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| GLOSSARY
OF COMMON TERMS USED IN RACING |
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We've captured a list of common terms
you'll hear at a racing event:
- Arm Restraint
- Restraining straps to restrict arm movement.
- Ballast:
- A controlled amount of weight, functionally positioned,
used to help a car meet class weight requirements.
- Breakout:
- In handicap racing, means the contestant has run faster
(quicker) than his index or dial-in.
- CC:
- Cubic centimeter - a metric unit of volume measurement,
equal to approximately 0.061 cubic inch.
- CFM:
- Cubic feet per minute. A measure of volume.
- CID:
- Cubic inch displacement. A measure of volume.
- Camber:
- Tilting of the top of the wheels from the vertical.
When tilt is outward, camber is positive.
- Caster:
- Tilting of steering axis forward or backward to provide
directional steering ability. Positive caster recommended
for drag racing.
- Catch-Can:
- A container used to catch liquid overflow, preventing
spillage on race track. Also known as a catch-tank.
- Chromoly:
- Also Chrome Moly. Short for Chromium Molybdenum steel.
A very strong tubing highly adaptable for race cars.
- Chute:
- Short for parachute or drag chute. Used to assist
high speed braking.
- Competition Area:
- The staging lanes and race track surface.
- Dial-In:
- Elapsed-time selection which relates to the vehicle's
elapsed time. Having a car dialed-in generally means
the driver or crew is satisfied with the car's performance.
Generally, the meticulous adjustment of the machine
to the performance goal.
- Displacement:
- In an engine, the total volume of air/fuel mixture
an engine is theoretically capable of drawing into all
cylinders during one operating cycle.
- Driver's Suit:
- Generally, protective clothing made of fire-resistance
material.
- ET:
- Elapsed time. The total time it takes to go from starting
line to finish line.
- Eliminations:
- When cars are raced two at a time, resulting in one
winner and one loser "eliminated". Winner
continues to race in tournament-style competition.
- Ferrous:
- Containing iron, as in metals.
- Flash Shield:
- A device to encompass the air inlet of a carburetor's
sides, top and rear. To protect driver in case of engine
backfire.
- Foul Start:
- When a car leaves starting line before green light
starting signal.
- Fuel Check:
- A tech station used to inspect fuels to insure content
is within limits allowed for that particular class.
Analysis of fuel.
- Gusset:
- A reinforcement addition adding weblike or triangulation
reinforcement to car structure, usually welded in place.
- Halon:
- Special Freon Fire Extinguisher. Generally a 3% to
5% concentration will extinguish fire.
- Headers:
- Fine-tuned exhaust system routing exhaust from engine.
Replaces conventional exhaust manifolds.
- Hemi:
- Generally, an engine with a combustion chamber having
resemblance to a hemisphere or round ball, cut in half.
- Index:
- Elapsed time assigned by IHRA to allow various classes
to compete together with an equitable handicap starting
system.
- Inline:
- Cylinders in a single row, valve stems in a single
row.
- Lexan:
- A trade name of General Electric used for a durable
thermal resistant plastic material used where transparent
material is required (i.e., face plates, goggles, windows,
etc).
- MIG:
- Metal Inert Gas arc welding. Uses a continuous-feed
filler rod material pulled through the torch from a
roll of wire.
- Magnaflux:
- The process of using a special electromagnet and magnetic
powder to detect cracks in iron which may be invisible
to the naked eye.
- Methanol:
- Technically pure methyl alcohol CH3OH (toxic) produced
by synthesis.
- Minimum Weight:
- The lowest allowed weight for the vehicle in it's
class.
- Nomex:
- Trade name of DuPont, a fire-resistant fabric used
in the manufacture of protective clothing.
- OEM:
- Original Equipment Manufacturer.
- Permanent Numbers:
- Preassigned, registered competition numbers assigned
by IHRA.
- Planetary Transmission:
- Transmission in which the various gears revolve around
one another. Consists of a sun gear, and a carrier with
planet and ring gears. Also known as overdrive or underdrive.
- Protest:
- A complaint filed against a competitor, investigated
by officials.
- RPM:
- Revolutions Per Minute.
- Specific Gravity:
- The weight in Grams of Liter of liquid, divided by
1,000 with water having a weight of 1,000 at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit.
- Stock:
- As originally produced by O.E.M.
- Subframe:
- Utilized in construction of unibody vehicles when
a full front-to-rear frame is not used.
- Supercharger:
- Crank-driven air/fuel compressor (blower). Raises
atmospheric pressure in engine resulting in added horsepower.
- TIG:
- Tungsten inert Gas arc welding. Uses filler material
which is fed into the molten puddle from the side of
the torch by hand. Produces high quality, but very time-consuming
weld. Preferred for race car production.
- Wedge:
- An engine with a wedge combustion chamber, a combustion
chamber resembling a wedge in shape. Need not have intake
and exhaust valve stems parallel.
- Wheelie Bars:
- Used to prevent excessive front-wheel lift.
References: International
Hot Rod Association (IHRA)
and the National
Hot Rod Association (NHRA)
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