 The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also oversees seven regional series and one local grassroots series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. NASCAR logo. ...
Auto racing (also known as automobile racing or autosport) is a sport involving racing automobiles. ...
The Nextel Cup Series is NASCARs premier stock car racing series. ...
NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel Cup. ...
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series logo The Craftsman Truck Series is a popular NASCAR racing series that features modified pickup trucks. ...
Despite its beginnings as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR is now the second most popular professional spectator sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League; NASCAR also broadcasts in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S.1, and has 75 million fans who purchase over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result, more Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport. The Southeastern United States or simply the Southeast refers to a region in the southeastern part of the USA. It usually consists of the following southern states: Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia Florida and sometimes: Arkansas Oklahoma Texas These states are more often referred to as simply the South, although that...
NFL logo The National Football League (NFL) is the largest and most popular professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities. ...
The Fortune 500 is a ranking of the top 500 United States corporations as measured by gross revenue. ...
NASCAR's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in Charlotte, Mooresville, North Carolina, Concord, North Carolina, Conover, North Carolina, New York City, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Mexico City, and Toronto. Daytona Beach is a city located in Volusia County, Florida. ...
For other places or people named Charlotte, see Charlotte (disambiguation). ...
Mooresville is a town located in Iredell County, North Carolina. ...
Concord is a city located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. ...
Conover is a city located in Catawba County, North Carolina. ...
Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of American finance, politics, music, and culture. ...
This article is about the largest city in California. ...
State nickname: The Natural State Other U.S. States Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Governor Mike Huckabee (R) Official languages English Area 137,732 km² (29th) - Land 134,856 km² - Water 2,876 km² (2. ...
Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the name of a megacity located in the Valley of Mexico (Valle de México), a large valley in the high plateaus (altiplano) at the center of Mexico, about 2,240 metres (7,349 feet) above sea-level, surrounded on most sides...
}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Official Flag]]|Coat Image=[[Image:{{{Coat Image}}}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Coat of Arms]]}} {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Diversity Our Strength {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Location. ...
 NEXTEL Cup drivers practice for the 2004 Daytona 500 Practicing for the 2004 Daytona 500, public domain image from Air Force Link. ...
Practicing for the 2004 Daytona 500, public domain image from Air Force Link. ...
History
Early History Many early racing drivers were involved in bootlegging. The runners would modify their cars in order to create a faster, more maneuverable car. The next logical step for the owners of these cars was to race them. These races were popular entertainment in the rural South, and they are most closely associated with the Wilkes County region of North Carolina. Bootlegging is the illegal sale or manufacture of cigarettes, liquor, and other consumer goods (such as compact discs or DVDs) subject to taxes for the purposes of evading those taxes, or licensing fees. ...
Entertainment is an amusement or diversion intended to hold the attention of an audience or its participants. ...
Rural areas are sparsely settled places away from the influence of large cities and towns. ...
The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ...
Wilkes County is a county located in the state of North Carolina. ...
State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th) - Land 126,256 km² - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...
Most races in those days were of "modified" cars, street vehicles which were lightened and reinforced. NASCAR was co-founded by William France Sr. and Ed Otto on February 21, 1948. William France, Sr. had the notion that people would enjoy watching unmodified, "stock" cars racing and promoted a few races before World War II. In 1947, he decided that this racing would not grow without a formal sanctioning organization, standardized rules, a regular schedule, and an organized championship. This led to the formation of NASCAR in 1948. The first NASCAR race ever was held at the old Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina on June 19, 1949 (this is not the same speedway as Lowe's Motor Speedway that is near Charlotte). William Bill Henry Getty France, Sr. ...
February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrinations, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons like the atom bomb. ...
1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1948 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th) - Land 126,256 km² - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...
Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ...
Initially the cars were known as the "Strictly Stock" Division and raced with virtually no modifications from the factory models. This division was renamed "Grand National" in 1950. However, over a period of about a dozen years, modifications for both safety and performance were allowed, and by the mid-1960s the vehicles were purpose-built racecars with a stock-appearing body. 1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The 1960s, or The Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ...
Most races were on half-mile to one mile (800 to 1600 m) oval tracks. However, the first "superspeedway" was built in Darlington, South Carolina in 1950. This track, at 1.38 miles (2220 m), was wider, faster, and higher-banked than the racers had seen. The famous Daytona, Florida race used a two mile (3 km) stretch of the beach as one straightaway and the beachfront highway as the other, prior to the construction in 1959 of the Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 mile (4 km) high-banked track that became the icon of the sport. Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. ...
In North American motorsports, a Superspeedway is a race track over one mile (1. ...
Darlington is a city located in Darlington County, in northeastern South Carolina, and is a center for tobacco farming. ...
1950 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Daytona Beach is a city located in Volusia County, Florida. ...
1959 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Daytona International Speedway is a superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ...
