NASCAR is synonymous with speed – from the cars on the track, to the crews on pit road, to officials in the garage. Technology innovation is another part of the sport that is moving fast.
“NASCAR is driven by innovation,” said Steve O’Donnell, Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer at NASCAR. “Through the years our sport has become a successful training ground for new and emerging technologies.”
NASCAR is showcasing its need for speed this weekend at the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where new software technology developed in collaboration with Microsoft has revolutionized the car inspection process.
Before each national series race, all cars go through a multi-step inspection process overseen by NASCAR Officials. The goal is to ensure the safety of the drivers and a competitive balance among the cars on the track. Until recently, the process was paper-based, which had created inefficiencies and limited data analysis. Documenting inspections took valuable time and Officials often had to walk great lengths to provide updates to supervisors and race control.
NASCAR teamed up with Microsoft to replace the manual process with an innovative Windows 8.1 Mobile Inspection Application running on Windows-compatible devices.
“We saw the need to carry this process into the future,” said Fred Prendergast, Vehicle Inspection Tools and Procedures Engineer at NASCAR. “This Windows-based application improves operational efficiency and empowers our Officials to be more productive. Now, a process that used to take five hours can be completed in half the time.”
The Mobile Inspection App also provides a dashboard view for Series Directors with real-time access to data. “With the dashboard in my office, I can monitor the progress of all 43 cars and the dynamic movements of what it takes to get ready for a race on race day,” said Richard Buck, Managing Director, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Data entered directly into the Windows 8.1 app is available to the Competition Committee and Research and Development staff for analysis. Historical data is also presented through the application so that Officials can see the inspection history of a car, identifying trends and ensuring that past infractions have been corrected.
Hear from NASCAR themselves about how the organization utilizes the app for each race.
The Mobile Inspection App also incorporates many functions such as scanning and reference documentation that used to require multiple devices or paper notebooks. Using the snap feature in Windows 8.1, Officials can simultaneously look at the inspection checklist and flip through a rulebook.
This new technology aligns with NASCAR’s commitment to sustainability and Green Innovation. NASCAR estimates the app will eliminate approximately 23,000 sheets of paper each race season.
Congratulations to the NASCAR team on a job well done with their Windows 8.1 app – we’ll see you at the finish line!
We look forward to an ongoing relationship with NASCAR as we begin the process of sharing our Windows 10 plans with our enterprise customers.
For more information about how Windows 8 can be useful to your business, please visit the Windows 8.1 for enterprise site. For an introduction to Windows 10 for business, please visit this Windows for Your Business blog. Learn how to design line of business (LOB) apps for Windows 8 here. Visit our Customer Stories page to see more examples of businesses that are using Windows 8 to improve employee and customer experiences.
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