Auto Racing: Weight Distribution, fred puhn, track 0

Question
Hello,
What would the weight distribution (% front, % rear) be for a race car for the following:
-Talladega large tri-oval track
-Bristol small oval track
-0.533 mile long track
-2.66 mile long track

I also would like to know why the front/rear weight distribution is different for these tracks.
Thank you so much!
Jen

Answer
Well, it depends entirely on the individual car- - - and each one reacts a little differently.

Mostly a crew chief starts out with a front to rear distribution of 50/50  but the lateral distribution will have a bit of bias to the left, perhaps 55% left, and usually the rules dictate how much you can have. This is for stock cars racing on the oval tracks.  

Road racers, which is what I do, still need the 50/50 front to rear, but the lateral bias should also be balanced if possible. Sometimes we change spring rates on one corner or another, to gain a bit of grip in the most strategic corner, but it would depend entirely on the car and corner in that circumstance.

So you can see,  I've used up a half page or more here telling you that I don't have an answer for you . In actual fact, the answers come during actual track testing and practice sessions, and often times during the race, and sometimes never.

If you'd like to know more, look for the book "How To Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn .  Bookstores usually stock a copy or they can order it for you , it's about $16.00 in the US.

Best of lulck

Dan Liddy
Sarasota, Florida