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New "Drafting" For ESPN's NASCAR Coverage

NASCAR fans have long heard about "drafting" and how some drivers like the late Dale Earnhardt were so good they could "see the air." And as racing returns to ESPN, the network says it has developed technology that will allow fans to see it, too.

The channel is now enhancing its coverage with "Draft Track," a technique that lets viewers witness the airflow created by the race cars. They will see the air flowing over and behind cars changing as they pass, run side by side or line up nose to tail. "We continue to be fascinated with showing viewers things that you cannot see -- the line of scrimmage in football, the strike zone in baseball and the airflow in motorsports, especially relevant to NASCAR, known as drafting," says Jed Drake, ESPN senior vice president and executive producer.

"Draft Track brings to life for the viewer an element of NASCAR racing that has been a much-discussed, but unseen part of the sport for decades." The density, color and velocity of the airflow will show the effects of drafting on performance and how it varies with the behavior of the airflow.

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