re: Drag differential showing up.
Our timers measure the differential between the cars crossing the finish line to the thousandth of the second. I have seen dead heats where the timers read 0.000. Average speeds for most tracks are 24 -
28 MPH but races are determined by the time differential between the 2 cars in a heat, not by top speed. Races are run in a 2-phase lane- swap, wheel-swap format to ensure that the only factors are car and driver, not a faster lane or faster wheels. The total differential between the 2 phases is what determines the winner of the heat.While a single bolt head might not make a full 1/1000 of a difference,
2 bolt heads might. Or maybe 1 bolt head and an axle spindle out of alignment. Every little bit matters, and it's the sum of all the little things that you have to be concerned with. Trust me, if you know what you are looking for, you can see the differences between a well built car and one that was put together per the plans but without the attention to detail required.Let me give you another example: When the cars are inspected prior to the World Championship races in Akron OH, you will either get a fancy VIP sticker on the nose of your car (meaning your car was 100% legal) or a repair sticker that tells you what is wrong and how long you have to fix it. These repair stickers are your standard 1" x 3" mailing labels. Years ago, after you repaired the car, they removed the repair sticker while VIP stickers were left on as a "badge of honor".
One team took their VIP'd car to a wind tunnel and ran a test, at average speeds, and proved that the VIP sticker caused air turbulance at the front of the car. In essence, Akron was causing *harm* to the cars that were sent to Akron ready to race. Based on that test, they now leave the repair stickers on the cars also. Like I said, every little bit matters.