Editor's note: Dale Harrigle, chief engineer for Bridgestone America’s Motorsports and manager of race tire development, highlights what inspiration students might find at the racetrack in "The Engineers' Spin" -- a behind-the-scenes look at Firestone Racing's program from the perspective of the people that make the tires roll.
By now, I am sure that you have watched and/or read plenty about Juan Pablo Montoya’s Indy 500 victory, the dual races in Detroit, Scott Dixon’s drive to win the Firestone 600, Josef Newgarden’s triumph in Toronto and the thrilling race in Fontana, Calif.
The Firestone Firehawk race tires performed great in all of those races, and taken together those events demonstrate the incredible range of the Verizon IndyCar Series, its drivers and their Firestone tires. One week we would see drivers race into Turn 1 at Indianapolis or Texas in excess of 200 mph, and the next they were driving in the rain through 40 mph corners on the streets of Belle Isle or Toronto. No other race series (or race tire) in the world is called upon to perform under such a diverse set of conditions.
Later this year, perhaps we will revisit those events from an insider’s perspective, but I would like to talk a little bit about dads, going to the track and inspiration. My father was a huge car and race nut. I spent my youth going to car shows and racetracks. Chances are, if it had a motor, my dad was interested and if it could be raced, all the better.
Growing up in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, we had a plethora of short tracks, both dirt and pavement, within driving distance. My favorites were the short oval at Dorney Park and the dirt track in Reading. Nearly every weekend during the summer, we were at a racetrack somewhere. Many family, and extended family, vacations were spent either at the track or included a stop at a race.
As I got older, that passion for racing turned into a fascination for the math and science behind it all. What made one car faster than another? What are the fundamental principles behind the design of the car, the chassis and the engine? I have to admit, before starting at Bridgestone, I thought tires were made by pouring rubber into a mold and curing it. Oh, what little did I know.
When I needed to start thinking about what I was going to study in college, engineering was a natural choice. I liked math and science, and I really enjoyed working on nearly any mechanical thing my parents would let me get my hands on.
The point of this story is I encourage everyone to take your kids to the races. You never know where inspiration might strike. There are so many interesting things going on at the track that could capture their imagination. One might find the performance of the cars fascinating, while another might admire the work of the crews during a pit stop. There are literally people all around the racetrack doing skilled work; the engineers, the mechanics, the dedicated professionals on the safety team, the TV and radio crews, the flagman, corner workers, and the list goes on and on.
And we can’t forget the heroes of the show and, in my opinion, the most approachable professional athletes in all of sports – the drivers. Every race weekend, I see every driver interacting with fans. Whether it’s an autograph, a picture or just a smile and wave, the drivers in the Verizon IndyCar Series go above and beyond to make their young fans feel special.
So, if you are headed to the track this summer, I encourage you to bring some young fans along to enjoy a day at the races. You never know what might come from just a single day at the track.