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 NASCAR Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Whelen All-American Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 states, Canada, and Mexico. From 1996 to 1998, NASCAR held exhibition races in Japan, and an exhibition race in Australia in 1988.
With roots as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the second-most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League.
Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., and has 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport.
NASCAR's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in four North Carolina cities: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are also located in New York City, Los Angeles, Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico City and Toronto, Ontario.
In the first few decades of the 1900s, Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world land speed records. The beach became a mecca for racing enthusiasts and fifteen records were set on this beach between 1905 and 1935. Then, in 1936, the Bonneville Salt Flats became the premier place to host land speed record attempts, so the Daytona beach course began hosting car racing events. Drivers raced a 1.5 to 2 mile stretch of beach as one straightaway and beachfront highway A1A as the other.
NASCAR races take place predominantly on oval tracks of 3 or 4 turns, with all turns to the left. Oval tracks are classified as short track (less than 1 mile), intermediate or speedway (1 to 2 miles) or superspeedway (2.5 mile tri-oval). Road courses are any tracks having both left and right turns. As of 2007, the NEXTEL Cup series includes 36 points races, comprised of 34 oval-track races and 2 road course races.
NASCAR races are different compared to the rough terrain and sharp turns of Rally, as well as the complicated twists and turns seen in the Formula One course that put up to 5 or 6 g's of stress on the driver's body. NASCAR is not the only racing league to run a large number of races on oval tracks; the Indy Racing League also runs many oval track races, although IndyCars usually average over 30-40 miles an hour faster than NEXTEL Cup cars due to lighter cars, high downforce designs, and wider tires.
NEXTEL Cup races have 43 cars in competition at the start of each race, compared to 22 for Formula One and 18-20 for IndyCar Series and Champ Car World Series. NASCAR teams must endure a 36-race schedule over 41 weeks. Teams usually only have about five days to prepare before arriving at any given track.
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series : The "NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series" is the sport's highest level of professional competition. It is consequently the most popular and most profitable NASCAR series. The 2006 NEXTEL Cup season consisted of 36 races over 10 months, with over $4 million in total prize money at stake at each race. Writers and fans often use "Cup" to refer to the NEXTEL Cup series and the ambiguous use of "NASCAR" as a synonym for the NEXTEL Cup series is common. As of 2007, the defending champion is Jimmie Johnson.
Craftsman Truck Series : The '"NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series" features modified pickup trucks. It is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, together with the Busch Series and the Nextel Cup. As of 2007, the defending champion is Todd Bodine.
Other Facts : According to NASCAR, about 6,000 US gallons of fuel are consumed during a typical NEXTEL Cup weekend. For the 2006 season, which includes 36 points races, the total for the season would be 216,000 US gallons. One environmental critic recently estimated NASCAR's total fuel consumption across all series at 2 million US gallons (7.57 million liters) of gas for one season; however, the methodology used has been a point of dispute.
Top 10 Fastest Modern NASCAR Race Tracks : Hare are the fastest race tracks on the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup schedule. While Talladega has the all-time official NASCAR track record, this list is sorted by fastest qualifying speed since 2000. If you want to go today and see the NEXTEL Cup stars fly by at top speeds these are the race tracks you need to visit.
Texas Motor Speedway , Michigan International Speedway , Talladega Superspeedway , California Speedway , Indianapolis Motor Speedway , Las Vegas Motor Speedway , Chicagoland Speedway , Daytona International Speedway , Lowes Motor Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway..
Busch Series : The "NASCAR Busch Series" is the second-highest level of professional competition in NASCAR. The cars look very similar to Nextel Cup cars with only a few differences, such as the weight and length of the car, the size of the rear spoiler, and the power output of the engine. As of 2007, the defending champion is Kevin Harvick.
Other Series : NASCAR announced the purchase of Canadian racing series CASCAR in September of 2006. The CASCAR Western Series will become NASCAR's fourth-tier series starting in the Fall of 2007.
Oldest NASCAR Race Tracks : NASCAR has a rich history of racing dating back to 1949. Many great race tracks disappeared on their own as victims of financial hard times or urban development. Other tracks were simply bumped from the schedule in order to free up a date for a newer track. Here are the oldest current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race tracks?
List of oldest NASCAR Race Tracks.
Martinsville Speedway , Richmond International Raceway , Daytona International Speedway , Darlington Raceway and Watkins Glen International..
Top 10 Longest NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race Tracks : Talladega Superspeedway , Indianapolis Motor Speedway , Watkins Glen International , California Speedway , Atlanta Motor Speedway , Daytona International Speedway , Pocono Raceway , Michigan International Speedway , Infineon Raceway and Lowes Motor Speedway..
Top 2 NEXTEL Cup Road Courses : The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars are known mostly for their uncanny ability to turn left. However twice each year NASCAR tests the drivers road racing skills at two of the finest road courses in the country. Here are the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup road course race tracks.
Watkins Glen International and Infineon Raceway
No comments:
Post a Comment