At Motorsport.com, you could find 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’ll be able to anticipate, 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 points of the game:
Which NASCAR collection is the primary one?
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 a couple of divisions, however we’ll concentrate on the three major nationwide divisions.
NASCAR Cup Collection (NCS): The premier degree of inventory automobile 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 vehicles racing each weekend and a complete of 36 points-paying occasions.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Elements Collection (NOAPS): Previously referred to as the Xfinity Collection, that is the secondary degree of the game that has existed since 1982. It’s the lastly 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 impartial operations as nicely. The maintain 33 races in the course of the 12 months, the vast majority of which occur 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 discover each older veterans and youngsters simply getting their begin, and the races are shorter than the upper ranges. They maintain 25 occasions in the course of the 12 months, and just like the O’Reilly Collection, the vast majority of races are held as companion occasions on Cup weekends.
What sort of tracks does NASCAR race on?
NASCAR is oval-focused, however there are a handful of street and avenue programs on the schedule. At one level, there have been as many as seven street/avenue course occasions, however in 2026, there are three street programs and one avenue course. Previously, they even raced on dust tracks. Here is the distinction between the observe varieties:
Superspeedway: The largest and quickest tracks on the schedule, exceeding two miles in size. And because of the aggressive banking at superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, NASCAR has restricted the automobile’s energy there as a result of security considerations, creating packs the place the whole area stays collectively for the whole race. The tip result’s shut finishes and large wrecks.
Intermediate: Between one and two miles in size. This covers a variety of tracks that may look very totally 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 totally different with how they had been designed and the way they race.
Brief observe: Underneath one-mile in size, that includes extra laps than another observe on the schedule, and with lap-times round and even 20 seconds.
Highway/Road programs: What you’ll be able to anticipate to see within the majority of racing collection all over the world. Proper and left turns with distinctive traits that separate every venue, making them actually distinctive. NASCAR will go from historic tracks reminiscent of Watkins Glen to Components 1 circuits like COTA, whereas additionally internet hosting an occasion on an energetic navy base in San Diego.
Who will get to race and what are charters?
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 bought and leased, and the worth of those charters are nicely into the tens of tens of millions. There are 4 extra spots for ‘open’ or unchartered groups on the grid, and if extra 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 not often used, however could be utilized solely by notable racing stars so as to add a forty first spot on the grid.
Who owns the race groups?
In Cup, there are 15 chartered organizations, and whereas some personal only one automobile, the largest come clean with 4 and have technical alliances with different groups. For instance, Joe Gibbs Racing owns 4 vehicles, however can also be aligned with the three-car 23XI Racing group. On the different finish of the spectrum, you will have a single-car group like Haas Manufacturing facility Crew, which has a technical alliance with bigger group 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.
Producers in NASCAR?
Within the Cup Collection, there’s at the moment Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. This is identical within the decrease divisions, besides Ram additionally competes within the Truck Collection. They’ve their very own championship, with the top-finishing automobile 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, but it surely varies all through the sphere.
How are race weekends structured?
The trendy NASCAR weekend is way more condensed than prior to now, and for Cup, it is usually a two-day present with follow/qualifying on Saturdays and the race on Sunday. Nonetheless, this is not all the time the case and it does range relying on the occasion.
Apply: The sector is cut up into two equal teams forward of each weekend, with half of the entries participating within the first 25-minute follow as a part of Group A, after which one other 25-minute follow for Group B. Your group is determined partly by final weekend’s end but in addition the group’s present place within the championship standings.
Qualifying: These aforementioned teams additionally resolve the order by which vehicles exit for qualifying. For many ovals, it’s a single-car qualifying with one automobile out of a time. The perfect 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 street/avenue programs, NASCAR adopts a gaggle qualifying format the place it operates extra like a follow session, with the 2 teams getting equal time to exit and run as quick as doable. Nonetheless, you’ll be able to 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 levels. On the finish of Stage 1 and Stage 2, a contest warning is thrown, bringing the sphere again collectively and giving the whole area 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?
When the yellow flag is displayed, the whole area has to decelerate to an inexpensive velocity and observe the tempo automobile (or security automobile) across the observe. As soon as race management chooses, pit street will open (signified by a inexperienced mild on the entrance) and all lead lap vehicles can pit. Any vehicles that had been lapped by the leaders have to attend and pit the next lap. The best working automobile not but on the lead lap can be awarded a free move, permitting them to get again on the lead lap. Different vehicles can select to remain out and if the leaders pit, they change into eligible for a wave-around. They catch again as much as the tail-end of the lead lap, however in contrast to the free move recipient, they can not pit for gas or tires.
On the finish of the warning interval, the sphere 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 resolve which lane they like to begin in. There’s additionally a delegated 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 lead to a penalty, and doing so after will at greatest value them the lead, or at worst set off a serious pileup crash.
How do pit stops work?
In NASCAR, pit stops take round 8-12 seconds for prime Cup Collection groups. Earlier than the race, everybody will get to choose a stall based mostly on the place they certified, and there are positively stalls which might be extremely wanted. The pole-sitter will usually decide the No. 1 stall, as it is a clear means out with no vehicles blocking their path and the top of pit street straight forward of them.
Coming down pit street, there’s a strict velocity restrict that have to be obeyed, and since drivers haven’t got speedometers, they should depend on the RPMs on their tachometers to ensure they don’t seem to be rushing.
However as soon as within the field, they’ve the choice to take two contemporary proper or left sides, 4 contemporary tires, gas or not, and different minor changes. These usually embody 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 automobile. It is also the proper time to make repairs.
There’s a jackman, a tire provider, two tire changers, a fueler, a ‘utility’ crew member for different jobs, and a number of other folks on the opposite facet 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 vital calls that may win or lose the race.
A contemporary Cup automobile takes as much as 20 gallons of gas, and there’s one middle lug nut on the wheels. It is a latest change, and the decrease two nationwide divisions nonetheless use 5 smaller lug nuts. A whole lot of race-ruining penalties can even occur on pit street, and whereas most lead to end-of-line or pass-through penalties, the worst is a indifferent wheel. In the event you depart the pits with an unsecured wheel and it comes off, then the automobile is held for 2 laps, with the jackman/tire changer going through a two-race suspension.
In the event you crash or cease, is your race over?
Not essentially. If the harm is repairable and NASCAR determines that the chassis is protected, a automobile 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 group can work to re-fire the automobile and rejoin the race. If a automobile fails to return to the race, that’s recorded as. DNF, however there isn’t a penalty in that. A driver who finishes the race in thirty fifth or falls out midway via and locations thirty fifth with DNF will nonetheless rating the identical quantity of factors.
What’s additional time?
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 additional 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 additional 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 sector can be frozen on the time of warning and NASCAR will overview video footage to ensure they get the ultimate outcomes appropriate.
What’s the factors system?
The factors system has modified loads through the years, however in the mean time, it goes like this:
Race winner: 55pts
The remainder of the sphere: 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 nicely, so nobody goes residence with zero factors scored.
Stage factors: As we mentioned earlier than, NASCAR races are additionally damaged into levels — necessary 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 working tenth earns a single level. They identical issues occurs on the finish of Stage 2.
What’s the Chase/playoffs and the way does it work?
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 can 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 essentially the most factors within the closing ten races is champion.
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