Science: The Inspection Area
Food Lion Race Week
Inspection
Focus object or destination in the Hall:
Inspection area in Food Lion Race Week
Grade Level:
Lesson Objective:
Grades 4 - 5
Students will understand the NASCAR Inspection process, with a focus on
weight.
National Science Education Standards:
Content Standard B: As a result of their activities in grades 5 – 8, all
students should develop an understanding of: properties and changes of
properties in matter; motions and forces; and transfer of energy.
NCSCOS Objectives:
Science, Grade 5, Competency Goal 4:
The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technologies to
build an understanding of forces and motion in technological designs.
Objective 4.06: Build and use a model to solve a mechanical design
problem.
Science, Grade 7, Competency Goal 6:
The learner will conduct investigations, use models, simulations, and
appropriate technologies and information systems to build an
understanding of motion and forces.
Objective 6.05: Describe and measure quantities that characterize moving
objects and their interactions within a system: time, distance, mass, force,
velocity, center of mass and acceleration.
Vocabulary:
time, distance, speed, NASCAR Inspection Process, template
Materials/Supplies:
Stop watch or some type of timer, Pinewood Derby car or something
similar, various coins, sloped “track”
Pre-Visit Activity
Tell the students that they are going to learn about the NASCAR inspection process and how
the results of that process impact the race car and race outcomes. The NASCAR inspection
process is focused on different components of the car such as the car’s body, height, weight,
safety features, and more. There are as many as 15 different templates that are used to
measure each car and each car manufacturer – Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota – has eight
unique templates.
Today’s lesson will focus on the weight of the car and its impact on the speed of the car.
Here is a list of the NASCAR weight requirements:
 The minimum weight requirement for a car is 3,450 pounds and that includes the fuel,
oil, water, etc., but not the driver.
 The right side of the car must weigh a minimum of 1,700 pounds.
 The weight of the right front and left rear wheels must be between 44 – 55% of the total
car weight.
 The total rear weight of the left and right rear wheels must not exceed 50% of the car’s
minimum required weight.
What is the range, by pounds, of the weight of the right front and left rear wheels of a car that
weighs 3,275 pounds?
What is the maximum rear weight of the left and right rear wheels if the car weighs 3, 725
pounds?
Tell the students that the driver’s weight must be a minimum of 200 pounds or NASCAR will
add 10 pound increments to the total weight to bring it to the minimum of 200 pounds. So, if
a driver weighs 185 pounds, how much weight will be added to bring the total to the required
minimum of 200 pounds?
Ask the students to discuss why a car owner wants the car to weigh the least amount possible.
Ask students why NASCAR requires car owners and car drivers to meet minimum weight
requirements.
Visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame
The Inspection area in the NASCAR Hall of Fame contains NASCAR rule books, a car with a
template, a wall of illegal parts, and much more. Assign students into pairs or small groups to
gather information from this area. The assignments should be as follows:
 Discover the following information about NASCAR rule books:
o What is the earliest year that you see a rule book?
o What is the most recent year that you see a rule book?
o How have the rule books changed from earliest to latest based on what you can
see?
 Discover the following information about the illegal parts wall:
o What is illegal about the purple coil spring?
o What is illegal about the gas can?
o What is illegal about the Gatorade drink bag?
 Discover the following information about the templates:
o Examine the step gauge and its function.
o What manufacture templates are found in the Inspection area?
Post-Visit Activity
Ask students to share the information that they gathered in the Inspection area with the other
students. Discuss the reasons why they think that NASCAR has a rule book. List these reasons
on the board.
Next, take a Pinewood Derby car or something similar and weigh it. Then, begin to add weight
via various combinations of coins and their placement on the car. Place the car on a sloped
“track” and measure the times based on the various weight combinations created by the coins.
Note the times and discuss.