Stupid question about drafting

[NickFalzone]

I was watching Dario's crash at MIS last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRCWjV5tnVQ

Question is this: can the car behind you in the draft affect the position of your car from side to side? What I see is Danica slowly moving down just before the crash. It looked to me like Darios car was affected by her change in position, but obviously, I may completely misunderstand how the draft works.

[Civic]

The car can affect you, but I think the Target car just moved up. With two cars in a train, the rear car "pushes" the front car. It doesn't physically push the front car. The combined aerodynamic body of two cars in close proximity makes them a tad more slippery so that both cars are fractionally faster than a car that's not in traffic.

In some cases, this may prevent the rear car from getting enough of a "tow" to pass the car ahead. (remember Townsend Bell trying to pass Scott Dixon for almost the whole entire Indy Lights race at Fontana?)

[Miatanut]

With cars with wings, the car behind disturbs the air flow over the rear wing of the car ahead, which can make the car ahead "loose" (oversteer, with the back end sliding out and causing the car to turn more than intended). The rear wing of the car ahead disturbs the air flow over the front wing of the car behind, so it will "push" (understeer, with the front end sliding and causing the car to turn less than intended). The effect is usually greater on the following car than the leading car.

With cars with minimal downforce from wings, a draft is to the advantage of both. That's why some of us keep going on about "dump the wings!"

[xtlm]

the secret undertone of this message is that Danica is a bad driver
...jk

and indycars without wings?? that would look just...just...wrong...lol

[MAX_THRUST]

After watching the Talledega NASCAR race, the wings on those cabs has made that event far safer in one respect, with more stabilltiy when the cars got it all side ways, but the drafting was incredible....

I'm sure in a car as light as an IRL car the car behind must have some effect on the car in front, as you say with the air coming of the rear wing in a less than effecient manner.