At Motorsport.com, yow will discover skilled evaluation, on-site reporting and breaking information from throughout the racing world, however this text is tailor-made particularly for many who are simply wading into the waters of the NASCAR world. That is your complete overview of what you may count on, and plenty of solutions to the urgent questions you might be prone to have. We’ll strive to not get too in-depth, providing a fundamental understanding of a number of the most necessary features of the game:
Which NASCAR sequence is the principle one?NASCAR Cup Collection emblem
NASCAR Cup Collection emblem
You could have seen that there’s greater than only one division of NASCAR — the Nationwide Affiliation for Inventory Automobile Auto Racing. There are literally fairly just a few divisions, however we’ll concentrate on the three major nationwide divisions.
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NASCAR Cup Collection (NCS): The premier stage of inventory automotive racing. It would not get any larger than this. It has been round since 1949 and is the head of the NASCAR world, with 36 to 40 automobiles racing each weekend and a complete of 36 points-paying occasions.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Components Collection (NOAPS): Previously often called the Xfinity Collection, that is the secondary stage of the game that has existed since 1982. It’s the closing step for rising stars earlier than they attain the highest, however a number of drivers have made a profession for themselves as full-time drivers right here. Some Cup groups additionally run groups on this division, however there are numerous unbiased operations as properly. They maintain 33 races through the 12 months, the vast majority of which happen as companion occasions to the Cup Collection.
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Collection (NCTS): The third of the three nationwide divisions, based in 1995, and there’s one distinct distinction right here as they’re racing vehicles. Right here you’ll find each older veterans and youngsters simply getting their begin, and the races are shorter than the upper ranges. They maintain 25 occasions through the 12 months, and just like the O’Reilly Collection, the vast majority of races are held as companion occasions on Cup weekends.
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What sort of tracks does NASCAR race on?Environment of All-Star Race
Environment of All-Star Race
NASCAR is oval-focused, however there are a handful of highway and road programs on the schedule. At one level, there have been as many as seven highway/road course occasions, however in 2026, there are three highway programs and one road course. Up to now, they even raced on grime tracks. This is the distinction between the observe sorts:
Superspeedway: The most important and quickest tracks on the schedule, exceeding two miles in size. And as a result of aggressive banking at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR has restricted the automotive’s energy there because of security considerations, creating packs the place your complete subject stays collectively for your complete race. The top result’s shut finishes and large wrecks.
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Intermediate: Between one and two miles in size. This covers a variety of tracks that may look very completely different, however the majority are 1.5-miles in size with some progressive banking. However whereas tracks like Darlington, Las Vegas, and Atlanta are all technically intermediates, they could not be extra completely different with how they have been designed and the way they race.
Brief observe: Beneath one mile in size, that includes extra laps than some other observe on the schedule, and with lap-times round and even 20 seconds. Drivers fall a lap down rapidly at these tracks, and visitors is fixed.
Highway/Road programs: That is what you may count on to see within the majority of racing sequence world wide. Proper and left turns with distinctive traits that separate every venue, making them really distinctive. NASCAR will go from historic highway programs comparable to Watkins Glen to Method 1 circuits like COTA, whereas additionally internet hosting an occasion on an energetic navy base in San Diego.
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Who will get to race and what are charters?
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In Cup, there are 36 chartered groups, and past the financial profit they supply, these coveted charters assure groups a spot on the grid each weekend. They are often offered and leased, and the worth of those charters are properly into the tens of hundreds of thousands. There are 4 extra spots for ‘open’ or unchartered groups on the grid, and if much more present up, than the quickest 4 in qualifying get to hitch the chartered groups within the race. The remaining should pack up and go residence. There’s additionally an Open Exemption Provisional (OEP), which is a hardly ever used, however could be utilized solely by notable racing stars so as to add a forty first spot on the grid.
