Accurately tracking the weather can be the difference between winning
and losing in NHRA Championship drag racing, especially in the
Kurt Johnson andcrew chief Justin Belfance discuss race conditions prior to a run.
closely competed Pro Stock category where the cars rely on
a 500 cubic-inch naturally-aspirated engines for their source of power.
The amount of horsepower created by these engines on any given day, at
any exact location, or during any specific qualifying or eliminator
session, is incumbent on the ambient atmospheric conditions.
"We're constantly watching the weather," said Justin Belfance, crew
chief on the ACDelco Chevrolet driven by Kurt Johnson. "Other than
monitoring the track, that's how we tune our race car, and if you have
a good race track, everything else depends on the weather."
In a category where the difference at the finish line between two cars
running side by side at 210 mph is often measured in thousandths of a
second, any change in a variety of meteorological readings, however so
slight, can prompt a race team to make a number of adjustments in order
to effectively react to the new conditions.