Growth of the sport The sport began to attract more attention through the 1950s as manufacturers realized the opportunity to promote sales through racing. At various times Ford Motor Company (Ford and Mercury), General Motors (Chevrolet and Pontiac), and Chrysler (Dodge, Chrysler, and Plymouth), all supported factory teams, openly and sometimes covertly when they pretended "not to be involved in racing". The teams became full-time jobs for the top drivers and owners. Although stock racing did not have much following outside the Southeast, people like Lee Petty, Curtis Turner, Fireball Roberts, Smokey Yunick and Junior Johnson became well known within the racing world. // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...
The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford; sometimes nicknamed Fords or FoMoCo, (NYSE: F) is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan, and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ...
Ford may mean a number of things: A ford is a river crossing. ...
Mercury is an automobile brand name of the Ford Motor Company founded in 1939 to market semi-luxury cars slotted between entry-level Ford and luxury Lincoln models. ...
General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is a United States-based automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab, and Vauxhall. ...
Chevrolet, or Chevy, is a brand of automobile, now part of the General Motors group. ...
Pontiac is a marque of automobile produced by General Motors and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 1926 to the present. ...
The Chrysler Corporation is a United States-based automobile manufacturer, since 1998 merged with Daimler_Benz into DaimlerChrysler. ...
Dodge is a brand name of automobiles and light- to heavy-duty trucks, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to the present. ...
The Chrysler Corporation is a United States-based automobile manufacturer, since 1998 merged with Daimler_Benz into DaimlerChrysler. ...
Lee Petty (left) pictured with (to his right, left to right) his son Richard, grandson Kyle, and great-grandson Adam, in 2000 before his death. ...
Curtis Turner was an early figure in NASCAR racing. ...
Edward Glenn Fireball Roberts, Jr. ...
Smokey Yunick was a figure associated with motorsports in the United States. ...
Robert Glen Johnson, Jr. ...
Almost all the races were held in southeastern U.S., because the economics of traveling with racecars, parts and mechanics demanded it. Many of the venues were county fairgrounds or local tracks that hosted local racing on Saturday night when the touring stars were not in town. An exception was Riverside Raceway, in Riverside, California; because of the travel distances involved, it traditionally either started the Grand National season or ended it. This was the only time NASCAR came out west, until the opening of Ontario Motor Speedway in 1970, and the only road course NASCAR ran on until the track closed in 1988. Riverside International Raceway (Sometimes known as RIR or Riverside Raceway) was a racing track or road course in Riverside, California. ...
Riverside is the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. ...
Ontario Motor Speedway logo Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California, was a 2. ...
Beginning of the modern era NASCAR made major changes in its structure in the early 1970s. The top series found sponsorship from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) (tobacco companies had been banned from television advertising and were looking for a promotional outlet). The "Winston Cup" became the top competitive series, with a new points system and some significant cash benefits to competing for championship points. The next division down, called Late Model Sportsman, gained the "Grand National" title passed down from the top division and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer. In the mid-1970s some races began to get partial television coverage, frequently on the ABC sports variety show, Wide World of Sports. This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ...
Reynolds American Inc. ...
Tobacco advertising is the promotion of tobacco use (typically smoking) by the tobacco industry through a variety of media. ...
This article provides extensive lists of events and significant personalities of the 1970s. ...
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is a television and radio network in the United States. ...
ABCs Wide World of Sports is a long-running sports anthology show on American television. ...
Finally, in 1979, the Daytona 500 became the first stock car race that was nationally televised from flag to flag on CBS. The leaders going into the last lap, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, wrecked on the backstretch while dicing for the lead, and Richard Petty passed to win. Immediately, Yarborough, Allison, and Allison's brother Bobby were engaged in a fistfight on national television. This underlined the drama and emotion of the sport and increased its broadcast marketability. Luckily for NASCAR, the race coincided with a major snowstorm along the United States' eastern seaboard, successfully introducing much of the captive audience to the sport. 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ...
The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ...
CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) is a major radio and television network in the United States. ...
William Caleb Cale Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) in Timmonsville SC, near the Famous Darlington Speedway, is a former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver. ...
Donnie Allison is a former driver on the NASCAR Winston Cup circuit, who won ten times during his racing career, which spanned the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. ...
Richard Petty (second from left) pictured with his father Lee (to his left), son Kyle (to his right), and grandson Adam (far right), in 2000 before the deaths of Lee and Adam. ...
Bobby Allison (born December 3, 1937) was one of the first NASCAR drivers and was named one of NASCARs 50 greatest drivers. ...
The beginning of the modern era, which NASCAR defines as 1971, also brought a change in the competitive structure. The purse awarded for championship points accumulated over the course of the season began to be significant. Previously, drivers were mostly concerned about winning individual races. Now, their standing in championship points became an important factor. 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ...
The first NASCAR competition held outside of the U.S. was in Canada, where on July 1, 1952, Buddy Shuman won a 200-lap race on a half-mile (800 m) dirt track in Stamford Park, Ontario, near Niagara Falls. On July 18, 1958, Richard Petty made his premiership debut in a race at Toronto at the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds. He completed 55 laps before crashing, while father Lee won the 100-lap feature. July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ...
