear.

[@j72ashley]

R2D2 does talk!!!! You have wounded my soul NDT!!!! Love ya guys!

[@R0bobb1e]

R2D2 absolutely spoke and had conversations! When I was little I used to understand what R2 was saying... hmmm, might make an appointment with my Doctor.

[@kclaptraffic]

I'm not speaking from a scientific background, I'm speaking from an experience background. I've spent hours in a dyno room and I can say with 100% certainty hot engines produce more power than cold engines. There is a reason a NASCAR engine will run north of 260° where a street engine will run around 200°. There is a significant increase in horsepower. The hotter you run an engine the more power it will produce, but the trick is to make it live at those high temperatures

[@jacobduncan2142]

This is a match up I never expected to see. Lmao. 😂

[@kenkubycheck3077]

I love the book "The Physics of NASCAR" there needs to be a second edition with the changes from "The Car of Tomorrow".

[@ksteinwand6744]

I've got a copy of that book from my time at NASCAR Technical Institute. It was required reading for a couple of the courses in that program. Absolutely fantastic, and I agree, there needs to be a more current and relevant edition. Principles are still the same, but the processes are different.

[@longjohn526]

Dale Jr has these great interviews of some of the old timers and the innovative ways they got around the rules to get an advantage. For instance you had to have a certain height so what they would do is put soft metal or a hard plastic in between the coils in the springs so they would meet the pre-race inspection height but as they got to racing and after a few laps the soft metal would compress or the plastic would break and fall out and lower the height and get them more grip. Another trick was to fill the tubes that made up the frames with lead buckshot to make weight and then leave a plug in a place that wouldn't be noticed but the driver could reach down and remove and and after a few laps the lead shot would fall out and lighten up the car.

[@brycecrousore1985]

Brilliant special! Really enjoyed the work you guys put into this.

[@michaelchartier4056]

Man all you were having a fun time great show

[@pittsky]

Neil, teams can use their own spring rates, tire pressures, shock settings (compression/rebound) , weight distribution etc etc etc..... The list goes on. There are big differences between the car's setup wise.

[@dchawk81]

Larry Mac, Mike Joy, and Clint Bowyer explain all this in the booth during every single race.

[@martinsorg2905]

Oil also cools the engine. Tyre noise is pretty substential. A nascar will still be way louder than a normal streetcar even if elecric. Heated nitrogen wont substantially heat a tyre because of the mass difference between tyre and the gas inside. A stockcar is pretty far from stock. The main challenge will be to do 500 miles electric.

[@eddiehill5895]

Can I get a list of the books on your bookshelf. I've read Cosmos by Carl Sagan but some of those other titles look interesting

[@Macgyver46]

Even small RC cars use all these physics to go fast too. I was just rebuilding my race buggy and making adjustments to its aerodynamics. Just wish the small tires lasted like full size versions.

[@JeffreyBrewer-hi3ty]

What a great show and topic, Dale Jr is more than just a race car driver, he is

[@JeffreyBrewer-hi3ty]

Jr is

[@JeffreyBrewer-hi3ty]

Jr is intelligence and noligable off the car's and engines and

[@FuzzyBelvedere]

A bit of an uncomfortable clash of my 2 worlds... you can be a NASCAR fan and have a deep understanding of science. Thank you for interviewing one of my favorite drivers and having Diandra key you guys in with the vast amount of physics and engineering involved into the sport.

[@uliwehner]

i think the question was if the majority of fans knows the physics, and do they care? Clearly the guys on the podcast cared enough to find out.

