How Junior Johnson Discovered the Art of Drafting in NASCAR

One of the most important tactics not only in the world of NASCAR and oval racing but the broader motorsports umbrella as a whole is a phenomenon called drafting. Often referred to as slipstreaming by the Europeans, the science behind the effect a car experiences when directly behind another one remains the same.

As a car drives down the track, one of the many forces it has to overcome to gain as well as maintain speed is moving the actual air out of its way. This force increases as speeds increase, with the car having to work much harder as it nears its top speed.

Back when NASCAR was still in its adolescent days, Junior Johnson became the first driver to manipulate this effect and take advantage. Realizing how a car closely following another one in front usually meant the both of them could go that slight bit faster, Johnson became one of the first drivers to understand how to use the air to his advantage.

Amplified by the fact that NASCAR still used relatively close to ‘stock’ cars during the 60s, the machines’ boxy designs further amplified the drafting effect. One of the many wins of his career, the victory during the 1960 Daytona 500 came courtesy of Johnson’s ability to understand this effect better than others.

“I’m sure that a lot of drivers had felt things with the air not knowing exactly what to do or how to use it, and then Junior taught them exactly what this was about. He didn’t talk a lot about it because this was an advantage he had at the time,” elaborated former driver Dale Jarrett looking back at the 1960 Daytona 500.

The subtle art of drafting, which was discovered by racers in the sixties, has evolved into what NASCAR is in current times. The sport has seen a build-up of the same effect and how to use it ever since, with plate racing becoming a byproduct of drafting in the sport, with amplified emphasis on how a car pierces its way through the air.

This, in turn, gave birth to pack racing, which sees almost the entirety of the field bunched together, following each other closely to gain an advantage by catching, you guessed it, the draft of the car in front.

The Next Gen era is also affected by this complex phenomenon, however, in a completely different way. In the modern day and age, the seventh-generation racecar is often criticized for its lack of drafting abilities, in turn making overtaking difficult for the following cars. Drivers are often seen using this effect to defend as well, with the term aero-blocking cropping up now and then.

This falls on the complete opposite spectrum of what Junior Johnson took advantage of back in the day. Confusing, isn’t it? Guess now we know why the industry requires engineers and aerodynamicists to get the best out of each car and driver today, something the racers from the sixties could hardly imagine at the time.