NASCAR 101

In order to determine who the champion of the Cup Series is; NASCAR uses a point system called the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

All the drivers first compete in 26 races.  At each race the first place winner gets 43 points and the last place driver gets 1 point.  If the driver gets second place they get 42 points, third place gets 41 points, and so on until last place gets 1 point. 

On top of this, there are bonus points awarded each race.  The winner of the race gets 3 additional points, for leading any lap the driver gets 1 bonus point, and for leading the most laps in a race the driver gets 1 bonus point. Therefore, the maximum points per race available is 48.

After the 26 races, there is a championship that consists of 10 additional races.  The top ten drivers in points receive automatic bids to compete in the championship.  They are awarded 2,000 starting points along with a 3-point seeding bonus for each victory they had in the 26 races. (So a top ten driver with 4 victories would start with 2,012 points.) 

There are also 2 other drivers that get to compete in the championship.  The two drivers are the ones outside of the top ten who have the most victories but, they need to be in the top twenty in driver championship points.  These drivers are also awarded 2,000 points but do not get the 3 bonus points for each win.

During the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the 12 drivers accumulate points using the same method used for the first 26 races.  The driver with the most points after the 10 races is crowned the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion.

Racing Flags

White: One lap to go

The race’s final lap is beginning.

Green: Start

This is used to start the race and restart the race after a stoppage.

Yellow: Caution

Indicates a caution period due to an accident or debris.  Cars must slow down and stay in line behind the pace car during this period.

Red: Stop

This means that the race is being stopped for safety reasons or bad weather.

Blue Diagonal Yellow Stripe: Yield

Slower drivers who have been lapped must yield to the faster leading cars.

Checkered: Finish

Indicates that the race is over, this is when the first-place car crosses the finish line.

Black: Penalty

This means that a driver has to return to the pits due to mechanical problems or penalizing reasons.

Black with Diagonal White Cross: Scoring Penalty

This indicates that the driver will not be scored until they answer to the officials.

NASCAR strategy is crucial to all teams as they try to strategize a winning formula.  Sometimes the crew chief will make a last minute call for a pit stop and discuss it with the driver.  Just because you may have the fastest car does not mean you will win the race.  A team with a good strategy and good planning can win the race.  Listed below are three major factors that play into racing strategy; tires, fuel and car adjustments.

TIRES
Tires must be changed throughout the race.  As the car makes its way around the track, the tire will wear down.  Almost every time there is a caution the cars will make their way into pit road to get four tires changed.  Sometimes if it is closer to the end of the race the crew chief and the driver will make a decision to change only two tires.  They make this decision because they want to race for position.  Some drivers feel they will have a better chance to win or finish higher by only changing two tires.  However, there is a price to pay by only changing two tires.  When a team changes two tires the car has less grip as it goes around the track compared to a car that changed all four tires.  A car with four fresh tires is almost always faster than a car with two.

Sometimes a team will make a green flag pit stop.  This means other cars are still racing as another team makes a pit stop.  They do this because the tire wears down and they lose speed as a result.  Sometimes teams will make a green flag pit stop during the race. For example, if there are 80 laps to go and they know that the tires will last them a good 70 laps they will make a green flag pit stop around 70 laps to go.  This will allow them to pit before other drivers, therefore, allowing them to gain position back when the other cars pit. 

FUEL
Fuel is calculated throughout the race by the crew chief and he decides when the team should make a pit stop to get fuel.  The crew chief must also calculate for caution flags that can affect the amount of fuel a car uses.  On every caution the crew chief must recalculate the amount of fuel the car will use for the laps remaining.  Sometimes drives also need to adjust their driving style to account for fuel usage.  This is because the driver may be able to save fuel to avoid making a pit stop to allow him to get better field position.

 

CAR ADJUSTMENTS
Every car reacts to the track differently and based on how the car is driving the crew team will make adjustments to the car on a pit stop.  Some cars will be tight or loose as it goes around the track.  This causes the driver to slow down more than other cars causing the driver to lose field position. When the car is tight the front tires begin to lose traction before the rear tires and the nose of the car will slide towards the outside wall as it makes it way around the corner.  When the car is loose the rear tires lose traction before the front tires.  The tail of the car slides towards the outside wall as the rear tires lose traction and the front tires struggle to pull it forward.  To fix these problems teams will add or remove air pressure in the tires.

Pit crew may look complicated but it really isn't.  It is made up of two tire carriers, a jackman, two tire changers, catch can man, gas man, support crew, and the extra man (8th man).  All of these people are involved with crucial pit stop.

Tire Carriers:

These crew members carry tires to the right and left side of the car. One person carries the tires for the front of the car and the other crew member carries it to the rear.

Jackman:

The jack is a hydraulic jack that weighs 20-pounds and raises the car on both sides.  First the jackman will lift the right side, then the left to allow all the tires to be changed.

Tire Changers:

These crew members remove the right side tires and left side tires.  They use an air-powered impact wrench to loosen and tighten five lug nuts that hold the tire rim in place. 

Gas Man:

The gas man carries a 12-gallon can of fuel that weighs 81 pounds each.

Support Crew:

This part of the crew is behind the pit wall that will help pass fuel and tires to the other members on the team. 

Extra Man:

Occasionally this person is allowed to clean the windshield or assist the driver if needed.  

Banking: The sloping of a racetrack, particularly at a curve or a corner, from the apron to the outside wall. Degree of banking refers to the height of a racetrack's slope at the outside edge

ANATOMY OF A RACE CAR

Brake Air Intake- Directs outside air to brake discs and rotors for additional cooling

Radiator Air Intake - Directs outside air into the radiator to cool engine fluids

Body Panels- Fabricated from 24-gauge/0.0247-inch (minimum) cold-rolled sheet metal

Hood Pins - Four quick-release metal pins with wire tethers that keep the hood closed

Cowl Induction- Housing for the air cleaner that connects the air intake at the base of the windshield to the carburetor.

• Nitrogen used is used in the tires rather than air because it has a much more consistent rate of expansion and contraction
• NASCAR race cars use a 4-speed transmission
• NASCAR stands for “National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing"
• The first NASCAR race was held on June 19, 1949 in Charlotte, NC at the ¾ mile dirt track Charlotte Speedway
• The creation of NASCAR is credited to bootleggers, who began modifying their cars to outrun the police
• NASCAR is the biggest spectator sport in America
• NASCAR uses an unleaded, ethanol fuel blend
• NASCAR drivers can experience 3 Gs of force against their bodies, comparable to the forces pressing down on shuttle astronauts at liftoff
• Drivers can lose 5-10 pounds in sweat during a race

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