[@DeliveryMcGee]

Half the NASCAR rulebook is "Gaddammit, Smokey" -- Smokey Yunick was a mechanic/crew chief in the '60s-'70s who was a firm believer in the principle "It's only cheating if there's a rule banning it." NASCAR limited the size of the fuel tank, Smokey put an inflated basketball in an oversized gas tank for tech inspection so it'd only hold the regulation 22 gallons, and deflated it and pulled it out before the race. When he was eventually caught doing that and they started watching for it, he noticed the rules didn't say anything about the fuel *lines* , and so he used fuel lines the size of garden hoses rolled up in the doors, getting a couple of extra gallons. Legend has it the tech inspectors removed the gas tank for a closer look, and Smokey drove off and said "Okay, I'll come back and pick it up when you're done." The next season the fuel lines had to be a specific diameter and no longer than necessary. One time when it still had to be a car you could buy from a dealership, Smokey subtly tweaked a Chevelle for better aero (the legend is he built it 7/8 scale, but IRL he just did a lot of small things like a belly pan, lowered suspension, tightening up panel/wheelwell gaps, custom more-aerodynamic grille and bumpers, modified trunk lid, things like that). The clever thing was that he built two -- one to race, and one to park in the spectators' parking lot so that when he was called on it, he took the tech guys out to the parking lot and wandered around a bit before "randomly" finding this "random spectator's" "factory car". "See? It's a real car! Here's one some fan drove here!" And that's why they have the templates.

[@Sparco986]

Where did you get a wall clock?

[@kyleleonard6005]

This is the last guest I would have expected you to have on your star talk. Super cool. Collaboration!

[@Frogpie69]

what about an "in helmet UI"? The driver could use a see through visor technology, where in car controls while interacting with the electric vehicle utility interface just using their eyes?

[@Mr.Deleterious]

Long live the Earnhardt name and brand. Great interview NDT. 🏁🏎️🏎️🏎️

[@universeisundernoobligatio3283]

What's an Earnhardt is it a type of beer?

[@kiesha104]

My question would be ,do they monitor the thermal temperature of the track to match thier cars to???🤔🤔

[@ColoradoCarrolls]

Good stuff!, Dale Jr is great for these talking points. You know someone that has a lot of knowledge in "The grey area" is Ray Evernham and Chad Knaus. They could give some great insight on physics and how things they developed to win races far more often than the competition.

[@SwigerQ86]

Nascar is the craziest sport, ive ever witnessed live. I cant even explain the power, speeds, and close quarters racing

[@justanotherdmax]

Niel deGrass Tyson should talk with Lenny Reed from Dynamite Diesal an talk about how Diesal performance has changed the industry. That will blow your mind.

[@alokranjan2814]

In electric vehicle transmission will make a balance of control in F 1 racing cars on racing track and sounds like combustion engine will cover up by a additional divice.

[@montyharder3663]

A 'heads-up display" displays the information in front of the pilot/driver so that they have totake their eyes off the road.

[@montyharder3663]

That was supposed to say "DON'T" but it got lost somehow.

[@dalehilborn691]

Want a good example of building a car for aero turning left, look up what they called the twisted sister cars between 2002 and 2010

[@willracer1jz]

Awesome episode

[@colbylapresi5601]

Neil…. It is well known R2 speaks binary and the xwing translates to Luke. Give Chuck his due loll

[@itsd0nk]

True. Only C3PO understands R2 directly. He’s just Lassie to everyone else, unless he’s hooked up to an X-Wing, as far as all the original movies told us.

[@Eremon1]

I was always under the impression Luke had a very basic understanding of what R2 was saying. R2 definitely talked and had full on conversations, mostly with C3-P0 but even Luke had actual conversation with R2 on more than one occasion in the films.

[@itsd0nk]

@@Eremon1 Outside of having the X-Wing translator on screen, did he ever have a two way conversation with R2, ever? Outside of “good to see you too, R2”. I always interpreted it like he was talking to a well trained dog at best, and only having full conversations with a translator involved.

[@ryanbaker7404]

Let’s not forget that 3PO also speaks the binary language of moisture vaporators!

[@rbee6507]

@@Eremon1 Anakin did as well. You are correct. As did Obi Wan. As I understand it, it is intuited comprehension via the Force. Also implied by Leia being able to communicate with R2 directly, before she knew she was Force sensitive.

[@tiptoeurchin]

When Neil asked jr about the device that Sr refused to wear but almost certainly would have saved his life I couldn't help but hold my breath. That was interesting

[@terrencemarjoram9872]

People do learn in different ways. Thanks for recognising 😊

[@gastonneal724]

My first lesson in a physics class, was the cars have no velocity, only speed.

