NASCAR Racing: Invincible Engines?, uaw ford 500, watkins glen new york

Question
Hi, I love nascar and watch whatever but unfortunately the full calender isnt televised in the uk! oh well, i was wondering; the engines run at 7-8000rpm for hours at a time, and ive never seen an engine blow! have they got diamond con-rods or something? how long do they actually last...? im sure the motors are rebuilt frequently, but is it every session, or every race, or season? thanks alot for your reply!

Answer
Hey Robert,

Actually, engines blow quite frequently, as personified by Dale Earnhardt Jr. (His engines blew up 6 times this year, which is why he did not make the finals.)  They are built specifically by the team.  They try not to run them longer than two or three races.  Most only get used one race per year for the more established teams.  Each engine is tuned for the track it is to be used at.  For example, the Talladega Superspeedway engine which can reach speeds up to 210 mph with the draft, would not work well at the Watkins Glen, New York road course where speeds only get up to 130mph tops.  So the talladega engine is only used at superspeedways (4 races per year, Daytona 500, Pepsi 400, EA sports 500, UAW-FORD 500) So each team has about 8 superspeedway engines ready to go.  One primary, one backup for each race.  However, if a car wins the race and has not stressed the engine by going over 9,500rpms and has not run a long time, they may use the same engine or car in the next race of the same type of track.  But most will not be used again until the next season.
Hope i helped answer your question.
Coy Jordan