1952 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ...
1958 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Official Flag]]|Coat Image=[[Image:{{{Coat Image}}}|135px|City of Toronto, Ontario Coat of Arms]]}} {{Canadian City/Disable Field={{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: Diversity Our Strength {{Canadian City/Location Image is:{{{Location Image Type}}}|[[Image:{{{Location Image}}}|thumbnail|250px|City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada Location. ...
In 1996, NASCAR went to Japan for Suzuka NASCAR Thunder 100 at Suzuka Circuitland in Suzuka City on November 24, 1996. This exhibition (non-points) race was won by Rusty Wallace. On March 6, 2005 the first ever NASCAR points-paying race outside of the United States was held for the NASCAR Busch Series at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City. The winner of this twisty road course event was defending series champion Martin Truex, Jr. Suzuka Circuit is the host of the Formula One Japanese Grand Prix and one of the oldest and most-famous racing circuits in Japan. ...
Suzuka (鈴鹿市; -shi) is a city located in Mie, Japan, about 50 miles south west of Nagoya. ...
November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Rusty Wallace Rusty Wallace makes a tight turn during the Advance Auto Parts 500 at Martinsville Speedway. ...
March 6 is the 65th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (66th in Leap years). ...
NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel Cup. ...
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a 2. ...
Martin Truex, Jr. ...
NEXTEL Cup In 2004, NEXTEL took over sponsorship of the premier series from Winston, renaming it the NEXTEL Cup Series. See also: 2003 in sports, other events of 2004, 2005 in sports, list of years in sports. // Events On January 28, International Olympic Committee Vice-President Kim Un-yong is arrested on charges of corruption in Seoul. ...
Sprint Nextel Corporation (NYSE: S), headquartered in Reston, Virginia, is one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States. ...
As a result of the Sprint/NEXTEL merger, the division will once again change its name, being known as the Sprint Cup beginning in 2007. NASCAR Nextel Cup logo NASCAR Nextel Cup trophy The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ...
See also:2006 in sports, 2008 in sports, list of years in sports. Scheduled Events January 15 - WWE Briana Kelly Armageddon held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California February 4 - Super Bowl XLI held at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida. ...
Chase for the Cup In 2004, NASCAR implemented a ten-race playoff system it called the "Chase for the Cup". After 26 races, the top 10 drivers in points (plus any driver within 400 points of the leader who may be outside the top 10) are placed in the "Chase". Eligible drivers' points are elevated to a level mathematically unattainable by anyone outside this field. Points are also bunched together in 5-point increments so the leader is 45 points ahead of 10th place. Race layouts remain the same and points are scored the same way in the final 10 races. Whoever leads in points after the 36th race is declared the NEXTEL Cup champion.
This playoff system was implemented primarily to increase television ratings during the National Football League season, and to make the points race more competitive. Previously, the champion may have been decided before the last race (or even several races before the end of the season) because it was mathematically impossible for any other driver to gain enough points. NFL logo The National Football League (NFL) is the largest and most popular professional American football league, consisting of thirty-two teams from American cities. ...
Drivers that are not in the "Chase" (not statistically able to win the championship) still race in the final ten races.
Historic moments NASCAR racing has its share of great finishes. The closest finish in NASCAR history was at Darlington Raceway between Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch on March 16, 2003. Craven came in ahead by .002 seconds after the drivers raced the last stretch with their cars touching each other. See the picture here. Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. ...
Born and raised in Newburgh, Maine, Ricky began racing at the age of 15 and has tasted success at every level of competition. ...
Kurt Busch (left) talks with team owner Jack Roush. ...
March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ...
2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
NASCAR Today
Races and racetracks NASCAR races are not conducted on identical tracks. Oval tracks vary in length from 0.526 miles (847 m) (Martinsville Speedway) to 2.66 miles (4.28 km) (Talladega Superspeedway). While some tracks are ovals (Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover Downs), many are tri-ovals (Kansas Speedway, Michigan International Speedway). Other configurations are quad-oval (Lowe's Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway), oval with unequal ends (Darlington Raceway), and triangular (Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania). Courses also differ in degree of banking on the curves, with differences in degree of banking and course length contributing to different top speeds on various courses. Two courses (Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen) are complex shaped road courses. Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Martinsville, Virginia. ...
Talladega Superspeedway is now the official name of a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, that was formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway. ...
Bristol Motor Speedway is a NASCAR short track located in Bluff City, Tennessee, near Bristol. ...
Dover Downs is a place for racing. ...
Kansas Speedway is a speedway in Kansas City, in the U.S. state of Kansas. ...
Michigan International Speedway is a two-mile (3. ...
Lowes Motor Speedway (formerly Charlotte Motor Speedway) is a superspeedway in Concord, North Carolina, a few miles north of Charlotte. ...
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, USA, 20 miles south of Atlanta. ...
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. ...
Pocono Raceway is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania; it is the site of two annual NASCAR Nextel Cup races held just a few weeks apart in June and July. ...
