NASCAR Rear Skew Causing Inspection Issues

NASCAR racecar rear skew is the measurement in question in terms of problems passing NASCAR inspection

The rear skew in NASCAR racecars still very much exists. It’s nothing like it was 10-15 years ago. These days, with laser inspections NASCAR is better at catching it.

Below we here from the NASCAR VP of competion, he discusses what exact problem teams are having when it comes to passing NASCAR inspections. The crew chief from last week’s winner, offers the alternative view.

In a prefect world, NASCAR would want these racecars perfectly straight, mirroring their real-word street car counterparts. They’ve been cracking down on this very thing for years. In the past, the skew reached a point where the right-rear hung out near a foot in comparison to the right-front. It looked odd, like the car was going sideways down the front straight-away.

Jimmie Johnson NASCAR Rear Skew
Jimmie Johnson at Kansas Speedway (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

It’s a hot topic now. On Friday, 12 cars didn’t turn a single lap in qualifying. 11 of them couldn’t get through NASCAR inspections in time to touch the track.

Missing qualifying at Kanas Speedway; Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Landon Cassill, David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson, Timmy Hill, Carl Long, Erik Jones, Corey Lajoie and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Related: NASCAR Inspection Penalties – The Process is Broken

Scott Miller senior VP of NASCAR competition, “We have a rear end spec and a tolerance that the rear end housing can be put in the car.”

Miller discusses what’s causing the issues, I think more often than not what we’re seeing when people struggle is their building the rear end housing to the tolerance. Then they have no room to actually move it around in the car to meet the numbers.”

What is NASCAR rear skew? It’s when the rear-end (rear-wheels) are literally mounted in skew to the chassis. It’s not straight.

If we were straight-line racing or even road course racing, you’d want it perfectly square. In NASCAR, cars go in circles. That skew significantly helps turn the rear end, at all times. When drivers reach the corner, they are able to hold the steering wheel straighter, less turning input. Which is fast.

Cole Pearn is the race-winning crew chief from last week at Kansas Speedway. He is the head setup manufacture for Martin Truex Jr. Below he speaks on getting through NASCAR inspections in 2017, when they are measuring 1000’s of an inch.

Cole Pearn talks NASCAR Racecar Rear Skew - NASCAR Inspections
Martin Truex Jr. at Kansas Speedway (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Cole Pearn spoke on Tradin’ Paint via Sirius XM NASCAR Radio to highlight the alternative viewpoint of NASCAR inspections. He stated, “You can say that we’re pushing it. But the windows are just extremely tight right now.”

He continued, “Even if you are giving yourself the room it’s still not a a lot. Because you’ll be over on the other stuff if you’re too conservative. It’s just a tough window and a tough box that everybody’s in.”

Speaking on Kansas Speedway’s qualifying blunder, “It’s just like Friday when all the sudden a lot of teams are fighting it. It seems a little fishy. It is what it is and it’s what we have to deal with.”

We are reaching a boiling point between NASCAR officials and NASCAR crew chiefs. I wouldn’t be surprised if a new rule was released after the All-Star race that basically completely removes any rear-skew.

Author: Shane Walters

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