Racing in the computer age

NASCAR racecars may be 1950s technology, but the tools engineers use to keep their teams competitive from week to week are far more advanced.

With the competitiveness, challenging schedule, variety of tracks, and occasional last-minute rules changes, Winston Cup engineers need to stream-line their process, making the most of their time. They also need to be smart and consistent with their designs to remain atop of the sport. Therefore, engineers for Richard Childress Racing (RCR) have implemented several innovative software tools to improve design cycle time and repeatability. RCR uses Geomagic Studio 3.0 from Raindrop Geomagic to re-create cylinder heads in its engines and Parametric Technologies Corp.'s (PTC) Pro/ENGINEER for engine design work.

NASCAR's Winston Cup series continues to be one of the most competitive circuits in motorsports, featuring some of the top drivers in the industry. The series is so competitive that the difference between first and fifth in the 2000 final standings was only about 500 points.