State nickname: The Keystone State Other U.S. States Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Governor Ed Rendell (D) Official languages None Area 119,283 km² (33rd) - Land 116,074 km² - Water 3,208 km² (2. ...
Race speeds vary widely based on the track. The fastest track is Talladega Superspeedway where the record race average speed is 188 mph (303 km/h) with the record qualifying lap of 212.809 mph (342.483 km/h) set by Bill Elliott. The slowest tracks are Infineon Raceway, a road course, with a record race average speed of only 81 mph (130 km/h) and qualifying lap of 99 mph (159 km/h); and Martinsville Speedway, a very short, nearly flat "paper clip" oval, with a record race average speed of 82 mph (132 km/h) and a qualifying lap of only 97 mph (156 km/h). The average speed is figured out based upon the winner's lap speeds throughout the entire races including laps spent under caution. Talladega Superspeedway is now the official name of a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama, that was formerly Alabama International Motor Speedway. ...
This article is about the NASCAR driver Bill Elliott. ...
Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a road course and drag strip in the golden hills of northern California, near Sonoma, north of San Francisco. ...
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Martinsville, Virginia. ...
Generally, tracks with a length of less than one mile (1.6 km) are referred to as "short tracks". Initially tracks of over one mile were referred to as "superspeedways", but many NASCAR venues now are 1.5 miles or 2 miles (2.4 or 3 km) in length. Tracks on todays standards are now considered superspeedways if they are over 2 miles (3 km) in length. Tracks between 1 and 2 miles in length are called "intermediate" tracks.
As a safety measure to reduce speeds at the two high-banked superspeedways (Daytona and Talladega), a restrictor plate must be placed between the carburetor and intake manifold to restrict air and fuel flow and, therefore, power. While Atlanta Motor Speedway is generally considered the fastest track where restrictor plates are not mandated, in 2004 and 2005 higher qualifying speeds were posted at Texas Motor Speedway, earning it the title of the circuits fastest track. Unrestricted, NASCAR cars run at over 800 horsepower (600 kW). Restrictor plates are devices installed between the carburetor and intake manifold that restrict the amount of air and fuel entering the engines combustion chamber. ...
The carburetor (American spelling, carburettor or carburetter in Commonwealth countries, carb for short) is a device which mixes air and fuel for an internal-combustion engine. ...
Atlanta Motor Speedway is a superspeedway in Hampton, Georgia, USA, 20 miles south of Atlanta. ...
The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ...
Present racecars While the manufacturers and models of automobiles for Nextel Cup and Busch Series racing are named for production cars (Dodge Charger, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, and Ford Taurus, with the Fusion replacing the Taurus for 2006), the similarities between Nextel Cup cars and actual production cars are limited to some shaping of the nose and grill areas. A fourth model, the Pontiac Grand Prix, was used until it was retired in 2004, when Pontiac ended its sponsorship with NASCAR. In the Craftsman Truck Series, the Chevrolet Silverado, the Dodge Ram and the Ford F150, as well as the only non-American brand, the Toyota Tundra namesakes are used. Dodge is a brand name of automobiles and light- to heavy-duty trucks, marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to the present. ...
Chevrolet, or Chevy, is a brand of automobile, now part of the General Motors group. ...
The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford; sometimes nicknamed Fords or FoMoCo, (NYSE: F) is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan, and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ...
Pontiac is a marque of automobile produced by General Motors and sold in the United States, Canada and Mexico from 1926 to the present. ...
The Silverado is the latest name for Chevrolets line of full-size pickup trucks. ...
See also Dodge Ram 50, an unrelated Mitsubishi-produced truck The Ram is a full-size pickup truck from DaimlerChryslers Dodge brand. ...
The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company sold for over 5 decades. ...
The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck, replacing the T100. ...
The cars are high-powered, low-tech hot rods with a roll cage chassis and thin sheet metal covering, and are powered by carbureted engines with 4 speed manual transmissions. The engines are limited to 355 cubic inches (5.8 L), with cast iron blocks, one camshaft and a pushrod valvetrain. However, significant engine development has allowed these engines to reach exceedingly high levels of power with essentially 1950s technology. // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...
The automobiles' suspension, brakes, and aerodynamic components are also selected to tailor the cars to different racetracks. The adjustment of front and rear aerodynamic downforce, spring rates, rear track bar geometry, and brake proportioning are critical to the cornering characteristics of the cars. A car that is difficult to turn in a corner is said to be "tight", causing the car to want to keep going up the track with the wheel turned all the way left. While one that has a tendency to slide the rear end out is said to be "loose", causing the back end of the car to slide around which can result in the car spinning out if the driver is not careful. These characteristics are also affected by tire stagger (tires of different circumference at different positions on the car, the right rear being largest to help effect left turns) and tire pressure (softer being "grippier").
