---
title: "Finally: NASCAR Engineer Performs Lightning McQueen Aero Analysis"
date: "2025-10-22"
modified: "2025-10-22"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew P. Collins"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-p-collins.md"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/finally-nascar-engineer-performs-lightning-mcqueen-aero-analysis"
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
---

# Finally: NASCAR Engineer Performs Lightning McQueen Aero Analysis

![CFD analysis of fictional Lightning McQueen car](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/McQueen-2.jpg>)
*\<em\>RFK Racing/Facebook\</em\>*

[RFK Racing](<https://nascar101.nascar.com/nascar-teams-rfk-racing/>), a storied outfit you might recognize as [Brad Keselowski](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/a-throwback-castrol-livery-was-brad-keselowskis-good-luck-charm-at-darlington.md>)'s [NASCAR](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/nascar>) team, decided to run an aerodynamic analysis of [Lightning McQueen from *Cars*](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/11221/disney-pixars-cars-isnt-actually-about-cars.md>). Now you can watch Seth Dillard, an Aerodynamics/CFD Engineer at RFK, break down [Lightning's aero viability](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/lightning-mcqueen-aero-analysis-part-2-now-you-can-play-with-the-3d-model-yourself.md>).

"CFD" stands for Computational Fluid Dynamics, which can refer to the study of any liquid or gas in motion. But in this context, it's an aero simulation, examining the movement of air across McQueen's body. With powerful computer processors, a technician can understand how aerodynamic a car will be at different speeds and in different conditions using math.

Dillard refers to McQueen's mouth as a point of "stagnation," which means air doesn't move there. But if McQueen were real, he'd be breathing through there (I don't think he has a nose?) so maybe opening his mouth actually creates an aero benefit.

I'm not sure what exactly inspired this—maybe somebody at Disney just leaked Lightning's specs? But safe to say, this has to be the first car Dillard's analyzed that has different aerodynamic properties depending on its facial expression.

And spoiler alert: McQueen might not be the sleekest machine in the *Cars* universe!

Here's the video:

As of Thursday, AirShaper (the software that made this analysis possible) has released the [3D model you're looking at here and another one, of McQueen's rival Jackson Storm](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/lightning-mcqueen-aero-analysis-part-2-now-you-can-play-with-the-3d-model-yourself.md>), for you to play with on your own computer (hit that link!).

When AirShaper's people realized how much fun people were having with this, they hosted a whole demo video that explains more about the software and the aero properties of the Pixar cars. Check that out right here:

https://youtu.be/8Cok69JQOFE

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## Author
As Executive Editor, Andrew touches everything on the site from daily news coverage to feature stories, sponsored content, product reviews, road testing vehicles, ecommerce, and more. He's held pretty much every role there is to have at an automotive news site and has been with The Drive's publisher Recurrent since 2020. Andrew's a lifetime gearhead and longtime writer with a particularly strong penchant for road trips, off-road adventures, and archaic vehicles. His passions outside of the automotive world include skiing, obsolete video games, and his dog Bramble who occationally helps review cars.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/andrewatlarge>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetercollins/>)