[@lorenblaine5275]

Could there be a "blow off valve" introduced? That would not allow overinflation after build, and I would think tire cooling back down to a point of underinflation would be much less likely. Fun fact: Valve stem caps on fast motorcycles are more important than fast cars, because due to the stem being pointed directly toward the center of rotation. Centrifugal force at high speed can actual "push down" the core (pin in the valve stem), allowing deflation.

[@michaelxr2460]

This is against the rules. Crew chiefs have done this kind of thing for at least 40 years. They had “modified” bleeder valves that would lose air, or tiny pin holes to bleed pressure. This is something they didn’t really get into much, but if you can think of it, they’ve probably already tried it 40 years ago and have several rules against it.

[@jasonmoyer]

Fuel injection was first used in aircraft, which then made its way into sportscar racing and F1, and then into street cars. Interestingly, Mercedes-Benz was not only using fuel injection in the 50's, they were also using direct injection, which is something that didn't really become popular until the past decade or so.

[@DE3rules]

This was a fantastic episode Neil. We’ll done.

[@BackToTheBassics33]

This conversation pretty much sums up movie "Days of Thunder". A skilled indy car driver from poor team jumps to NASCAR becasue the cars are all the same and the only difference is the driver. He struggled to drive well until he was able to comminucate to the crew cheif the right terminology to make changes to the car so it responded to his driving style better. Then he dominated.

[@TangoWolf09]

The biggest compliment a crew chief in NASCAR can ever receive is for NASCAR to declare that what they did the past week was 100% within the rules, and then to outlaw what they did the following week. Prime example: In the 1997 The Winston (All-Star Race) at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Crew Chief for Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham, engineered a car that optimized a bunch of different areas of the chassis/suspension and ended up winning. After the race, NASCAR deemed the car to be entirely legal, and then made rule changes prior to the following race which made the car (as it had run in The Winston) illegal for future events.

[@thebattery500]

Well it was a Hendrick car...lol.

[@Bob-of-Zoid]

I used to put chicken and a blend of spices in one tire, and potatoes, garlic, and butter in another and drive like a mad man for a good hour on the autobahn and slow roast them! YUM!😋It wasn't easy with the unmounting and mounting them, but man did it make a great meal!😜

[@Coolbreeze0988]

Most of us watching understand the physics! Nascar is what led me to love this show. Such a fun crossover!

[@MrRebound68]

At 1:10 you had me wondering for a short moment what "condensed metaphysics" might be ...

[@ryanacree]

They do use air and blowers to blow on the bead of the tire and also brakes to cool the brake rotors. Air cooled engines are not as efficient as water cooled engines and NASCAR does limit the size of the radiators because of this reason. They also mandate how air is brought into the engine so there are no cold air intakes or air accelerators (turbo, superchargers, etc.).

[@kickstart3179]

This is the most I’ve seen Neil genuine and no ego

[@LordMustangGT93]

You got one thing wrong, most of automotive design came from wwII air plane engines. Fuel injection was first used on the bf109 German fighter. More specifically, the dB 600 series engine.

[@chisquare5701]

Good episode indeed! Not all us motor sports enthusiasts like crashes, though. I'd much, much rather see everyone finish the race, watching for competition and high level driving technique. Crashes suck, even if the person walks away unscathed. Show us some good overtakes!

[@Kenadams240]

Thank you for doing an episode with Dale Jr

[@williamharrolle8349]

With vehicle catching fire from an average bump i don't see it happening because of the possibility of cars catching fire and no way to put it out until its ready to go out.

[@Eagleracer38x]

Dude, NASCAR kept the same carburetor and suspension for close to 40 to 50 years after IndyCar and F1 went to fuel injection...

[@williamfanning9664]

That will really scew NASCAR up.

[@chadnoakes5146]

Great segment

[@michaelccopelandsr7120]

Neil and Chuck for 2024