Safety Safety in racing has come a long way since the first green flag dropped. Up until the last few years, NASCAR was heavily critizied for its lack of focus of safety. Many safety precautions were not mandatory, like they are in other racing series, but were only optional or recommended. NASCAR changed its stance on this after the sport's most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt was killed in a racing accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Using new technology, NASCAR has tried to make racing as safe, and still as thrilling as ever to protect the drivers, fans, and keep racing exciting. Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Sr. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
The seats that the drivers sit in have evolved over the past few years. Most of the seats found in the race cars wrap around the driver's rib cage which provides some support during a crash, spreading the load out over the entire rib cage instead of letting it concentrate in a smaller area. Some of the newer seats wrap around the driver's shoulders as well, which provides better support because the shoulders are more durable than the rib cage.
The seat belts in stock cars are very important. They are built to be stronger than a normal seat belt. The seat belts used are the five-point harness, which is two straps coming down over the driver's shoulders, two straps wrap around the waist and one comes up between the legs. Since a string of accidents in 2000 and 2001 that killed Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin, Tony Roper and Dale Earnhardt under similar circumstances, NASCAR has made it mandatory for the drivers to wear the HANS Device (Head And Neck Support) to restrict head movement and subsequent neck injury during a crash. Though NASCAR allowed another system (Hutchens) in the past, as of 2005, HANS is the only head and neck restraint device allowed for use. It is a semi-hard collar made of carbon fiber and Kevlar, and it is held onto the upper body by a harness worn by the driver. Two flexible tethers on the collar are attached to the helmet to prevent the head from snapping forward or to the side during a wreck. This article is about the year 2000. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
Adam Kyler Petty (July 10, 1980 - May 12, 2000) was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history. ...
Kenny Dale Irwin, Jr. ...
2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In 1994, NASCAR introduced roof flaps to the car, which designed to keep cars from getting airborne and possibly rolling down the track. If the speed of the car is high enough, it will generate enough lift to pick up the car if it spins backwards. To prevent this, NASCAR officials developed a set of flaps that are recessed into pockets on the roof of the car. When a car is turned around, and is going fast enough, the flaps come up and disrupt the airflow over the roof, eliminating most of the lift. The roof flaps generally keep the cars on the ground as they spin, although it is not guaranteed.
Beginning in the early 2000s, NASCAR's tracks have installed softer walls and barriers along the track, called SAFER Barriers. Soft walls are typically built of aluminum and styrofoam; materials that can absorb the impact of a car at high speeds, as opposed to a concrete wall which absorbs little-to-none of the impact. There are four types of softer walls and barriers: Cellofoam - This is an encapsulated polystyrene barrier -- a block of plastic foam encased in polyethylene. Polyethylene Energy Dissipation System (PEDS) - which uses small polyethylene cylinders inserted inside larger ones. Designers of PEDS believe the system increases the wall's ability to withstand crashes of heavy race cars. Impact Protection System (IPS) - This inner piece of the wall is then wrapped in a rubber casing. Holes are drilled in the concrete wall and cables are used to tie the segments to it. Compression barriers - this idea is to place cushioning materials, such as tires, against the concrete wall, and then cover those cushions with a smooth surface that would give when impacted, and then pop back out to its previous shape once the impact is over. Saddam Hussein shortly after his capture Major controversy over U.S. presidential election, 2000 September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on New Yorks World Trade Center and Virginias Pentagon killing almost 3000 people. ...
Safer Barriers often called soft walls are a new technology found mostly in auto racing. ...
Pit road safety has become the latest focus of NASCAR officials in recent years. At each track there are different speeds the cars are required to travel at (the speed depends on the size of the track and the size of pit road, generally 35 mph (60 km/h) on short tracks and road courses, 45 mph (70 km/h) on intermediate tracks and 55 mph (90 km/h) on superspeedways). NASCAR has placed a new electronic scoring system in use as of 2005 to monitor the speeds of cars on pit road by measuring the time it takes to get from checkpoint to checkpoint. As none of the cars are equipped with speedometers, the cars in prerace warm up laps are driven around the track at the pit road speed following the pace car so the drivers can mark on the tachometer the telemetry (term referring to the Revolutions Per Minute it takes to travel at the "speed limit") for the day. The tachometer then "guides" the speed of the car down pit road. Over the wall pit members are now required to wear helmets after a string of members were hit and in the open wheel series many members were ran over. In addition to the helmets, all members are required to wear full fire suits and gloves while the refueller must wear a fire apron as well as the suit. Tire changers must also wear safety glasses to prevent eye injures from lug nuts thrown off the car.
North Carolina Race Shops North Carolina has been deemed "NASCAR Valley" as 73% of all American motorsports employees work in North Carolina (this includes other motorsports series such as CART and ARCA). The majority of NASCAR teams are located in or near the Charlotte-metro area. Cities in North Carolina that are home to NASCAR teams include: Charlotte, Wilkesboro, Mooresville, Concord, Statesville, Huntersville, Welcome, Kernersville, Randleman, Greensboro, High Point, Harrisburg, and Kannapolis. Specifically, 82% of Nextel Cup teams, 72% of Busch Series teams, and 55% of Craftsman Truck Series teams are based in North Carolina. The majority of NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series drivers maintain their primary residences near Charlotte. Note: A cart may also be short for cartridge, particularly in the radio industry, where precursors of 8-track cartridges (and later CDs and zip drives) were used. ...
