Auto racing technology accelerates

Video, computers and the Web are changing the auto racing experience for Iowa's drivers, promoters and fans

REGISTER SPOTLIGHT: TECHNOLOGY AND MOTORSPORTS

ROB GRAY
REGISTER STAFF WRITER


Cars roar, mouses click.

Iowa race tracks and drivers — from the deepest grassroots to the most high-profile levels — are increasingly finding ways to use technology to get the word out about their sport.

A growing number of racers, such as Joe Zadina of Corning, adorn their dirt cars with cameras in an effort to convey to sponsors, friends and the world - via Web sites such as YouTube - the experience of powering a stock car through Iowa's rich dirt.

"When you're sitting up in the grandstands, the view's a little different than when you're in a race car," said Zadina, who drives in the pro streets class at Adams County Speedway.

"I mounted a camera on my helmet to kind of show (car owner Ross Griffith) what it was like to be in the car."

Race tracks such as Knoxville Raceway have so embraced Internet technology that this year 40 percent of the 90,000-plus tickets sold for the Knoxville Nationals sprint-car gala were sold online.

Three years ago, that number sat at zero.

On the national stage, meanwhile, racing continues to climb the high-tech ladder.

NASCAR and the Indy Racing League offer live Webcasts of select events.

ESPN's coverage of NASCAR includes a "Draft Cam," a view that graphically illustrates how "clean" or "dirty" the air is for a car in a race.

The message for racetrack promoters and racers alike is clear: "Ignore these developments at your own peril," said Iowa Speedway vice president and general manager Craig Armstrong.

The rest of a long, but interesting article is here: Auto Racing Technology Accelerates - Des Moines Register