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Who owns the race groups?Rick Hendrick, proprietor Hendrick Motorsports
Rick Hendrick, proprietor Hendrick Motorsports
In Cup, there are 15 chartered organizations, and whereas some personal only one automotive, the most important come clean with 4 and have technical alliances with different groups. For instance, Joe Gibbs Racing owns 4 automobiles, however can be aligned with the three-car 23XI Racing workforce. On the different finish of the spectrum, you’ve gotten single-car groups just like the Haas Manufacturing facility Staff, which has a technical alliance with bigger workforce from the identical producer — Hendrick Motorsports. These groups are owned by all types of people from former and present racers to enterprise leaders, celebrities, and even sporting legends past the racing world (like Michael Jordan). Some groups have a single proprietor, whereas others have a number of with every holding a stake within the firm.
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Producers and engine packages in NASCAR?Ford emblem
Ford emblem
Within the Cup Collection, there’s at present Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota represented as producers. This is similar within the decrease divisions, besides Ram additionally competes within the Truck Collection. They’ve their very own championship, with the top-finishing automotive from every OEM accumulates factors for them because the 12 months progresses. Teammates and drivers from the identical producer will usually work collectively and share data, nevertheless it varies all through the sector.
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There are 4 engine packages as properly, with Hendrick Engines (Chevrolet), ECR (Chevrolet), Roush-Yates (Ford), and TRD (Toyota).
How are race weekends structured?Storage space throughout midway break
Storage space throughout midway break
The trendy NASCAR weekend is way more condensed than prior to now, and for Cup, it is usually a two-day present with observe/qualifying on Saturdays and the race on Sunday. Nonetheless, this is not all the time the case and it does fluctuate relying on the occasion.
Observe: The sphere is break up into two equal teams forward of each weekend, with half of the entries collaborating within the first 25-minute observe as a part of Group A, after which one other 25-minute observe for Group B. Your group is set partly by final weekend’s end but in addition the workforce’s present place within the championship standings.
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Qualifying: These aforementioned teams additionally determine the order through which automobiles exit for qualifying. For many ovals, it’s a single-car qualifying with one automotive out of a time. The most effective performing drivers from the earlier race who’re additionally excessive within the standings all the time exit final, when circumstances are usually extra advantageous. On highway/road programs, NASCAR adopts a bunch qualifying format the place it operates extra like a observe session, with the 2 teams getting equal time to exit and run as quick as doable. Nonetheless, you may NOT change tires.
Race: Most Cup races take round three hours, and the bulk fall between the 400 to 500 mile vary. The race itself is damaged into three phases. On the finish of Stage 1 and Stage 2, a contest warning is thrown, bringing the sector again collectively and giving your complete subject a chance to pit earlier than they return racing. We’ll get into extra of the specifics of the races themselves shortly…
What occurs throughout cautions and the way do restarts work?Normal view
Normal view
When the yellow flag is displayed, your complete subject has to decelerate to an affordable pace and observe the tempo automotive (or security automotive) across the observe. As soon as race management chooses, pit highway will open (signified by a inexperienced gentle on the entrance) and all lead lap automobiles can pit. Any automobiles that have been lapped by the leaders have to attend and pit the next lap. The very best operating automotive not but on the lead lap might be awarded a free go, permitting them to get again on the lead lap. Different automobiles can select to remain out and if the leaders pit, they turn out to be eligible for a wave-around. They catch again as much as the tail-end of the lead lap, however not like the free go recipient, they can not pit for gasoline or tires.
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On the finish of the warning interval, the sector traces up double-file. There’s a ‘select rule,’ which a orange image painted on the observe. Drivers will transfer to both the left or proper of it to determine which lane they like to begin in. There’s additionally a chosen restart zone, and the chief can select to go at any level inside that zone, however by no means earlier than and positively not after. Doing so earlier than will end in a penalty, and doing so after will at greatest value them the lead, or at worst set off a significant pileup crash.
How do pit stops work?
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In NASCAR, pit stops take round 8-12 seconds for prime Cup Collection groups. Earlier than the race, everybody will get to select a stall based mostly on the place they certified, and there are positively stalls which are extremely wanted. The pole-sitter will usually choose the No. 1 stall, as it is a clear method out with no automobiles blocking their path and the tip of pit highway immediately forward of them.
