Push Drafting

Push drafting is a motorsport technique where one race car makes gentle contact with the rear bumper of the car in front, pushing it forward to increase the speed of both vehicles by reducing air resistance.

This maneuver builds on the concept of drafting, also called slipstreaming. When a car moves at high speed, it pushes air out of the way, creating a pocket of low-pressure air behind it. A second car following closely can "hide" in this pocket, experiencing less wind resistance and using less energy to maintain the same speed. Push drafting takes this one step further by adding physical contact between the two cars.

When the trailing car bumps and pushes the lead car's rear bumper, it transfers momentum forward. This helps the lead car overcome air resistance more easily, while the trailing car continues to benefit from the reduced drag in the slipstream. The result is that both cars can achieve higher speeds than either could manage alone, sometimes gaining as much as 15-20 mph compared to a single car running by itself.

Push drafting is most commonly seen in NASCAR racing, particularly on superspeedway tracks like Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. These tracks feature long straightaways and high speeds where aerodynamics play a crucial role. The technique requires excellent coordination and trust between drivers, as they must maintain contact without causing either car to lose control.

The practice became popular in American stock car racing during the late 1980s and has since become a standard strategy in certain race conditions. Drivers often work together in pairs or small groups, taking turns pushing each other to conserve energy and maintain competitive speeds throughout a race.

However, push drafting comes with significant risks. If the push is too aggressive or mistimed, it can upset the balance of the lead car and cause it to spin out, potentially triggering multi-car accidents. The rear car also risks damaging its front end, while the lead car's rear bumper can sustain damage from repeated contact. These concerns have led NASCAR to implement rules restricting when and where push drafting is allowed, sometimes prohibiting it entirely in turns or certain track sections.

You won't see push drafting in Formula 1 or other open-wheel racing series. F1 cars have delicate front wings positioned very low to the ground that would be destroyed by any contact. These cars are designed to avoid touching each other entirely, as even minor contact can cause race-ending damage or dangerous accidents.

Understanding push drafting helps explain why NASCAR racing often features cars running in tight packs and why teamwork between drivers from the same team or manufacturer can be so important to success on certain tracks.