NASCAR's engine of the future will be a no go for a few years...

[fastTa]

The proposed 325ci motor, that was supposed to be roughly 100 HP less at the crank than the current cup motors(760-780 RWHP), is being held off indefinitely. So that means the Dodge, Ford, and Chevy cup motors will still be using the 358ci motors for a while.

It will be interesting now to see if Toyota will push to get their current Craftsman Truck Series OHV motors into the cup cars. I've also heard rumors that Honda was working on a cup motor, but from what I've been told it's just a rumor. I think Honda is contractually bound with IRL anyway.

So I guess we will still see the SB2 headed 358ci motors in the Car of Tomorrow next year.

[94Z/28]

The proposed 325ci motor, that was supposed to be roughly 100 HP less at the crank than the current cup motors(760-780 RWHP), is being held off indefinitely. So that means the Dodge, Ford, and Chevy cup motors will still be using the 358ci motors for a while.


So I guess we will still see the SB2 headed 358ci motors in the Car of Tomorrow next year.

Thats good to hear, I hope the car of tomorrow gets held off indefinitely also.

Looks like Juan "Crash" Montoya will be in a cup car next year. I will be glad to see him out of F1.

[fastTa]

Yeah I think Chip Ganassi and JP will be good together in the Cup and Busch cars. JP has a ton to learn as absolutely nothing is the same from F1 to stock cars, but JP definitely has the talent to make it happen and it's not as if Chip and JP are strangers. JP proved to be a prety good driver in CART with Ganassi.

I think this is also a very good way for NASCAR to further spread it's fanbase to that of international proprtions much like IRL, CART, and F1. All of the F1, CART, and IRL guys have always sorta turned their nose down to NASCAR. Hopefully this JP "switchover" will give some new postive light on NASCAR in a more diverse fanbase.

NASCAR already has the biggest fanbase of any other sport in the USA, but hey why not make it even bigger.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Wow, this is the best news I've heard in a while
I'm very glad they'll be using the 358s for quite some time still.

Regarding JP, I think he may do well, but I wonder if it will take long or if he will become another Christian Fittipaldi or be doing what Paul Tracy is doing now. JP did show some good things when making the 24 car better after good adjustments on "Tradin Paint." But no traction control, no gobs of downforce, huge weight, etc. will definitely be a lot to adjust to.

[fastTa]

He is going to have to remember to shift at half the RPM's! LOL

I think the weight difference and handling is going to be the biggest learning curve. The F1 cars weigh right around 800 lbs w/o the driver. He's getting into a car that is 2600 lbs heavier with a fraction of the downforce! Not to mention the harder tires that Goodyear keeps coming out with for NASCAR.

And he won't be sitting in the middle of the car....man the list goes on. He does have some asphault modified experience though.

Here is something interesting I found:
http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/head...ers/index.html

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Yup, 1322 lbs with driver and fuel, ~800 without. Going to be like going from an F-18 to 747! Well, not that bad, but I know their brake systems alone cost upwards of $300,000. And those things idle at 7k RPM, so you've got an excellent point...make sure to shift!

Regarding the original topic, does NASCAR still have plans to reduce 100 hp? I sure hope not, but we all know the inevitable is coming sometime in the future.

[fastTa]

An interesting thing they really don't publicize about the F1 cars is that most of them actually weigh about 800 lbs, maybe 850, wet w/o driver. They actually have to add several hundred pounds of ballast just to meet the minimum 600 kg. But, I am fairly certain that the teams do this on purpose in order to have significant weight transfer control for setup.

Regarding the NASCAR HP levels, there is so much going on right now with NASCAR trying to make the cars safer and to slow them down just a little.

The Busch cars have been using roller motors for years now while the Cup cars are still using flat tappet motors. NASCAR is also talking about switching to unleaded gas for all cars in 2008. So, I guess the Cup cars could end up using a roller motor down the line somewhere to gain some extra HP should NASCAR decide on a smaller carb or smaller cubes.

If rumor is correct, and the OHV Toyota motors start to creep into the Cup cars next year, the Ford, Chevy, and Dodge motor builders better hit the drawing board.

Right now in the Cup series, the Dodge Motors seem to put down the biggest RWHP numbers in the after race NASCAR mandated tests. The Winston Salem Journal usually posts the results of the after race RWHP numbers of those teams chosen by NASCAR to visit the dyno. I've seen numbers upwards of 785 RWHP.

You and I talked that one time about the drivetrain losses in the Cup cars. Well I sent Ben at Roush and Kevin at Kroyer Racing Engines an email, and they both told me something very interesting that I did not know. .......they both said that the Cup cars only give up less than 5% through the drivetrain according to their engine to chassis dyno comparisons.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

You and I talked that one time about the drivetrain losses in the Cup cars. Well I sent Ben at Roush and Kevin at Kroyer Racing Engines an email, and they both told me something very interesting that I did not know. .......they both said that the Cup cars only give up less than 5% through the drivetrain according to their engine to chassis dyno comparisons.

Wow, you're kidding. That's an astonishing number. How do they pull that off? But that means they're only around 830 hp? I believe that figure, but it seems awfully low from what I've always assumed.

[fastTa]

Sorry, I meant to type a 9 instead of a 5. I suffer from that mind-getting-ahead-of your-fingers syndrome. Yes, they both said that both the engine dyno and chassis dyno comparsions were done in race day trim with the rear end cooler belt attached and everything.

But 9% is awesome considering they are using a 9" rear. I suppose all the gearing being straight-cut really does make a significant reduction in load bearing friction in the driveline.

So I would think they are more like 850-870 HP at the crank on race day.

[bigtow]

here is somthing i found that may intrest you
The man responsible for introducing Juan Pablo Montoya to Formula 1, Sir Frank Williams, has described the Colombian’s departure to NASCAR as a "return home" for him.

Disillusioned by Formula 1 and with few front-line options available, the 30-year-old McLaren driver has now committed to a multi-year deal to rejoin Chip Ganassi’s stable and compete in the NASCAR Nextel Cup – a series which puts a premium on racing.

[Al 96 Ram Air T/A]

Rumor has it...Danica Patrick is looking to come over next year as well.

[94Z/28]

The man responsible for introducing Juan Pablo Montoya to Formula 1, Sir Frank Williams, has described the Colombian’s departure to NASCAR as a "return home" for him.

I describe his departure from F1 as a lack of results. He had good equipment at Williams and even better at McLaren and hasnt done much. The things that come to mind when I think of JPM in F1 is 1) crashing Nico Rossberg two races ago(cant remember the track), 2) crashing half the field at this years US grand prix, and 3) spinning out on a warm up lap.

[fastTa]

Well Danica's current contract with Rahal Letterman Racing does supposedly expire at the end of this racing season, but the day Danica Patrick drives a stock car for a NASCAR team might be a tall order.

I know she has talked to Roush about the possibility, but she has openly admitted that she is very committed to the IRL. I think it is her father that is trying to convince her to make the switch and pushing to do so. She would take a significant paycut going to NASCAR, but I think the

Speaking of JP.....his last few years in F1 might not have been completely glamorous, but all his open wheel years before that were very successful. He dominated for many years in the Sudam 125 Karting, USA Barber Saab, and Formula N series. At 24, he was the youngest driver ever to win a CART championship.

I persoanlly think Montoya's style of drving will suit him just fine in NASCAR.