NASCAR: The Army's Unlikely Adviser

Now that every branch of the U.S. military sponsors a stock-car team, the armed services are looking to NASCAR for more than just a recruiting vehicle. Some of the techniques and equipment perfected on the tracks could easily benefit the Pentagon's trucks and aircraft. For starters, Carlson Technology, which advises teams on how to shave seconds off pit stops, and Roush Industries, which manages nine teams--including one sponsored by the Army National Guard--have shown the Army's National Automotive Center, near Detroit, how to reduce significantly the time it takes to change out the engine on a humvee. The Army could also...