Coming down pit highway, there’s a strict pace restrict that have to be obeyed, and since drivers do not have speedometers, they should depend on the RPMs on their tachometers to verify they don’t seem to be rushing.
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However as soon as within the field, they’ve the choice to take two recent proper or left sides, 4 recent tires, gasoline or not, and different minor changes. These usually embrace eradicating tear-offs from a unclean windshield, cleansing particles from the grille, and offering the motive force with no matter they want contained in the automotive. It is also the right time to make repairs.
There’s a jackman, a tire service, two tire changers, a fueler, a sixth member for serving the motive force, and several other folks on the opposite aspect of wall offering help throughout these stops. The crew chief, who’s principally like a coach within the stick-and-ball world, oversees all of it and makes the important calls that may win or lose the race.
A contemporary Cup automotive takes as much as 20 gallons of gasoline, and there’s one heart lug nut on the wheels. This can be a current change, and the decrease two nationwide divisions nonetheless use 5 smaller lug nuts. Loads of race-ruining penalties may occur on pit highway, and whereas most end in end-of-line or pass-through penalties, the worst is a indifferent wheel. For those who depart the pits with an unsecured wheel and it comes off, then the automotive is held for 2 laps, with the jackman/tire changer going through a two-race suspension.
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For those who crash or cease, is your race over?Ty Dillon and William Byron crash
Ty Dillon and William Byron crash
Not essentially. If the harm is repairable and NASCAR determines that the chassis is protected, a automotive can return to any race eve. whereas a number of hundred laps down. Stopping on observe will get you a push or tow again to the pits/storage, the place the workforce can work to re-fire the automotive and rejoin the race. If a automotive fails to return to the race, that’s recorded as. DNF, however there isn’t any penalty in that. A driver who finishes the race in thirty fifth or falls out midway by way of and locations thirty fifth with DNF will nonetheless rating the identical quantity of factors.
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What’s extra time?Austin Cindric, Staff Penske Ford, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Zane Smith, Entrance Row Motorsports Ford, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
Austin Cindric, Staff Penske Ford, Carson Hocevar, Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, Zane Smith, Entrance Row Motorsports Ford, Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing Toyota
Not like most different motorsports on the market, when NASCAR says a race is 200 laps lengthy, there’s all the time an asterisk there. That’s as a result of NASCAR has extra time. If one thing occurs earlier than the final lap that necessitates a warning, NASCAR will lengthen the race to present the followers a chance to see a green-flag end. They are going to do limitless extra time restarts if want be, that are two-lap dashes to the checkered flag. However as soon as the white flag flies and the chief has begun the final lap, any incident that forces a yellow flag will finish the race. The sphere might be frozen on the time of warning and NASCAR will evaluation video footage to verify they get the ultimate outcomes appropriate.
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What’s the factors system?
The factors system has modified loads over time, however in the intervening time, it goes like this:
Race winner: 55pts
The remainder of the sector: 35pts for 2nd, then reducing by one for each place till thirty sixth place earns one level. Positions past thirty sixth all earn precisely one level as properly, so nobody goes residence with zero factors scored.
Stage factors: As we mentioned earlier than, NASCAR races are additionally damaged into phases — obligatory cautions twice per race on most weekends. (Three for the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race) On the finish of Stage 1, the chief earns ten factors, and it then decreases by one till the motive force operating tenth earns a single level. They identical issues occurs on the finish of Stage 2.
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In 2026, the championship format was modified and made less complicated. On the finish of the twenty sixth race, the highest 16 drivers in factors might be a part of the ‘Chase’ for the championship. The factors are reset, with predetermined intervals based mostly on the place every driver is within the standings. The factors chief will reset with 2100, second 2075, third 2065, after which five-point drops till sixteenth in factors has 2000. Then, the motive force among the many prime 16 who scores probably the most factors within the closing ten races is champion.
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