NASCAR FAQ
A small FAQ about NASCAR. The most important questions and answers should be found here. Should any questions or anything is unclear, simply use the comments. Please no questions about streams or how to open a stream on his computer. It's all about the rules of NASCAR, for an overview of all NASCAR tracks please here look.
Since when does the NASCAR and what does the abbreviation?
Which NASCAR classes are there?
Where does the NASCAR race her?
What are those cars that used to NASCAR?
Which engines are used?
What is a (n) "restrictor plate"?
Why do you drive around with such stone-age technology?
It takes only ovals, or circuits?
How does a normal qualifying?
What special qualifying format are available for some races?
How long are the races?
What is so interesting in seeing people go in circles for so long?
As the points are distributed?
How many races are there and what is the "Chase?
What is a "Caution"?
What is a "Big One"?
How do the pit stops?
What is a "Green White Checkered" (GWC)?
What is a "Lucky Dog"?
What does a crew chief?
What does a Spotter?
Why did the car go into the season, sponsors and colors?
Why does not NASCAR in the rain?
Who are the stars of NASCAR?
Take pilots, which are known in Europe?
How popular is the series in the U.S.?
Where can you see NASCAR in Europe?
Since when does the NASCAR and what does the abbreviation?
NASCAR is an acronym that stands for "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing." The history of NASCAR is indeed legendary. If one goes very far back, then go back to the race the Prohibition in the United States. Then brought moonshine alcohol drivers to their destination and delivered it to race regularly with the police. After Prohibition ended, the driver had not done much, but met regularly to race to compete. A meeting place was the beach at Daytona Beach, because you could then compare the speed of the car.
Bill France Sr., a mechanic, took part in the races and organized them yourself, but what was then interrupted by the Second World War. It was not until 1946, there were again more regular race, France founded NASCAR in 1948. It was by far not the only series that existed at the time, but sat through France with his series, because he managed the best riders and tracks using prize money to retain them. Long as the races were just "dirt tracks" driven, that is, sand slopes or former race tracks from which, also, the oval shape of the lines have formed.
Until the early 70s was one NASCAR series that only in the states of North / South Carolina, Virginia took place, and Georgia. The so-called "redneck" states celebrated race with a lot of beer and a barbeque, television was rare.
Then succeeded NASCAR to market the series on TV and it succeeded in becoming a most important and biggest motorsport series in the USA.
Which NASCAR classes are there?
Under the banner of the NASCAR racing series to run some. The main ones are safe this here:
NASCAR Sprint Cup
This is the "pinnacle" of NASCAR, go here all the stars, here are the most money.
NASCAR Nationwide Series
The "2nd Division", something like the GP2. However, this start is not just young rookies, but also the stars of the Sprint Cup. Firstly, there is also money to get to the other and the title of the series is quite important.
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
A series that is run in with a heavily modified pickup trucks. Here come the stars of rare, but there are already one or two familiar names.
In addition there are other series like the NASCAR affiliates in Canada (Canadian Tire Series) and Mexico (Corona Series). There are several regional Dirt Track Series, which promote both junior constitute, on the other hand, the grassroots level.
NASCAR has invited a co-operation with the second major stock car series in the U.S., the ARCA. The ARCA runs with the old chassis from NASCAR and also young talents are trained, as the ARCA most NASCAR ovals with uses.
Where does the NASCAR race her?
The Sprint Cup runs his race exclusively in the USA. Although the series is now in California and Arizona on the road, but most races are still in the "heartland" of NASCAR, the aforementioned redneck states down. Here there is an overview of all tracks where the Sprint Cup on the road.
The Nationwide Series makes at least one trip to Canada, which is on the track in Montreal on the road, where the Formula One driving.
What are those cars that used to NASCAR?
Although the car is on the name of the manufacturer (Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota) but basically it is a unit chassis that was developed by NASCAR. The dimensions are exactly defined, so that the teams have no room. Only the "face" of the car, including grille can be adjusted so that the model looks like a street car. Since you have to look but even accurate. The provisions of NASCAR are really very closely and even include the thickness of the outer skin of the chassis.
In principle this is a silhouette in the NASCAR series, as we know them from the DTM.
Which engines are used?
It can be used with 5.5-liter V8 engines. However, it is not just about the latest technology. Thus, the valves do not have a camshaft but be moved by ram, and one is still on a carburetor. This is a 4-speed gearbox, which one must say though, that is not on the ovals. The engine is at a maximum speed of about 9600 rev / min at the end which makes about 750 hp. Here, the power is regulated by a "restrictor plate". This is an "air restrictors," with the performance of a motor can be adjusted. The NASCAR measured at irregular intervals, the motor power of the manufacturer and fit them using the "plates" to specify that all lie roughly on a level.
What is a "restrictor plate" is?
The fuel / air mixture that is added through the carburetor to the engine, determines the performance. It reduces the oxygen, decrease the power output ratings. The "restrictor plate" is basically a kind of air restrictors. Normally you go through the whole season with the same delimiter, which is not true for the race and Daytona and Talladega. Because the vehicles are on the extremely inflated oval without limiters already reached the end of the 80s speeds of over 350 km / h, it was decided to make an end of the orgy of speed. The performance of the vehicles will be screwed by means of the limiter from 750 down to around 450 hp. Yet even here the pilots reach the magic 200 mph (320 km / h) limit. Because all the cars have the same power, the field is very closely together. In the race teams and drivers are not very popular on both routes, because most accidents is particularly high here. The fans love the race but all the more.
