NASCAR Racing: Beach race cars, aerodynamic properties, race cars

Question
I never made it to a real beach race at Daytona. On almost all of the old black and white pictures of the cars, it looks like they have tape or something covering the front of the fenders and the front of the hood. Do you know what this was and what was the purpose? I assume it was to protect the paint but have never been sure as it looks like it would have been easier to repaint the front.

Answer
Hi Ken,

I don't specifically know what it was for, however it could have been for a few reasons.

One, like you said, it would protect the paint. Two, it would keep all the sand and dirt from getting into the engine and functioning parts of the car. Third, it might have allowed the air to give the car more grip, or some "so thought" aerodynamic properties.

Hope this helped
Coy Jordan