Descriptionary

pit crew the staff of mechanics who service a race car during a pit stop.

pits areas along the track where a team of mechan­ics repair and service each car during stops in a race.

pit stall the location of the pit crew and service sup­plies, where a pit stop takes place.

pit stop a stop in the pits during a race to have a car serviced, refueled, or repaired.

pole position the front inside position granted the driver with the best qualifying time. The most coveted starting position.

production car a stock car.

rail a dragster with the engine mounted in front of the rear wheels.

rally a long-distance race.

restrictor plate a metal plate mounted at an engine's intake to limit power, a safety feature required for many racers.

retaining wall the outside wall that prevents cars from accidentally running off the track or crashing into the grandstand.

reverse start a start in which the fastest qualifying cars are lined up last.

roll bar a hollow steel tube that prevents the roof of a car from collapsing on top of a driver in the event of a rollover.

roll cage a network of roll bars for increased pro­tection of the driver during a crash and rollover.

shoes racing tires.

short track a track that is less than a mile long.

shutdown to defeat a competitor in a drag race.

shutdown strip the end of the racing strip where dragsters slow down and stop.

slicks smooth, treadless tires.

slingshot a passing method in which the trailing car pulls out of the draft of the leader, which produces a vacuum that pulls the lead car back.

slipstream the vacuum created behind a fast-moving car.

spoiler an aerodynamic device for improving han­dling of the car at high speed.

sponsor any large company that pays a race team to advertise a product on their car or uniforms.

sprint car a single-seat race car having a wheelbase of at least 84 inches and a front engine producing 575 horsepower.

stage to align a drag racer at the starting line.

stock car a standard sedan modified for racing. Also known as a production car.

superspeedway a racetrack that is one to two miles long, or longer.

T-bone to crash into another car broadside or to run straight on into a retaining wall.

tire tether Kevlar straps that prevent tires from fly­ing off and injuring someone during a crash.

tri-oval a racetrack in the configuration of an oval with a hump, or fifth turn.

weight jacking adjusting the weight of a car to give more traction to one side or the other.

baseball

AAA the principal minor league from which the major league draws players.

abbreviations box score and scorecard abbrevia­tions include some of the following:

A

assist

AB

at bat

AL

active list, American League

B

bunt

BA

batting average

BB

base on balls/walks

BK

balk

CG

complete game

CS

caught stealing

DH

designated hitter, doubleheader

DL

disabled list

DP

double play

E

error

ER

earned run

ERA

earned run average

F

foul out

FC

fielder's choice

FO

force out

FP

fielding percentage

G

game

GS

games started

H hit

HB

hit batter

HR

home run

IP

innings pitched

IW

intentional walk

K

strikeout

KC

strikeout, called

KS

strikeout, swinging

LOB

left on base

LP

losing pitcher

OF

outfield

PB

passed ball

PO

put out

R

run

RBI

runs batted in

S

sacrifice

SB

stolen base

SF

sacrifice fly

SHO

shutout

SO

strikeout

SS

shortstop

T

total time of game

2B

double

3B

triple

TP

triple play

WP

wild pitch, winning pitcher

aboard

on base; as in "two men abo;

ace

a team's best pitcher.

air it out to hit a ball deep into the outfield or over the wall for a home run.

alive a pitch that appears to rise or move on its own accord.

alleys the open areas between the center fielder and the left fielder and the center fielder and the right fielder.

Annie Oakley a free pass to a game.

apple old slang term for the baseball.

around the horn describing a double play in which the ball is fielded by the third baseman, thrown to the second baseman for one out, and then thrown to the first baseman for the second out.

artillery a team's best batters.

Astroturf brand name of a type of artificial grass.

back-door slide intentionally sliding wide of the bag to avoid being tagged out and then quickly grab­bing the bat with the hand.

backstop the screen behind home plate that protects the spectators from being hit by foul balls.

bad-ball hitter a batter who tends to swing indis­criminately at pitches outside the strike zone and who either strikes out a lot or produces a lot of fly balls.

bad hop a hit or thrown ball that takes an unex­pected hop, making it difficult to field.

bag commonly used term for either first, second, or third base.

balk an illegal motion made by a pitcher with the intention of deceiving a base runner into starting a run for the next base.