DIGITAL GRAPHICS
WRAPS
There are few differences between wrapping a vehicle for a NASCAR race and wrapping one
for your local dentist.
Last year, a few teams were even warned
about being too close to those tolerances.
And that brings up our first question on using wraps in NASCAR. Nick
Woodward works with Motorsports
Designs, one of the leading companies
that supply NASCAR racers with their
custom graphics. Motorsports Designs
have been supplying NASCAR teams with
graphics well before wraps became mainstream. When asked if there are any differences in the wraps used for high speed
racing and normal driving, the answer
was quite surprising.
“No differences in thickness of wraps
on race cars,” Woodward says. “We
use 2 mil vinyl with a 2 mil laminate.”
Woodward said they use 3M 180c- 10
V3 material with 8518 Gloss Laminate
the majority of the time. Even that gloss
lam is important because teams want
their race car bodies to be super slick to
reduce drag.
have wrapped cars and trucks that have
won races at Daytona and Martinsville.
So they have performed on big and small
tracks.”
But what about paint versus wrap? Is
there any of difference there to note?
“I do know a wrap weighs around
5. 5 to 8. 5 pounds, and paint can be 14. 5
pounds,” Woodward says. So while no research info on wraps would likely ever be
released by teams, most likely protecting
their speed secrets, painting the entire
exterior of the car could add up to an
additional six pounds.
When asked if anyone ever evaluated if any additional drag is created
by wraps, Woodward reinforced the
fact that teams don’t like to reveal that
information.
“I don’t know if the teams have or
not. This would be a question for a race
team.”
But that weight thing is bigger than
one would think. Yes, all the cars have
to make a minimum weight of 3,400
pounds, but believe it or not, saving
weight on paint can make for a better
handling car. While NASCAR dictates
what the cars have to weigh, they don’t
tell the teams where that weight has
to be. Basic race car handling is keep-
ing the weight lower than the center of
gravity and the centerline of the wheels.
They also want the weight where it will
do the most good from the front of the
car to the rear to offset the weight of
the engine. Teams build the cars lighter
than the posted weight and add blocks
of dense, lead-like material to special lo-
cations in the frame to balance out the
naturally heavy nose of the car because of
the engine. So not only is a wrap a con-
venience for teams in time and money
for appearance, but may offer a slight
performance factor as well.
HIGH-SPEED WRAPS
But what about any effects a wrap may
have on a car at high speeds? According
to Woodward, speed doesn’t matter. “We
THAT QUESTION OF SPEED
But there’s still that question of speed.
How can a wrap be applied and not come
undone at 200 mph—with or without
that sandblasting? Woodward explains
it’s all in the planning and layout.
