Limpert Tech "SullyCast" on Radio 105.7 and iHeartRadio NASCAR and Unplugging

NASCAR invades Atlanta this weekend and that means new tech will be on display at the track. Both for drivers and fans.

There is racing everyday this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway leading up to Sunday's Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500.

For more information about the 2017 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Weekend or to purchase tickets today, contact the Atlanta Motor Speedway ticket office at (770) 946-4211, (877) 9-AMS-TIX or visit www.atlantamotorspeedway.com.

Have a listen to Rick and Sully:

1.  Ford

For 2017, Ford Performance will field seven Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series organizations featuring 13teams.

Driving Ford Fusions for the first time this year are Stewart-Haas Racing drivers Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick. Harvick won the series title in 2014 while Busch was the last Ford driver to win the series’ championship, in 2004 with what is now Roush Fenway Racing.

The Ford Performance Technical Support Center was up and running prior to the formation of the Ford Performance program – it opened in the summer of ’14 - and it has been an integral part of developing not only Ford’s racing efforts, but the company’s production vehicles as well.

Housed in Concord, N.C., the 33,000-square-foot building features a full-motion simulator that allows teams to ferret through various track-specific setups, obtain a better understanding of changes made to their race cars and be in position to fine tune those setups once they arrive at the track. It’s the next-best thing to being on track, and there’s never an issue with weather.

For drivers, use of the simulator has also helped shorten the learning curve for those going to a track for the first time, while helping others reacquaint themselves with different venues.
 

2. Repairs in the Pits

NASCAR will not allow teams to repair crash damage in the garage. Teams will get five minutes on pit road after the crash -- timed from when they hit the yellow line at pit road entry to when they exit pit road on pit-road exit -- to fix cars and will not be allowed to replace body panels or pieces.

Teams will be able to add supports, brackets, beat out fenders and body panels and use tape and Bondo to make repairs. If they can't get up to minimum speed without coming back down pit road once they have used their five minutes, they are done for the day.
 

3. Atlanta's Fan Experience Center

Also new to AMS in 2017, the Fan Experience Center will serve as the main hub for all things race weekend to enhance the at-track experience for fans attending the race. Beyond the wealth of information available for inquiring fans, the Fan Experience Center, located in the Fan Zone, will live up to its name with a full-size replica flag stand, an interactive 10-foot-tall banking display mimicking the angle of AMS’s 24-degree turns, a gallery of iconic moments in AMS history, and of course, an interactive selfie station.

4. Fans on Victory Lane on the Frontstretch

For the first time since Jeff Gordon scored his 85th career victory at AMS in 2011, fans will be able to experience the Victory Lane celebration up close and personal, as Sunday’s post-race festivities move back to the frontstretch in 2017. Once the checkered flag flies for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, the winning car and driver will return to the start/finish line, the new home for Sunday’s Victory Lane, where fans will be allowed onto the track surface to see and hear the celebration firsthand. Think of the social media hits!

 
5. A Mention of March 3-4 being... National Day of Unplugging, from sundown to sundown – a great movement to unplug for 24 hours and reconnect with people and the world around you. The value of offline discovery is largely what inspired the creation of the Screen Time app. Screen Time is an app parents can use... to monitor and regulate their kids online usage.
www.screentimelabs.com

When families download the app, which offers a free 14-day trial, Screen Time recommends starting with a family conversation about screen time, with the parent-child pact (attached). This gives kids insights into why offline discovery is important to their health and wellbeing, while also giving young people a chance to have input. Everyone gets on the same page, and everyone agrees to be subject to the same tech etiquette and household rules.