This year, more than 200 products in the 3M portfolio are being used throughout NASCAR.
The same abrasives, adhesives, tapes, sealants, paint products, cleaners, fillers and films that are used in NASCAR are the same 3M Automotive Aftermarket solutions that are used every day in many of today’s vehicles and collision repair shops. Crews also use tools such as the File Belt Sander, Dynamic Mixing System, Accuspray spray gun and Total Automotive Sanding System (pictured above) to add greater efficiency throughout every step.
The 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division has been a contingency sponsor in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series for nearly two decades. As an official partner, the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division collaborates with the NASCAR R&D Center to integrate 3M automotive products and solutions into the sport.
“3M products touch every part of a racecar,” says legendary crew chief Ray Evernham, who won three Cup Series championships with Jeff Gordon. “It doesn’t matter if it’s fabricating or fixing, painting or cleaning – without 3M, teams would struggle to build and race these cars at the same high level that they do today.”
From the time production starts on a NASCAR racecar, to the time it returns to the shop after a grueling race weekend, 3M products are a part of the entire process.
Car Construction and Fabrication
In NASCAR, cars are continually built and rebuilt. Some of the 3M products used for this include:
- 3M VHB tapes – High-strength bonding tapes and a proven alternative to screws, rivets, welds and other mechanical fasteners.
- 3M Scotch-Weld structural adhesives – For bonding steel and aluminum panels.
- 3M Cubitron II abrasives – Fast and efficient abrasives for metal grinding
- 3M welding and spark-deflection paper – Fire-retardant paper to protect areas of the car while welding.
Prep and Painting
Once the chassis is built and the body is hung, 3M products can be found cleaning up welds, filling gaps and imperfections, smoothing body filler and preparing the car for paint. They include:
- Flap discs – For cutting and polishing all metals, creating a uniform finish.
- Scotch-Brite pads – For scuffing before applying paint and primer.
- 3M Accuspray spray guns and 3M PPS Paint Preparation System – Efficient system for mixing/measuring, filtering and spraying of primer, sealer, base and clear coat.
- 3M purple finishing film Hookit discs – For removing paint, scratch refinement on bare metal, and shaping plastic filler.
Repair
Racing side-by-side at speeds of up to 200 mph, accidents are sometimes inevitable. 3M products used to help get the car back on the track quickly include:
- 3M Cubitron II cut-off wheels – Discs for cutting all metals.
- 3M Cubitron II Fibre discs – For removing paint, welding nuggets or surface imperfections.
- 3M Cubitron II Roloc discs – For removing paint, welding nuggets or surface imperfections.
Tools
Teams are able to take advantage of 3M’s tool lineup for car construction, finishing, repairs and rebuilding. These products include:
- 3M Roloc Disc Sander
- 3M Random Orbital Sander
- 3M File Belt Tool
- 3M Dynamic Mixing System
- 3M Accuspray System
- 3M Versaflo Painter’s Supplied-Air Respirator
For more information, call 1 (877) MMM-CARS, contact your local 3M distributor or 3M sales representative or visit the 3M website.
