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Gearing up for the race (Part 1 Ovals ):
The gearing set-up you choose for your car at any given track can affect your car in so many ways. Basically, gear ratios determine how many RPM's your engine turns, and thus how fast your car can go. For oval tracks, with the exception of pocono-you're really only concerned with fourth gear, since you don't change gears except for on the green flag.
- Short Tracks: at short tracks your concern should be more with quick acceleration off the corners, as opposed to pure speed at the end of the straightaways. On short tracks like Martinsville, you want the tach light to light up just as you begin to brake for the corner (at least on your fastest laps). If you are hitting 9000 RPMs while your taking it easy then you leave yourself no room to stand on the gas when you need to for fear of blowing the engine.
- One Milers: The same idea applies here, though straightaway speed is more of a concern here, so you have to balance the need for top-end speed versus the need for acceleration.
- One and a half and up: Here the balance between speed and acceleration leans more toward speed, especially at Talladega. Your car's engine generates more acceleration at 8000 RPMs than it does at 9000 RPMs. At superespeedways you don't want to limit your car by having it in the red on the straightaways because in the red 9000+ RPMs the car is no longer accelerating, thus causing you seconds at the end of each straightway. Your cars tach should approach 9000 rpms.
