‘Physics of NASCAR’ combines science and speed

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BY BARBARA RIXSTINE / For the Lincoln Journal Star

(“The Physics of NASCAR: How to Make Steel + Gas + Rubber  = Speed” by Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, Dutton, 265 pages, $25.95). Zoom, zoom, zoom.

If you know the names Earnhardt, Gordon (Jeff or Robbie) and Waltrip, you likely are familiar with the National Association for Sports Car Auto Racing.

 And you clearly are not alone.

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About 17 million people watched at least part of the Feb. 17 Daytona 500 race.

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Associate Professor of Physics Diandra Leslie-Pelecky, author of  “The Physics of NASCAR,” became a fan two years ago. Her book explains the physics of car racing in a way even I could comprehend and may be just what the new and even veteran fan needs to understand and appreciate the sport, its people and its fans.

“The best part of writing this book was all the great people I’ve met,” Leslie-Pelecky wrote in a recent e-mail. “As I say in the book, people who aren’t into NASCAR — and I was one of them two years ago — wonder what in the world could possibly be interesting about watching cars run in circles. You have to watch for a while and learn about the drivers. You pick a driver to follow because of his personality, or he’s from the same town you’re from, or he drives for a certain team. I got a chance to get to know the guys who work behind the scenes. You can’t watch how hard they work and not root for their cars.”

“The Physics of NASCAR” covers about everything from a(erodynamics) through m(etal) and p(edals) to z(ip) without talking down to the reader but still making the information plain.

For example, in explaining the metal used to build a race car, Leslie-Pelecky writes: “(It) has to be strong, but not so strong that you can’t bend or otherwise coerce it into the shapes you need to make the car. We have to balance ductility (how easy it is to shape a material without breaking it) and strength (how well a material retains its shape when pushed or pulled). These two characteristics are determined by how the atoms in the material are organized.“

Leslie-Pelecky said that targeting the audience for the book was a little difficult at first.

“NASCAR has its own language, just like physics has its own jargon,” she said. “When I first started watching television broadcasts, I felt a little like I suspect my students must feel. Loose? Tight? Lucky Dog? I was trying to write first for NASCAR fans but in a way that people who weren’t NASCAR fans could learn a science and a little about the sport. … I’m happy when someone tells me that they didn’t think they could possibly understand a book on physics but that they understood this one. There are plenty of books for people who already know they like science. I wanted to write a book for people who don’t know they like science — yet.”

Alas, Leslie-Pelecky is leaving UNL to become professor of physics at the University of Texas at Dallas in April.

Barbara Rixstine is a local freelance writer and voracious reader.