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Modern NASCAR engines are based on a Chevy small-block design dating back almost 40 years. What is the stock displacement of the chevy small block used in NASCAR (before they slightly increase the size by over-boring the cylinders, that is)?

350 cubic inches. The 350 Chevy Small block is usually over-bored slightly to around 358 ci.

Winston Cup stock cars use what kind of fuel delivery system?

carburetion. 800cfm (cubic feet per minute) carburetors are used, despite the fact that production cars have used fuel injection for over 10 years!

NASCAR tires have a safety improvement that enables the driver to remain in control of the car when the tire loses air pressure. What is it?

inner liner. Ideally, if the main part of the tire starts to go flat or blows apart, the inner liner remains intact, giving the driver some grip at that corner of the car, and making it possible to drive around to the pits without destroying the suspension.

The windshield of a stock car isn't made of glass, but instead of a shatterproof substance. What is it?

Lexan. Lexan is super-strong, but is very easily scratched by rocks and debris. Race teams usually cover the windshield with strips of plastic that can be peeled off when they get dirty and protect the Lexan from being too scratched to see through.

Restrictor plates are used to slow down the race cars at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega. It works by restricting airflow through the engine. Where is it placed?

between the carburetor and the intake manifold. The plate sits between the carb and the manifold and restricts the flow of air and fuel into the engine; at high RPMs, the engine simply cannot get any more air and fuel and won't go any faster.

After Dale Earnhardt was killed in the 2001 Daytona 500, many different safety innovations were introduced. Among them were the HANS and Hutchens Devices; they are very similar in function. What do they do?

prevent neck injuries by helping to hold the head in place in a frontal impact. The HANS and Hutchens devices involve straps that hold onto the back of the helmet, preventing the head from snapping forward when the car hits the wall.

The restrictor plate was introduced at the end of the 1980s to slow down the cars, which were reaching incredible speeds on the large tracks. One driver that year, in the last official qualifying run at Talladega without a restrictor plate, set the NASCAR qualifying record of 212.809 mph. Who was that driver?

Bill Elliott. Speeds of that kind will never be seen from a stock car again; the cars are just too unstable at those kind of speeds to be safe.

Another safety device under development was announced by H.A. "Humpy" Wheeler, promoter of Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte. What did his engineers invent in 2001?

the Humpy Bumper. The Humpy Bumper is a polymer device that would replace part of the metal in the front of the car. It collapses under impact in such a way that the car slows less rapidly and still protects the driver's compartment from impacting the wall.

Who supplies all tires to Winston Cup teams?

Goodyear. Goodyear has supplied the tires for decades; every so often another manufacturer attempts to compete with Goodyear (most notably Bob Hoosier's operation in the 80s and early 90s). Usually this results in a tire war, which is dangerous because tires are constructed with respect for speed only, and not durability and safety.

An easy one: What kind of transmissions do Winston Cup stock cars use? (For the purposes of this question, I don't count "reverse" among the number of gears.)

4 speed manual. The 4 speed manual has been a staple of NASCAR for decades.