Side Drafting

Side drafting is a racing technique where a driver pulls their car alongside a competitor to disrupt the airflow around their vehicle, causing them to slow down and creating an opportunity to pass.

When race cars travel at high speeds, they move through the air in a very specific way. The air flows smoothly over and around the car's body, which helps the car stay stable and fast. This smooth airflow is sometimes called "clean air" by drivers and teams. Side drafting works by intentionally disturbing this clean air around a competitor's car.

Here's how it works: when you pull your car right up next to another car at high speed, the air between the two vehicles gets squeezed and disrupted. This disruption affects how both cars handle, but it affects the car being side-drafted more severely. The car on the receiving end typically loses grip at the rear wheels, making it feel unstable or "loose" in racing terms. When a car feels loose, the driver must slow down to regain control and prevent spinning out.

Meanwhile, the car performing the side draft often gets a small advantage. A vacuum effect created between the two cars can help pull the passing car forward slightly. It's important to note that the passing car doesn't actually speed up—instead, the other car slows down while the side-drafting car maintains its speed, creating a relative advantage.

This technique is most commonly seen in NASCAR racing, where cars compete in large packs at very close distances on oval tracks. Side drafting is particularly effective at speeds over 150 miles per hour, where aerodynamics play a crucial role in car performance. The technique requires exceptional precision and car control because drivers must position their cars extremely close to each other without making contact, which could cause a dangerous crash.

Timing is everything with side drafting. Drivers aim to disrupt the air flowing over specific parts of the competitor's car, particularly around the rear spoiler and into the wheel wells. By doing this at just the right moment, they can slow down their competitor enough to pull alongside or ahead. Once they've made the pass, skilled drivers will quickly steer away to prevent the other driver from using the same technique against them.

Some famous examples include Denny Hamlin's victory at the Daytona 500, where he used side drafting to pass Martin Truex Jr. in the final moments of the race. The technique has also been used successfully in other racing series, like when Cam Waters side-drafted his way to a Supercars race victory, gaining a 7 kilometer per hour advantage over Broc Feeney at the finish line.

While side drafting has technically always existed in racing, drivers only began using it strategically about 15 years ago when they fully understood its aerodynamic advantages. Today, it's considered an essential skill for any driver competing in high-speed pack racing, often described as playing "aerodynamic chess" at 200 miles per hour.