Joey Logano started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta from the back after the gloves he used in qualifying were deemed illegal. Logano’s modified left-hand glove featured webbing between the thumb and index finger, like a baseball glove. The effort was a desperate attempt to deflect air from coming into the car and creating drag during the crucial pair of laps. This wasn’t the first time a driver had used their own body as an aerodynamic device.
It’s commonplace in NASCAR for drivers to use their left hand to block air during qualifying runs on larger tracks. When single-car laps are completely flat-out, the marginal gains can have an impact. The passenger windows on NASCAR stock cars are covered with a plexiglass pane, while the driver-side window is open to the elements. The only partition is the window net meant to protect drivers from debris while still allowing quick escape after a crash. Drivers will press their hand either against the net or in the gap between the net and A-pillar.
Logano took this tiny trick to the extreme with his webbed glove, and his No. 22 Penske Ford Mustang finished second in qualifying. Just hours before the race, NASCAR penalized Logano by sending him to the back of the starting order and giving him a drive-through penalty. The glove was ruled to be no longer SFI-certified after the modification. NASCAR rules also require the fingers on a driver’s gloves not to be attached.
This ingenious cheat conjures memories of McLaren’s F-duct system from the 2010 F1 season. The British team included an internal duct system that fed air to the rear wing from the nose through the cockpit. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button could block the duct with their hand to stall the rear wing and increase straight-line speeds. The system was banned for the following season.
The penalty wouldn’t mean much after the crash-filled race allowed Logano to serve his penalty without any major setback. However, Logano himself would get collected in a wreck and finish five laps down in 28th place. Racing is one of the few sports where breaking the rules isn’t really frowned upon, but getting caught is, especially in NASCAR. Teams will do anything within reason to gain the upper hand on their competition.