Wilkesboro is a town located in Wilkes County, North Carolina. ...
Mooresville is a town located in Iredell County, North Carolina. ...
Concord is a city located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, a suburb of Charlotte. ...
Statesville is a city located in Iredell County, North Carolina. ...
Huntersville is a town located in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. ...
Welcome is a census-designated place located in Davidson County, North Carolina. ...
Kernersville is a town located in Forsyth County, North Carolina. ...
Randleman is a city located in Randolph County, North Carolina. ...
Greensboro, North Carolina, is a city located in Guilford County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. ...
High Point is a city located in Guilford County, North Carolina. ...
Harrisburg is a town located in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. ...
Kannapolis is a city in Cabarrus County and Rowan County, North Carolina, next to Concord and northeast of Charlotte. ...
Other NASCAR racing series In addition to the three main series, NASCAR operates several other racing circuits.
Many local racetracks across the United States and Canada run under the Dodge Weekly Series banner, where local drivers are compared against each other in a formula where the best local track champion of the nation, as based on a formula, wins the Dodge Weekly Series National Championship.
NASCAR sanctions three regional racing divisions, the Whelen Modified Tour, which races open wheel "modified" cars in Northern and Southern divisions, the AutoZone Elite Division, which races late-model cars which are lighter than Nextel Cup cars, and less powerful cars, split into four divisions, Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest, and the Grand National Division, which races in the Busch North and the West Series. Grand National cars are similar to Busch Series cars, although they are less powerful.
In 2003, NASCAR standardized rules for its AutoZone Elite and Grand National divisions regional touring series as to permit cars in one series to race against cars in another series in the same division. The top 15 (Grand National) or 10 (AutoZone Elite) in each series will race in a one-race playoff, called the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Challenge, to determine the annual AutoZone Elite and Grand National champions. This event has been hosted at Irwindale Speedway in California since its inception.
Many drivers move up through the series before reaching the NEXTEL Cup series. In 2002, over 9,000 drivers had licenses from NASCAR to race at all levels. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The winners of the Dodge Weekly Series National Championship, the four AutoZone Elite Divisions, the two Whelen Modified and Grand National Divisions, and the three national series are invited to New York City in December to participate in Champions Week ceremonies which conclude with the annual awards banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. This article is about the hotel. ...
NASCAR and Popular Culture
Broadcast coverage In the United States, television broadcast rights are split between FOX/FX and NBC/TNT, with FOX/FX airing the first half of the season and NBC/TNT airing the second half. The networks alternate coverage of the first and most famous race of the season, the Daytona 500, with Fox getting the odd years and NBC the even ones. For balance, the opposite network will air Daytona's July race, the Pepsi 400. The current television contract was signed for eight years for FOX/FX and six years for NBC/TNT and is valued at $2.4 billion (US) [1]. FOX-owned Speed Channel carries the entire Craftsman Truck Series schedule. The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ...
FX (shorter for Fox Extended Networks) is a name carried by two cable television and satellite channels owned by News Corporations Fox Entertainment Group. ...
The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American radio and television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ...
Relaunched TNT logo, 2001 - present Turner Network Television, usually referred to as TNT, is a cable TV network created by media mogul Ted Turner in 1988. ...
The Daytona 500 is a 200-lap, 500 mile (805 km) NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race held annually at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. ...
SPEED Channel, based in Charlotte, was launched on New Years Day 1996, by Roger Werner, as SpeedVision. ...
Audio Coverage Audio coverage of all Nextel Cup, Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series races is available in the United States on both satellite radio and regular over-the-air broadcast radio on both the AM and FM bands. XM Radio currently holds the exclusive satellite radio broadcast rights for all NASCAR coverage through the end of the 2006 season. On February 23, 2005, NASCAR awarded the satellite radio contract to XM Radio's primary competitor Sirius Satellite Radio for exclusive satellite radio rights to the 2007 through 2011 racing seasons in exchange for $107 million dollars.[2]. Motor Racing Network (MRN), a subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), holds the over-the-air broadcast radio rights of 25 Nextel Cup races, all truck races and 26 Busch Series races, as well as the Budweiser Shootout and Nextel All-Star Challenge. Performance Racing Network, a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, airs ten Cup races and nine Busch races. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway's network carries the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. All broadcasts are also available (for a fee) via the web at NASCAR.com [3]. The Nextel Cup Series is NASCARs premier stock car racing series. ...
NASCAR Busch Series logo The Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCARs second division, and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level, the Nextel Cup. ...
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series logo The Craftsman Truck Series is a popular NASCAR racing series that features modified pickup trucks. ...
