Next week, NASCAR will make history by hosting its inaugural race on an active military base, with Shane van Ginsbergen emerging as the clear frontrunner. The event will take place on a street course located at the Navy Base Coronado, and van Ginsbergen has proven his prowess by securing victories in six out of the last seven races on street or road circuits; the only race he didn't win saw him finish in second place.
However, even as a dominant figure in street racing, van Ginsbergen is constantly searching for advantages.
"The cars are very similar, so every little detail counts," he explains. "Finding those slight improvements in our setup can make a difference."
One innovation that van Ginsbergen and his team are enthusiastic about is a new technology that utilizes artificial intelligence.
“We're thrilled to be integrating AI into NASCAR right now,” says Don McGuire, Chief Marketing Officer at Qualcomm.
This technology, referred to as Dragonwing, is a cutting-edge AI system developed by Qualcomm. The distinguished San Diego technology firm has teamed up with Trackhouse Racing to elevate their racing performance with a tool that's unprecedented in NASCAR.
“What it does is provide real-time performance insights through AI without needing cloud access,” McGuire notes. “It's an on-premise device, meaning that data is collected at the source and processed immediately, allowing the team to analyze insights and apply them directly during the race.”
Equipped with a network of sensors on the car and leveraging existing NASCAR data resources, Dragonwing can gather extensive data and transmit it to the Trackhouse crew chiefs throughout the race. The engineering team at Trackhouse is already crafting methods to assess competitor performance, including predictive models that inform drivers about the prime moments to overtake opponents.
“Some of the applications our team developed were beyond our expectations, and it's fantastic to witness our customers and partners innovating around our technology,” McGuire adds.
As van Ginsbergen prepares for the race in San Diego, he will also be joined by a new teammate, Kevin Magnussen, who is set to make his NASCAR debut after a successful career in Formula 1, further enhancing their data-gathering efforts.
For Qualcomm, the advancements in stock car racing technology will impact AI applications across various platforms.
“Real-time AI processing is becoming increasingly prevalent in everyday devices,” McGuire remarks. “This AI device is uniquely powerful, allowing for the analysis of far more data than typical wearable tech like smart glasses or smartphones. Enhancing performance analytics on the racetrack demands significant computational capacity.”
In a fitting twist, this sophisticated, cloud-less refinement process is taking place in San Diego, a city known for its innovative spirit.
To learn more about Qualcomm's Dragonwing technology, additional details can be found here.
