Top 10 facts to help you understand NASCAR, and maybe even learn to like it:
- Series: The NASCAR series has two different racing series – the Nationwide series and the Spring Cup Series. Think of it as JV (Nationwide) and Varsity (Sprint)
- Popularity: NASCAR is the 2nd most popular sport in America (NFL is #1)
- NASCAR Car: A NASCAR stock car weighs, 3,400 pounds, which is about the same weight of a Toyota Camry. This is 150 pounds lighter than it was last year, and all cars on the racetrack must weigh the same.
- Race Format: There are 43 cars that start off the race, and they race from 350 miles to 600 miles, depending on the track. They race on either road-courses or oval tracks. Their speeds can get up to over 200 mph!
- Strategy: At the start of each race, every driver and their team have a pit strategy to win the race. Of course, not everyone’s strategy is the same – which is what makes it exciting. Also, you never know when a tire is going to go flat and take out a few cars along the way!
- Drivers: Every driver has their own personality and characteristics that make fans either love them or hate them. There are the guys who have been around forever (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart), there are drivers who have come over from Indy Car or Formula 1 racing (Juan Pablo Montoya), there are nice guys you want to take home to meet your parents (Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin), there are mean bullies (Kyle Busch), and there are some who totally understand the business and are sponsors dreams (Carl Edwards). All of these guys DO NOT get along and will sometimes go out of their way to knock a guy out of the race. Another reason you never know what’s going to happen!
- First Woman: Danica Patrick will be the first woman to drive in all 36 races this season. She has also won the pole position for the opening race on Sunday – she is a force to be reckoned with, so boys should watch out. She is also newly divorced and dating one of the other drivers (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.)
- Are Drivers athletes?: Many years ago, before I got into NASCAR, my initial feeling was that drivers weren’t athletes. However, over the past couple of years I have began to sing a different tune. Let me explain… Have you ever had to parallel park your car by inching forward and then back and then forward and back a few times? Have you ever broken out in sweat or your arms were tired and you had to stop? Well, that is the type of strain that these drivers endure for 3 to 4 hours and they have 40 other cars chasing them at 200+ mph. They are also sitting in the same spot for that amount of time in fire-retardant outfits that automatically make them feel like they are in a sauna. Have you ever sat in a Bikram Yoga class for longer than an hour? Didn’t think so. The amount of pressure and strain they put on their body every weekend (not including in practice) is reason enough to call them an athlete. Can they outrun Usain Bolt, no probably not, but can anyone?
- How do you win the overall NASCAR championship?: Each driver who finishes the race gets a certain number of points – pending on what order they finish the race. Towards the end of the year, the top 12 drivers compete in the final 10 races for a chance to win the NASCAR Championship!
- How do you recommend I watch the race?: DVR is amazing! I don’t think I would watch as many races as I do, if it wasn’t for DVR. I would recommend you record the race and the next hour or so after the race is slotted to end (they rarely end on time), and sit back and watch it. Pending on the network that is airing the race will determine how good the information and broadcast will be. Highly recommend tuning into Fox & ESPN/ABC when they do the broadcasts (full schedule), because they are entertaining and you can learn a lot just by listening to them. DVR lets you turn a 3-hour race in 90 minutes, and that’s if you don’t fast forward and just look for wrecks.
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