A satellite radio or subscription radio (SR) is a digital radio that receives signals broadcast by communications satellite, which covers a much wider geographical range than normal radio signals. ...
XM Satellite Radio (NASDAQ: XMSR) is a satellite radio service in the United States based in Washington, DC and controlled by News Corporations DirecTV, General Motors, American Honda, Hughes Electronics, and several private investment groups. ...
February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio (DARS) service in the United States that provides 65 streams (channels) of music and 55 streams of sports, news and entertainment. ...
International Speedway Corporation (NYSE: ISCA) is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ...
The Budweiser Shootout is an annual NASCAR Nextel Cup Series event held at Daytona International Speedway in February, the week before the Daytona 500. ...
The NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, formerly known as The Winston until 2003, is a race open to race winners from the previous season as well as the current season. ...
Speedway Motorsports Incorporated (NYSE: TRK) often called simply SMI is a stock corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of race tracks on the NASCAR Nextel Cup series and other race series. ...
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana (a separate city completely surrounded by Indianapolis) in the United States, is the second-oldest surviving auto racing track in the world (after The Milwaukee Mile), having existed since 1909. ...
The Allstate 400 at The Brickyard is an annual 400 mile (644 km) NASCAR Nextel Cup points race held each August at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. ...
International Coverage NASCAR races in Canada are available on Rogers Sportsnet or TSN, in addition to FOX, NBC, or Speed Channel which are available in Canada. In the United Kingdom, television coverage is available on North American Sports Network (NASN), a subscription channel on satellite. In New Zealand, Nextel Cup races are shown on Sky Sport. Rogers Sportsnet is a 24-hour Canadian cable broadcaster of sports, which has equivalent digital television signals. ...
The Sports Network (TSN) is English Canadas leading television sports channel specialty service. ...
NASN, full name North American Sports Network, is a television channel available in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, and from 15 November 2004 in Germany. ...
Video Games NASCAR followed IndyCAR into the video game world in 1994 with a PC game by the now-defunct company Papyrus Design Group entitled NASCAR Racing. Over the next decade Papyrus, and eventually Sierra Entertainment continued producing NASCAR Racing games. The NASCAR Racing games were universally praised for their accuracy in terms of physics and track feel, with NASCAR Cup and Busch series drivers regularly practicing for upcoming tracks using the games. Many believe that NASCAR Racing 2003 is still, years later, the most accurate stock car racing game ever released. In 2003, Vivendi Universal began dismantleing Sierra, and allowed EA Games to aquire exclusive rights to produce NASCAR games. Papyrus Design Group, Inc. ...
Vivendi Universal (VU) is a French company active in media and communications with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications and the Internet. ...
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) is a leading video game developer and publisher. ...
NASCAR, however was not a new concept to EA Sports. The company developed NASCAR games for the original PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 under names such as NASCAR '98. The company expanded into NASCAR games for the PC and the Gameboy Color for their 2000 game and the PS2 for their 2001 model, the last under the old name. For 2002, the series was renamed NASCAR Thunder, and by 2003 has simultaneously been released on GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC, and the original Playstation. In 2004, the company did not release a PC game, marking the first time in 5 years that NASCAR did not have a PC game released. EA Sports is a brand name used by Electronic Arts since 1993 to distribute games based on sports. ...
The PlayStation (Japanese: プレイステーション) is a video game console of the 32-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the 1990s. ...
The Sega Saturn (Japanese: セガサターン, Sega Saturn), a video game console of the 32-bit era, was released on November 22, 1994, in Japan and May 1995 in the United States; 170,000 machines were sold the first day of the Japanese launch. ...
The Nintendo 64, commonly called the N64, is Nintendos third home video game console. ...
The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ...
The Xbox is Microsofts game console, released on November 15, 2001. ...
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) (Japanese: プレイステーション2) is Sonys second video game console, after the PlayStation. ...
PC may stand for: Coastal Patrol, according to its US Navy hull classification symbol P Chidambaram, finance minister of India Parsec, written pc PC, a Mazda piston engine Penn Central - a railroad in the United States (AAR reporting mark PC) Percent or per cent, written Personal computer, IBM PC, or...
The PlayStation (Japanese: プレイステーション) is a video game console of the 32-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the 1990s. ...
EA Sports used this break to split their old "Thunder" titles into two separate racing lines; one for consoles focused on gameplay, and one for PC focused on technical accuracy in the spirit of the old Papyrus/Sierra lines - indeed the PC game used many former members of the Papyrus development teams. The games were given differing names, as to not confuse the two, with the console series renamed NASCAR: Chase for the Cup (released in 2004, a reference to the new NASCAR playoff format) and the PC series renamed NASCAR SimRacing (released in 2005). Sweeping gameplay changes mean that the "Chase for the Cup" name will be dropped from the 2006 edition of the console game. Instead, the game will be titled NASCAR 2006: Total Team Control. The new name is derived from the new feature by which a player who has teammates in the field can actually switch to their teammates' cars and control them during a race. It is slated to be released in September 2005.
