Frequently Asked Questions About...
...NASCAR
1. General
2. The People
3. The Cars
4. The Tracks
9. Books & Gear
10. Useful Links
Want to discuss NASCAR? Visit our NASCAR discussion group.
News
11/26/05 - Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ken Schrader and Bob Sargent purchased the Paducah International Raceway.
General
1.01 What is NASCAR?
NASCAR is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It's the largest sanctioning body for motorsports in the United States. These days it's not limited to just cars, NASCAR also races trucks.
1.02 How old is NASCAR?
It started in the summer of 1949.
1.1 What happens if two drivers have the same number?
Can't happen. The numbers are assigned by NASCAR and reserved.
1.2 What is the "Busch Series?"
NASCAR sanctions 3 major series of races in the United States. Like most things in racing these series have corporate sponsors; the Busch series (sponsored by Anheiser Busch) is one of those series. The Busch series is sort of like the junior varsity of NASCAR where younger drivers gain experience and earn their way to move up to the Nextel Series which is the "varsity" or top level. Wins accumulated thru the season earn the drivers points which can help them move up in the standings.
1.3 What is the "Nextel Cup Series?
NASCAR's premium series with all the top drivers competing for the annual championship. Formerly known as the "Winston Cup." 43 cars race a 36 race season. Drivers get points for leading laps and winning races and the points carry over throughout the races in that season. At the end of the season the driver with the most points wins.
1.4 How popular is NASCAR?
NASCAR is second only to professional football in popularity in the United States.
1.5 What do the colored flags mean?
1.5.1 Green - This one is pretty obvious, it means GO! That's the flag that drops to start a race or to tell the drivers to resume racing after a caution or stop.
1.5.2 Yellow - Yellow means caution. It's brought out whenever there is a hazard on the course, such as a crash or debris, that makes it dangerous to race. In NASCAR a pace car will circle the track while the yellow flag is out and drivers are NOT allowed to pass the pace car without special permission. You're also not supposed to pass other drivers while under yellow, though there is some controversy about the rules regarding this.
1.5.3 White - The white flag is waved to indicate the final lap of the race.
1.5.4 Checkered - The famous checkered flag waves over the finish line. First car to cross the finish line under the checkered flag is the winner.
1.5.5 Red - Just like on main street, red means stop. All cars are required to stop AND all pit crews are required to stop. You might see this flag if there has been a particularly bad accident on the course.
1.5.6 Black - The black flag is one of the few flags which is directed at a particular driver instead of all the drivers. If a driver is signaled with the black flag it means that he is required to pit within the next 5 laps. It frequently means that the driver has broken a rule of some kind and the race officials want to talk with him. It can also be used if race officials think the car is unsafe or creating a hazardous condition for other drivers.
1.5.7 Black with a White X - This flag is given to a driver who has not obeyed a black flag. It effectively means that the driver has been disqualified from the race. The driver under a black flag with a white X is not being scored by NASCAR until they obey the previous black flag.
1.5.8 Blue Flag with an Orange Diagonal Stripe - "Get outta the way!" This flag is a courtesy flag, directed at one or more particular drivers, asking them to move aside and let the faster cars behind them pass thru. This is the only flag that is optional in NASCAR. A driver may choose to ignore it, but if he ignores it too often NASCAR officials won't be happy.
1.6 What is "Pole Position?"
Before the race there are qualifying laps where the drivers make laps around the track, individually, for time. These times are used to determine the starting order (since there are too many cars to have them all start side-by-side). The driver who clocks the fastest time gets the start first and that is referred to as the "Pole Position."
The People
2.1 Five People You Should Know
2.1.1 Dale Earnhardt
Born: April 29th, 1951. Died: February 18th, 2001 (Car crash; Daytona Motor Speedway)
One of the most successful drivers in NASCAR history and a fan favorite. Earnhardt was nicknamed "The Intimidator" due to his aggressive racing style. Earnhardt drove the black Chevy #3 -- NASCAR has not reissued that number since his death. His son, Dale Earnhardt Jr., is a popular driver today and drives the #8 car.
2.1.2 Darrell Waltrip
Born: February 5th, 1947
Has more Winston Cup race wins (84) than any other driver in the modern era. (My own personal favorite driver, by the way) Currently he's a NASCAR TV commentator and his brother Michael Waltrip is an active NASCAR driver. Darrell's trademark comment when the green flag drops on a race is "Boogity Boogity Boogity."
2.1.3 Jeff Gordon
One of the hottest drivers in NASCAR he has cooled off a bit lately but remains one of the most popular drivers. Drives the #24 car. One of the things Jeff Gordon is known for is a very public devotion to his faith in God; his testimony is even featured at his official website.
Here's Jeff Gordon's Official Website. (like the Petty Racing site below, it's got a lot of flash so unlike Jeff it may be a tad slow)
2.1.4 Richard Petty
"The King." One of NASCAR's royalty, Richard Petty drove the blue and red #43 car. More than 200 career Winston Cup victories including seven Daytona 500 wins. In fact he won more than 1 out of every 6 Winston Cup races he entered during his career.
Here's the link to Petty Racing's official site: http://www.pettyracing.com/index_hi.html (Caution: HEAVY flash and music may make for a slow load)
2.1.5 Janet Guthrie
First woman to race in a NASCAR event.
The Cars
3.1 Are there any foreign cars on NASCAR?
No, not at present. Chevy, Ford and Dodge are the primary cars. NASCAR also races trucks however, and besides the domestic trucks on that circuit is a Toyota Tundra -- the only foreign brand in NASCAR.
3.2 What is a "stock car?"
Originally it meant a car that was a standard automobile that any person could buy at a car dealership and was intended to differentiate them from the purpose-built high-performance race cars. These days the cars raced in "stock car" races bear only vague resemblance to the cars you can buy at the dealership.
NASCAR rules ensure that the engines, suspensions, transmissions and other elements are roughly similar on all of the cars so that the cars are nearly equal -- which makes the sport even more about the human element of the drivers and the crews, rather than which team can spend more money and built a monster speed car.
The Tracks
4.1 Is any one track faster than the others?
Yes, the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama is the fastest. Bill Elliott once ran a qualifying lap there at over 212 MPH.
4.2 What's the "Brickyard?"
Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Books & Gear
9.1
Official NASCAR Trivia
9.2
For the Love of NASCAR: An A-Z Primer for NASCAR Fans of all ages
9.3
NASCAR: The IMAX Experience - (DVD) with Kiefer Sutherland.
Useful Links
10.1 NASCAR - The Official
Website
10.2 Wikipedia - NASCAR page
at Wikipedia
10.3 Sports Illustrated's
Racing page
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