Glossary / General

sideways

10 Episode Mentions

Too Afraid to Ask

“Sideways” means the car isn’t pointing where it’s going and the tires have lost grip. Drivers may be able to catch it, but it can also lead to a crash.

Technical Definition

“Sideways” describes a car that’s rotated relative to its direction of travel, usually from oversteer or loss of traction. In racing, a sideways moment can be recoverable with good throttle and steering inputs—or it can lead to a spin or collision.

Hear It Discussed

"[1267.1s] He had this thing sideways the whole time [1269.7s] and the announcers were just going nuts [1272.2s] and it was just so cool to see these driven."
Mercedes Fakery, Analog Matters, Manual Wagons | Episode 1,054 Everyday Driver Car Debate 21:07

"The conceit was to try and get the car so sideways that the photographer was looking... You could see more of the wrong side than the other."
With special guest: Peter Robinson My week in cars: the Autocar podcast 05:07

"Well, we were using the rocks hitting the fender wells. So we would get sideways and you'd start kicking the rocks up"
Tony Stewart Finally Opens Up About Leaving NASCAR Oil and Whiskey with Roadster Shop 40:37