{"id":6758,"date":"2023-03-28T05:19:53","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T05:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/?p=6758"},"modified":"2023-03-28T05:25:29","modified_gmt":"2023-03-28T05:25:29","slug":"do-nascar-race-cars-use-mufflers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/do-nascar-race-cars-use-mufflers\/","title":{"rendered":"Do NASCAR Race Cars Use Mufflers?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of the principal things that attracts people to NASCAR races is the \u201caudio\u201d experience. The sound of dozens of V8 stock cars roaring around the racetrack is what a lot of people say the sport is all about. Ever since 2017, however, there has been a proposal in the air to make NASCAR quieter, both for the health and safety of the fans who attend the races in person<\/strong>, and for the surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most obvious piece of equipment that would help quieten a NASCAR race is a muffler — the clue is in the name — an item that regular street cars are required to have by law, but that NASCAR vehicles do not.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, in their efforts to reduce the overall number of decibels produced, has NASCAR yielded and started using mufflers? We\u2019ll explore the answer to that here<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Does NASCAR Use Mufflers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In general, NASCAR vehicles do not use mufflers,<\/strong> but NASCAR has been testing them recently in two of their larger city races, namely Chicago and Los Angeles. Despite the first proposals for mufflers emerging in 2017, it has taken this long for mufflers to actually be applied to real races<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main reason NASCAR has resisted mufflers has been opposition from fans who loudly and proudly declare that the deafening noise is all part of the track experience,<\/strong> and that this shouldn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in late January of 2023, NASCAR tested the mufflers before they would be applied in Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles<\/a> on February 5, 2023.<\/strong> There was a lot of speculation about how it would impact the race, with some die-hard fans continuing to declare that it was heresy to even add this equipment to the new seventh-generation cars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, the more modular nature of the car build allows for this modification to be made with minimum fuss.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Nascar<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/a>Did Mufflers Ruin the NASCAR Race at the LA Coliseum in 2023?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, what was the result of adding mufflers to Clash? Did thousands of appalled fans riot and tear up the temporary track? Actually, no. The race was hailed as a great success, and the mufflers seemingly didn\u2019t negatively impact people\u2019s overall experience of the race. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, NASCAR officials were fairly confident in their implementation of the mufflers in LA<\/strong> because they had been thoroughly tested with 6 different drivers at Phoenix Raceway the week before, as we touched on above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brad Keselowski was one of the test drivers at Phoenix, and he said that: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe whole muffler package was pretty good\u2026It seemed to make the cars actually sound a little better without kind of neutering them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that the mufflers being used by NASCAR aren\u2019t going to dramatically muffle anything. A next-gen NASCAR vehicle positioned about 100 feet from you produces the equivalent noise in your ear as a human shouting at you from just 1 inch away, something in the region of 110-112dB. <\/strong>we have an article on how loud a NASCAR race can be <\/a><\/strong>here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mufflers used by NASCAR are only going to reduce that noise level by anywhere between 6 and 10dB<\/strong>. Let\u2019s be generous and say they reduce it by 10dB, then you still have a noise level at around 100-102dB, which is only safe for the human ear to be exposed to for about 2 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASCAR events are typically longer than 2 hours, and feature all kinds of noises, so protective ear plugs would still be absolutely necessary with the mufflers in place. <\/strong>We have an article on the best ear protection for NASCARS races<\/a><\/strong> ( and anywhere else actually) here on the site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The experience in LA seems to show, however, that at least in the fundamental sense that some fans were concerned about, mufflers have done nothing to detract from the race day experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"mufflers<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Could Mufflers Cause Any Other Problems in NASCAR?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Excess Heat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Besides fan complaints, there is another area of concern regarding mufflers and their impact on the cars, and that\u2019s to do with heat in the cabin.<\/strong> Installation of the mufflers requires the exhaust pipes to be extended, which some feared would add undue heat to an already hot and uncomfortable cabin for the drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christopher Bell was among those testing the mufflers at the Phoenix Raceway, and he did confirm that inclusions of the mufflers raised heat in the cabin. A tweet featuring Christopher Bell on January 26th confirmed:<\/strong>

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\u201cChristopher Bell said the mufflers increased heat inside the car and that will continue to need to be worked on\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Christopher Bell said the mufflers increased heat inside the car and that will continue to need to be worked on. He was happy with the last aero package tested of the 2-inch spoiler and other changes underneath the car. pic.twitter.com\/9l49RHPB6p<\/a><\/p>— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 26, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>