Sun & Shadow Modeling: NASCAR Sun Angle Diagram - Phoenix International Raceway

Blog Description - A collection of media articles and tweets highlighting 1) the dangers of sun glare while driving, 2) the issue of shadowing due to urban development, and 3) random fun sun facts.

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Cheers, Ralph Bouwmeester

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

NASCAR Sun Angle Diagram - Phoenix International Raceway

NASCAR Sprint Cup driver and six-time champion, Jimmie Johnson, told me via Twitter on October 25, 2014, that "The late stages at PIR are tough with the sun in your eyes."

JJ reply

Of course, I wanted to see how the sun angles look at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) so I prepared the diagram below to illustrate the case. The next race scheduled at PIR is on Sunday, November 9, 2014, beginning at 1:00 pm MST (3:00 ET) - this is the last race in the Eliminator Round and the last race before the Championship Race at Homestead-Miami on November 16th.

The diagram below shows the sun angles at PIR for the November 9th race.

Looks like Jimmie was absolutely right... was there ever any doubt??

Click diagram to enlarge.