Driver Seating Position in NASCAR

[wnut]

Why do all the NASCAR drivers sit so close to the steering wheel?
It is as far away from the classic straight arm racing style as you can get with a steering wheel in the car!

Is it:

Weight distribution?
Steering effort required - huge - power steering absorbs power so minimal assistance offered?
Just plain driver preference?

[mountainstar]

On an oval at speed you need a lot of very minute steering movements, hence the big wheel.

[fieldodreams79]

It looks weird but they need to be able to "get up on that steering wheel" in the words of DW.

I think it's easier for them to get leverage on the wheel turning left constantly.

[IceMan_PJN]

I haven't actually went around analyzing the distance between race drivers and steering wheels in motorsports, but how many motorsport series actually have drivers with their arms straight out? I'm pretty sure that in F1 they're practically gnawing on the wheel.



And in IndyCar....


I know when I play Forza Motorsport I tend to pull the wheel closer to me; closer than how I'd drive my road car.

[R59]

You don't want the wheel at arms length in any formula!! Try it, see how far you can turn the wheel with your hands gripping at "a quarter to three". And see how much grunt you need to turn the wheel.
Now get yourself closer, elbows bent, probably to 60degrees, maybe nearer 90. Now turn that wheel, and see how much more "purchase" you have.
As MountainStar said - you also run a *big* wheel on an big fast oval (truck or bus, take your pick!) so you can feed small amounts of input to it. You can't wring the neck of a circle track car like you can a road course car, it'll bite you back hard and you'll be in the wall (probably backwards!). If you look at them running their Cup cars on a road course, they run smaller steering wheels - it helps with the opposite lock!

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by R59

You don't want the wheel at arms length in any formula!!

But it looks so coooool...according the street racers

[Axeman444]

Originally Posted by FIRE

But it looks so coooool...according the street racers

as long as you have forearms like Vin Diesel's

[wnut]

Contrast

[wnut]

With

http://www.columbian.com/photos/2011/mar/12/19614/


Don't be silly and push everything to literally worded extremes either.

Something has changed in the philosophy and it would be interesting to find out exactly what the logic is.

Thanks to those who have made an honest endeavour to help understand the change.

[wnut]

Originally Posted by IceMan_PJN

I haven't actually went around analyzing the distance between race drivers and steering wheels in motorsports, but how many motorsport series actually have drivers with their arms straight out? I'm pretty sure that in F1 they're practically gnawing on the wheel.



And in IndyCar....


I know when I play Forza Motorsport I tend to pull the wheel closer to me; closer than how I'd drive my road car.

Would have to agree as per this article about Vettel's seat

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=f1...9,r:6,s:0,i:92

[FIRE]

The NASCAR seat position looks more comfortable than F1.