NASCAR turns to 3D printing to help USA Luge at the Winter Olympics
With the 2026 Winter Olympics kicking off in Italy this week, it was a surprise to no one at VoxelMatters that there would be some great 3D printing stories emerging. (If you haven’t heard about how the BBC 3D printed hundreds of figurines for its stop-motion Olympics campaign, check it out now!) In recent years, 3D printing has played a growing role in advancing athlete equipment and wearables at the Olympics, from 3D printed pistol grips, to 3D printed skate blades, to 3D printed track bikes that took Team UK to gold. This year is already off to a promising start for those who share an appreciation for both 3D printing and winter sports: NASCAR has revealed it has supported USA Luge in their Olympic preparation, using 3D scanning and 3D printing to enhance aerodynamics.
Through a technical and marketing partnership between NASCAR and USA Luge, the motorsport giant has been helping to improve the aerodynamics of sleds and equipment—something it knows a thing or two about. As part of this optimization process, a team from NASCAR 3D scanned USA Luge athletes and their sleds this past December at the Park City World Cup. According to Motorsport.com, the 3D scans were then turned into 3D models to be analyzed using computational fluid dynamics as well as to be 3D printed for wind tunnel tests. The 3D printing of life-sized models will be carried out at NASCAR R&D’s 3D printing lab using Stratasys F900 and Fortus 450mc 3D printers.
These physical wind tunnel tests will give USA Luge valuable insights into aerodynamics for both the women’s singles event and the men’s double event and enable them to make small changes for performance improvements. (Like many other racing sports, luge races often come down to a fraction of a second, so gaining even a slight competitive edge can be the difference between a podium finish and a loss.)
“At NASCAR, innovation and performance are part of our DNA, and this partnership with USA Luge is a powerful example of how that expertise can extend beyond the racetrack,” said Dr. Eric Jacuzzi, vice president, vehicle performance, NASCAR. “From aerodynamics and engineering to fan engagement and athlete support, we’re proud to collaborate with an organization that shares our passion for speed, precision and representing the USA on the world stage. As the Games approach and looking well beyond 2026, this is about bringing two U.S. sports together to push boundaries and help drive competitive excellence.”
Scott Riewald, CEO, USA Luge, added, “NASCAR has so much experience and expertise around aerodynamics, fabrication, and materials that we believe, when combined with the knowledge of our staff, will help USA Luge develop the fastest sleds in the world… We have already seen benefits in the short time we’ve worked together, and we are excited about what the future holds for USA Luge and NASCAR.”
This isn’t the first time that USA Luge has leveraged the benefits of 3D printing: in 2018, it teamed up with Stratasys to 3D print key layup and sacrificial tools that facilitated the manufacturing of customized carbon-fiber composite sleds. In Germany, the Bobsleigh and Sleigh Association has also been using 3D printing for some time, putting the technology to work in the creation of spike plates for bobsleigh racers’ shoes. This effort, which we covered back in 2023, is in partnership with automotive company BMW.
