You might have noticed flaps on the A-post of stock cars during the NASCAR race at Daytona this past weekend. Combined with the roof and hood flaps, they’re designed to keep the racecars from going airborne in crashes, something which multiplies the risk of injury.
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While some think all of the flaps, including those on the A-posts, look goofy, they’re designed for the extreme speeds achieved on superspeedways. After all, Daytona, Talladega, and other tracks have seen their fair share of scary incidents involving awful rollovers.
The issue is NASCAR stock cars are designed with aero elements that let the air slide underneath and over them rapidly as they’re driving forward. But in a crash, once a racecar goes sideways, those aerodynamic designs no longer function as intended, which can lead to the machine taking flight.
As a solution, NASCAR has been introducing elements to the stock cars which doesn’t allow air to flow over the top as quickly once they get sideways. Foils, like the A-post flaps, deploy automatically, slowing the flow of air so it in turn pushes on the top of the vehicle, forcing it back into contact with the track.
While roof flaps have exited for a long time, they were increased in size back in 2013 as rollover accidents became a growing concern. Last year, NASCAR added fabric to the flaps in an effort to create even more air resistance.
Those changes helped, but weren’t enough. Because an escape hatch is integrated into the roof, engineers have had to look elsewhere to slow down the flow of air over the stock cars.
While the latest addition are the A-post flaps, there are also roof air deflectors or “roof rails,” rear window air deflectors, rocker-box extension on the underside, and a diffuser flap.
The A-post flap is probably not the last safety design to keep cars from rolling at high speeds, but it is the latest innovation.
Image via NASCAR
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