Why dose Nascar use a Pace Car?

Question

Why dose Nascar use a Pace Car?

Answer 1

Its used for all the Jr Nation haters as another excuse for how he cheats to get a win, evidently...

Answer 2

All I know it was taken from the Indianapolis 500 who were the 1st to start using pace cars.

In all NASCAR series, if the caution is out for debris, accident, or inclement weather, the flagman will display the yellow caution flag and the pace car will pull out of the pits and turn on the yellow strobes on top and/or behind the car. One lap before a green flag, the pace car will shut off its lights to signal drivers that a green flag is coming.

Since NASCAR does not allow speedometers or electronic speed limiting devices, the pace car circles the track at pit road speed during the warm-up laps. This allows each driver to note the RPM at which pit road speed is maintained. Drivers exceeding that speed on pit road will be penalized, typically a "drive-through" or "stop and go" penalty, costing them valuable track position.

Since mid-2004, NASCAR official Brett Bodine has driven the vehicle during official race functions during Sprint Cup Series races. Other famous NASCAR pace car drivers include Robert "Buster" Auton and Elmo Langley.

The Beneficiary Rule (informally known as the"Lucky dog" rule) states once the safety car is deployed, the first car not on the lead lap will regain a lap. Initially, the free pass was deployed on the one lap to go signal, then on two laps to go signal, but after that controversy, the current rule was applied so the free pass car will regain his lap once pit road opens. Bodine will signal that car to pass him through radio contact between NASCAR and that team. The free pass car must pit with the lapped cars

Answer 3

To keep everybody in a semi organized lineup

Answer 4

Its because the cars the selves don't actually have speedometers or anything to tell them how fast their going... so the pace cars drive the correct speed and as long as your behind the pace car your going no more faster then the pace car so then your going the proper speed for a caution.

Answer 5

The two primary functions of the pace car are safety and scoring.

It picks up the leader and becomes a slow, safe reference point for positioning cars in as safe and orderly fashion as possible.

An example of reference point follows:

If a car is on the same lap as the leader but is in danger of being lapped, its possible for the pace car to enter the track in front of the tail ender while trying to pick up the leader.

In this instance it is perfectly legal to pass the pace car, indeed he is entitled to pass the pace car in order to guarantee he stay on the lead lap and regain all the track position he is entitled to under the rules of caution.

If he didn't pass the pace car and pitted with the leaders with whom he is entitled to pit, he could be passed in the pits and go down a lap.

If he stays out, he will restart in front of the leader but be scored tail end lead lap and probably go down a lap pretty quick anyway.

He can choose to pit with the lapped cars the next lap, in which case, nothing is guaranteed.

The pace car becomes a floating reference point for when the current lap ends and the next begins.

It’s up to the teams to understand and know their positions, relative to the pace car.

More definitive:

Caution comes out on lap 129 as the leader is approaching the start/finish line. As he crosses the line to take the yellow, the pace car comes out to pick him up.

The guy in 17th place is way back and still on lap 129, not having completed it. Lap 130 has already begun with the leader crossing the line. The pace car is also considered to be on lap 130.

The pace car enters the track in front of 17th place, lights flashing.

If 17th place does not pass the pace car, he will remain on lap 129 until he crosses the finish line beginning his lap 130. Meanwhile the leader is closing up coming around to complete lap 130 and begin lap 131.

The guy in 17th has to cross the start finish/line in front of the pace car because the pace car's relative position to his own determines which lap the guy in 17th is on.

Essentially the pace car becomes the momentary leader of the race and if 17th place does not pass him before the line, then by rule, scoring shows 17th has just been passed by the leader and is a lap down.

The rule against passing the pace car had always only been applied against drivers who may have tried to gain a lap they weren't entitled to. But only if they failed to let the pace car go by before the line and anybody else they may have passed while trying to pull a fast one.

Junior sure was slick the way he used the rule, forcing NASCAR to further consider what changes needed to be made for the future.

It now is and forever more will be required of the leader to maintain relative position to the pace car throughout the lap and not just at the line.

Conserving fuel still remains legal, although now a driver can no longer do everything that was once possible to save a little fuel.

It remains that all who are entitled to pass the pace car may do so, as they have always been doing.

Someday, that rule clarification is going to cost a driver a win and if their names are Vickers or Kenseth, I’m going to laugh. Hardily.

Much like I did when they exhibited their misunderstanding of the rules they race under.

Like they never passed a pace car, ever.

Unbelievable.

Answer 6

To keep everybody in a semi organized lineup.  They use them before the race to help the drivers gauge pit road speed.  The pace cars also lead the drivers around wrecks and debris, sometimes they will go down pit road while the workers are cleaning stuff off of the track.

3 STR8 N 08!!!