Chevy, IBM offer NASCAR, Indy drivers head start
The Weather Company, an IBM business, has partnered with Chevrolet Racing to integrate real-time weather data during a race.
They are using the data to help teams better predict minute-by-minute weather conditions before and during the race.
“Weather matters in business in particularly in NASCAR, which sanctions 1,200 races in a variety of different locations,” Weather Company marketing head Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek said Friday to FOX Business’ Dagen McDowell on “Mornings with Maria.”
“So you can be in Michigan … Florida, Texas Motor Speedway or here in Charlotte and so what we are doing is we are working with this Chevy team to integrate critical weather intelligence.”
It also goes beyond precipitation, she added. The data can also be used, for example, to help tire managers prepare for changes in track temperature and wind speed.
“It’s not just the data. They don’t care about a forecast. They care about what it means for the track,” she said. “If it’s going to be hotter, we know that that asphalt is going to be slicker, and therefore they are going to get less grip.”
They are also working with NASCAR and the race operations team, she said, to ensure fan safety and make sure operations run smoothly.