NASCAR - An Introduction

NASCAR Racing is one of the most popular sports in America today. This fast-growing sport reaches thousands of new fans every week, in fact professional football is the only sport in the United States to hold more viewers than NASCAR.

NASCAR is an acronym which stands for "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing". NASCAR is a sanctioning body which oversees many types of racing across the USA. The three nationwide touring series under the NASCAR banner are:

  1. Sprint Cup Series
  2. Nationwide Series
  3. Craftsman Truck Series

When most people say NASCAR they are referring to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

A modern NASCAR Sprint Cup race car has only a passing resemblance to its "strictly stock" heritage. These cars are built from the ground up as pure racing beasts.

The currently eligible race cars are the Ford Fusion, Dodge Charger, Chevy Monte Carlo and the Toyota Camry.

These are not the sleek open-wheel pointy-nosed race cars that run Formula One, CART or IRL series. NASCAR Sprint Cup cars have fenders which are important because they allow side-to-side contact between cars without allowing the wheels to hook causing a big wreck.

A Sprint Cup car weighs in at 3,400 pounds and has a wheelbase of exactly 110 inches. The engine is a 358 cubic inch V8. These power plants can generate over 750 horsepower. By comparison a showroom stock 2007 Chevy Corvette generates about 400 horsepower with its V8.

Some people don't understand the appeal of NASCAR. To truly get it I recommend two important things.

First, get to know a little bit about the drivers and pick a favourite. There is perfect match for every taste, young and hip Dale Earnhardt Jr., the quietly competent Matt Kenseth, outrageous and aggressive Kyle Busch, the veteran Mark Martin, the rookie Joey Logano or any of the 43 drivers that start the race each week. Learning the personalities, relationships and rivalries adds a lot to your enjoyment of the race.

Second, and most important, attend a race in person. Attending a NASCAR race is a full five-sense experience. The bright colours, the sounds of the engines and the screaming fans, the smell of brake dust and rubber, the taste of a cold beer on a smoking hot day spent in the sun with your friends and feeling the rumble in your seat as the cars charge past. There is nothing in the world like attending a NASCAR Sprint Cup race in person. You'll be hooked.