What Is A Nascar Car’S Greenhouse Area?

In NASCAR, the greenhouse refers to the uppermost part of a race car, where the driver’s cockpit is located. This section consists of the windshield, rear and side windows, and the roof. A greenhouse violation in Nascar refers to any infraction of the greenhouse rule, which regulates the aerodynamics of a race car’s rear window. Nascar has strict rules and a car features a shorter greenhouse, shortened deck lid, and widened track width, as well as 18″ forged aluminum wheels and wider tires.

The alleged violation comes from a modification to the “greenhouse area” of the car, which consists of the roof and front and rear windows. NASCAR gave automakers the latitude to stylize the greenhouse to look like the production cars upon which these race cars are based, such as the Chevrolet Camaro, Ford Mustang, or Ford Mustang. The greenhouse area has been revamped to bring the proportions of the car more in line with production machines.

The Gen 6 was designed around a sedan greenhouse profile, which at the time was more relevant to the manufacturers’ vehicle mix. The larger greenhouse area increases the cockpit area anywhere from 1-to-3 inches in the roof area and up to 4 inches in the length measured. A sleek new design has lowered the greenhouse, shortened the deck lid, and widened the track width of the car, giving it more of a coupe look.

The greenhouse assembly is a piece that is shared among all the cars and is built with driver safety and comfort in mind. Switching from a spoiler to a rear wing has proven to be more than just an aesthetic change as NASCAR teams are still learning to adjust.