Other NASCAR games include Hasbro Interactive's NASCAR Heat; Papyrus' NASCAR Legends (Based off of the NASCAR Racing 3 engine); EA Sports NASCAR Revolution (released between NASCAR '99 which came out in 1998, and NASCAR 2000, which came out in 2000); and NASCAR Rumble, an EA game incorporating some of the features of Nintendo's Super Mario Kart, but with NASCAR car designs. Hasbro Interactive was a video game production and publishing subsidiary of Hasbro, the game and toy giant. ...
Nintendo (Japanese: ä»»å¤©å ‚; TSE: NTDOY) was originally founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ...
Super Mario Kart is the first video game in the Mario Kart series, released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. ...
Related Television Shows - NASCAR Drivers: 360: A reality show on FX Networks that follows the life of several Nextel Cup drivers while off-the-track.
- NASCAR Gold: A report on CNBC that first aired on July 11, 2005, presented by Dylan Ratigan; the show focused on the business of NASCAR, especially the advertising by large companies
- NASCAR Nation: A weekly show on SPEED Channel that documents drivers' lives off the track, for example a community service event a driver participated in.
- Inside Nextel Cup: A weekly show on SPEED Channel that recaps the previous race, with commentary from drivers.
- NASCAR This Morning and Trackside: Weekly shows on the SPEED Channel that previews the upcoming race
- NASCAR Victory Lane: Weekly show that recaps each race on SPEED Channel
- NBS 24/7: Weekly show on SPEED Channel that focuses on drivers of the Busch Series
NASCAR Gold is a TV report by Dylan Ratigan about the business of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). ...
CNBC (formerly the Consumer News and Business Channel) is a group of cable and satellite television news channels from the U.S., owned and operated by NBC Universal, a subsidiary of General Electric. ...
Dylan Ratigan is a reporter for the CNBC Business News division of the business TV channel CNBC of the U.S. On the same channel on weekdays at 6 PM ET, he anchored the TV program Bullseye for about one and a half years before it was replaced by James...
Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ...
NBS 24/7 is a reality television program on SPEED Channel. ...
Perceptions of NASCAR While the sport has grown tremendously, NASCAR still faces bias from many people who do not enjoy the sport. Much of this bias comes from the belief that most NASCAR fans are rednecks because of the sport's Southern heritage; this stereotype is largely inaccurate, however, considering that two "Northern" states -- Pennsylvania and Wisconsin -- are home to more race tracks than any Southern state. In addition, many detractors of the sport do not enjoy what they perceive as repetitive driving around an oval, the shape of most NASCAR tracks. Other detractors of auto racing do not consider it a sport because the competitors are driving a car. Despite the criticism, the network television ratings and nationwide racing circuit are proof of NASCAR's mainstream popularity. In modern usage, redneck predominantly refers to a particular stereotype of whites from the Southern United States. ...
In geometry, an oval or ovoid (from Latin ovum, egg) is any curve resembling a cross-section of a chicken egg or the outline of a speed skating track. ...
See also // Budweiser Shootout On February 12th, at the Daytona International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson took this 70-lap night-time exhibition race from Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon. ...
2005 in Nascar Busch Series // Hersheys TAKE 5 300 The Hersheys TAKE 5 300 was held February 19 at Daytona International Speedway Top Ten Results Tony Stewart Kevin Harvick Dale Earnhardt Jr. ...
// Florida Dodge Dealers 250 The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 was held February 18 at Daytona International Speedway Top Ten Results Bobby Hamilton Jimmy Spencer Todd Bodine Ricky Craven Ted Musgrave Ken Weaver Brad Keselowski David Starr Wayne Edwards Johnny Benson American Racing Wheels 200 The American Racing Wheels 200 was...
// Nextel Cup Drivers Wayne Anderson Stanton Barrett Greg Biffle Dave Blaney Mike Bliss Jeff Burton Kurt Busch Kyle Busch Derrike Cope Dale Earnhardt, Jr. ...
The following is a list of race tracks used by NASCAR as part of its Nextel Cup Series, Busch Series, and/or Craftsman Truck Series. ...
The following is a list of current (as of 2005) NASCAR races from the Nextel Cup, Busch Series, and Craftsman Truck Series, along with their venues. ...
NASCAR Nextel Cup logo NEXTEL Cup trophy, adopted in 2004 4-time champion Jeff Gordon poses with the Winston Cup trophy (used prior to 2004) The NASCAR Championship is the championship held in NASCARs top stock car racing series. ...
This article is about the sport of stock car racing. ...
NASCAR Realignment refers to current changes in the schedule of NASCARs Nextel Cup Series. ...
NASCAR has committed itself to building a Hall of Fame at some location in the southern or midwestern United States. ...
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season. ...
NASCAR Gold is a TV report by Dylan Ratigan about the business of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). ...
External links
Notes Note 1: The largest NASCAR tracks can accomodate upwards of 170,000 people in the stands and infield, dwarfing even the largest venues of other North American sports. |
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