For those who have no interest in pushrod engines in racing, their criticism of categories such as NASCAR, and the engines used, revolves around a perceived lack of technology. The regulations for the Sprint Cup series in certain areas don't help dispel this perception, mandating flat-faced lifters to be used in bespoke race engines when all modern pushrod production engines have turned to using roller lifters. In racing too, where choice of roller type isn't restricted, the flat...
Garrett Jacobson Motorsports in Northridge, California, is a full service engine-building 'shop that is in the midst of constructing a former Roush Yates Engines Ford C-3 V8 for use in its regional K&N Series NASCAR West series on the West Coast of the US. The K&N Series travels to circuits around the coastal area and, like many in the NASCAR regional fold, accepts both 'spec' (crate) and 'open' engines for competition. In trying to lead competitors to the crate...
In designing a new race engine, or developing an existing one, the management of heat in poppet valves - and the transfer of heat from them - is only one small aspect, but it has an effect on performance and reliability. The subject of hollow poppet valves that are cooled internally through the use of sodium or a similar material has been discussed previously, both in Race Engine Technology magazine and in my RET-Monitor articles. The aim here is to transfer heat from the valve head to the...