How does a Nascar driver cheat by putting magnets on the gas pedal? <----- curious about the mechanics?

Question

How does a Nascar driver cheat by putting magnets on the gas pedal? <----- curious about the mechanics?

Answer 1

Placing a magnet on the back of the accelerator pedal prevents it from getting all the way to the floor. The fact that it is a magnet just makes it easier to install. Preventing the pedal from getting to the floor will limit the amount of power the engine will produce and doing this while the car is being tested on a dyno (used to measure the power that the engine will produce and deliver to the wheels) will make the engine appear to have less power. Remove the magnet before the race and astound people with how well you race around the track with (what they think is) less power than the other guys. Makes the driver look more skilled.