Owensville High School students in the advanced placement physics class were guests at the Kansas Speedway NASCAR Track on Sept. 4 and received a gold-star treatment in learning from racing professionals.

OHS students, faculty and chaperones received a VIP tour of the complex and a visit and conversation with track administrators in the Presidential Suite, and a view from the crow’s nest on top of the press box “where you can see for miles and miles,” according to their teacher, Kevin Lay. 

The trip included a visit to the media center and winner’s circle. Students also had the chance to sit in actual race cars.

“The Kansas Speedway team not only shared their thoughts on the science and engineering behind actually being a builder and mechanic — but the physics behind each and every aspect of the cars and track itself,” said Lay. “The discussion was fantastic and very informational. With this discussion, and their willingness to answer our questions, it became apparent that STEAM concepts are huge in the world of NASCAR, and incredibly important to the success of the teams, and the venue itself.”

Track officials taught OHS students about the varied angles of the track, and how the higher the track banks on a turn, the actual degree of banking changes.

“We were taught the true reasons for having a spoiler on a car — it’s not for looks,” Lay reported. “We learned about what it takes to market such a big event and ultimately what it takes to create and maintain these incredible machines.  We also learned that safety is paramount in racing, and the parallels of STEAM and physics education contributed to them taking the engineering design of students at a university and applying the concept of the crash-absorbing wall for the majority of NASCAR tracks around the nation.  We got to see this wall, first hand.”

They will also have the chance to see a live race when they return to Kansas for the Oct. 21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race.

“We will see it all be put together when we are their visitors for a second time,” said Lay. “We will have pre-race access to the vehicles getting inspected and getting them ready for the race. We will be watching the race from the stands as well.”

Their trip to the Kansas Speedway included a private tour on the track which included a lap around the facility.

“We stopped at turn one and began our awesome observations of how crazy the track inclines from the bottom to the top,” said Lay. “We were given permission to make measurements of the angle of the track.”

OHS students created an apparatus using meter sticks, formed into a triangular formation with a string hanging down from the center, to measure lengths where the string came to rest.

“With this data, we will return to our classrooms and calculate the angle in the track — each varied angle — and then apply that to our AP Physics curriculum,” said Lay. 

They will study coefficients of friction between tires and concrete and the reason why certain roads are banked at certain degrees.
 “It’s primarily for safety and knowing the limitation of the vehicle and speed allowances,” he noted.

The on-track learning experience follows what their advanced placement lessons in physics is designed to teach.

“This visit fit perfectly into an already rigorous curriculum that the AP Physics students follow, and is incredibly applicable to so many more parts of engineering and design that many of these students will encounter beyond high school — well into college and trade/tech schools,” he noted.
“It was an incredible and unique experience. I am so grateful that the students got the okay to do this, and see some physics be put to a practical use at the highest racing level.”