Q: “I’ve been reading your book and I was wondering how much certain techniques, such as the ideal line through a corner and reducing steering angle with rotation and others, translate to NASCAR-type cars on ovals. I know that isn’t the kind of racing you did; however I do know you coached Colin Braun who did race in NASCAR for a bit so I was wondering if you could give me any guidance!”

A: The simple answer is it totally applies – all of it. Now, the ideal line in every corner is different, so I can’t say the line through turn 1 at Road America is the same as turn 1 on the Charlotte oval. But the concepts are equally important and valid. In almost all cases, reducing steering angle is a good thing. Reducing distance driven is also a factor to consider. Because the corners tend to be longer and faster on ovals, there is often less need to rotate the car, but it’s still used at times – especially on short ovals. And the idea of “diamonding” a corner really applies to ovals (and some long carousel corners on road courses).