Race cars save energy by mimicking bird flight formations
Science
At speeds of two hundred miles per hour, NASCAR drivers form tight lines that allow them to slice through the air with the efficiency of migrating geese.
On the steep thirty-three degree banks of the Talladega Superspeedway, race cars behave more like a single organism than individual machines. By tucking their front bumpers just inches from the car ahead, drivers create a slipstream that reduces aerodynamic drag by fifty percent. This maneuver, known as drafting, allows the entire pack to move faster than any single car could on its own, mirroring the energy-saving V-formations used by birds.