Words! Words! Words!

On this date in 1948, NASCAR was founded. Contrary to the thinking of some, “NASCAR” is not how you say “Nice car” in Southernese. It’s short for National Association of Stock Car Racing. Let’s see how fast you can make it around the track in today’s vocabulary quiz.

1. gymkhana:

1. the air pressure on a race car that causes it to hold to the track;
2. a piece of a car body that hangs under the front grill of a race car, very close to the ground;
3. a timed contest for automobiles featuring a series of events designed to test driving skill;
4. the slope of a racetrack specifically at a curve or a corner.

2. beater:

1. the shell of a race car including the floorboard, interior and roll cage;
2. a dilapidated old automobile;
3. when two or more race cars run close together, sometimes nearly touching; 
4. a metal plate that sits between the engine area of a race car and where the driver sits.

3. Afterburner:

1. the last practice session held before a NASCAR race;
2. a metal plate that sits between the engine area of a race car and where the driver sits;
3. a device for burning or catalytically destroying unburned or partially burned carbon compounds in exhaust;
4. an undesirable condition of the race car.

4. coupe:

1. a 2-door automobile often seating only two persons;
2. a 2- or 4-door automobile seating four or more persons and usually having a permanent top;
3. an area just off a race track where the pit crews service race cars;
4. the front position in the start of a race.

5. catalytic converter:

1. an aluminum plate designed to reduce the flow of air and fuel into an engine's combustion chamber;
2. a key safety feature in NASCAR race cars, whereby flaps are placed on the roof of the car and pop up when the car is running backwards to keep the car on the ground;
3. a bar that is used to counteract any rolling force a race car encounters during turns;
4. an automobile exhaust-system component containing a catalyst that causes conversion of harmful gases (as carbon monoxide and un-combusted hydrocarbons) into mostly harmless products (such as water and carbon dioxide).

6. creeper:

1. the force exerted by air within a tire, expressed in pounds per square inch (psi);
2. a low, wheeled platform for supporting the body when working under an automobile;
3. a ball inside a socket that can turn and pivot in any direction;
4. a rotating shaft within a combustion engine that opens and closes the intake and exhaust valves in the engine.

7. bonnet:

1. layers of fabric within a tire that are woven in angles;
2. British: an automobile trunk;
3. a post extending from the roofline to the base of the window behind the driver’s head;
4. British: an automobile hood.

8. Denver boot:

1. a metal clamp that is locked onto one of the wheels of an automobile to immobilize it, especially until its owner pays accumulated parking fines;
2. the place where the winner of a NASCAR race goes to celebrate after winning a race;
3. the area of a tire that makes contact with the racing surface;
4. a term drivers use when referring to how their car is handling.

9. boot:

1. British: an automobile trunk;
2. the “stick” between two touching objects;
3. a valve in the wheel used to reduce air pressure in tires;
4. British: an automobile hood. 

10. Appian Way:

1. medieval road between Paris and Rome, constructed in the early 13th century;
2. the place where the winner of a NASCAR race goes to celebrate after winning a race;
3. ancient paved highway extending from Rome to the Adriatic;
4. the area along pit row that is designated for a particular team’s use during pit stops.

Click here for the answers!

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