Why do you drive around with such stone-age technology?
It has no traditional reasons. Much more like the NASCAR not to explode the development costs. The tight regulation ensures that you can make very little on the engine. This does not mean that one does nothing. Every few years, manufacturers bring new engines that build on the existing Rule Movement. But it changed a lot in the area of friction or loss in cooling. The Leistungewinn is usually low (about 10 hp), but newer engines tend to have a broader power band and more torque, which helps speed up getting out of the steep curves.
It takes only ovals, or circuits?
NASCAR also runs on the track. The Sprint Cup at the moment has 2 in the calendar: Sonoma and Watkins Glen. For this race teams put some drivers who specialize in courses around to achieve a good placement (the so-called "road course ringer").
What are the ovals are there?
There are basically three types of ovals:
- Short Tracks
These are ovals that are between half and one mile long.
- Speedway
These are ovals, which are between one and two miles. The most "classical" ovals are 1.5 miles long.
- Super Speedway
Of these, there are only two: Daytona and Talladega. They're about 2.5 miles long and have a superelevation 33-36%.
What distinguishes the most ovals superelevation. You take sharp bends, which are highly varied depending on the route. There are ovals, whose superelevation to 36 degrees (Talladega, Bristol), there is virtually flat tracks where the camber curve is in the single digits (Phoenix, Martinsville). The higher and more steep the curve is, the faster you drive through. Daytona and Talladega you drive the whole lap, "flat out", ie full throttle. It is not chipped and is not slowed down.
It is different, for example, in Indianapolis, the most famous in Europe Oval. Here the lines are indeed long, but narrow and the curves a little excessive, so that drivers have to brake heavily.
How does a normal qualifying?
The qualification for most races is pretty simple. There is an individual time trial, each rider has two flying laps, who is the fastest at the end, standing on the poles. It may take a total of 43 cars in a race. Usually there are more starters than starting places. In order to regulate it are a few special features, the "TOP35" rule and the "Champion's Provisional". Specifically, it looks like this:
The cars that are in the constructors 'standings (not drivers' championship!) Among the first 35 cars have a guaranteed starting place, no matter what place they qualify. The cars, which are from 36th place, must qualify through the fastest time. This leads, at first glance, confusing results. An example:
There are 43 starting positions, 35 cars are safe, as mentioned already in the race. There are also 10 other teams, making 45 cars for 43 starting positions. Would occupy these 10 teams places 1 to 10, would have the ninth and the tenth-placed driver to drive back home, although they are faster than the top was 35th Because not only the eight fastest of the top 35 teams may start.
Then there is the "Champions Provisional." Is a former champion at the start, is not in the Top 35, then he can demand six times per season, a starting place even if his qualifying time is too slow actually. If the quota is used up, he must qualify like everyone else.
The points of the top 35 are collected throughout the season. In the first five races of a season is the status of the previous year, after which the new valuation taken.
What special qualifying format are available for some races?
There are mainly at the Daytona 500 is a highly complicated regulations. There is a quality one week before the race, in which are but only the first two starting positions assigned. The rest will be figured out in two other races on the Thursday before the 500, the Gatorade Duels. In the first race will start the odd places, in the second the even extended. This is so confusing that even the commentators have to rely on the lists of NASCAR.
How long are the races?
NASCAR races are long distance races. Most races are 400-500 miles long, that is correct belt. The races usually last about 3 hours, it goes, depending on how often interrupted, sometimes even an hour longer. Add to this the pre-start procedure, which requires even a half hour and of course the award ceremony. All in all, such a transfer ever take a good four hours, sometimes it goes a little longer.
What is so interesting in seeing people go in circles for so long?
The attraction of the race lies not in the short sprint. Formula One races last about 90 minutes, because NASCAR has sometimes not even the half of the race behind them. Long-distance races have their own charm and its own dynamics. For one, the teams have the opportunity to change the car. It often happens that a team has waxed the vote in training, then the race is far back at first, to then return to work through the changes ahead.
Besides that, the power density is extremely narrow. The lap times of the top 10 are usually separated by only a few tenths or thousandths of seconds. The field is often very close together, so go forth not only after the other, but side by side in two or even three rows.
The fascination of the race often reveals itself only when one follows the series for some time and learn how the drama is built up
How the points are distributed, or how the point system?
In NASCAR, there are points for the placement and the number of laps. The point distribution for the positions is as follows:
- 43
- 42
- 41
- 40
- 39
- ...
- 1
For his first driven lead lap, the driver gets 1 point. One point he received when he completed the most laps of a race.
How many races are there and what is the "Chase?
There are 36 races counting for the championship. After 26 races, the cut is made the Chase. There are two other races that do not belong to the championship. This is the "Budweiser Shootout", a pure race sponsor for the week before the Daytona 500 and the "All-Star Race" in May, also more a matter for the sponsor.
The Chase is a kind of playoff system in NASCAR. After 26 Race of the season get the first 12 riders in the points standings 5000 points and 10 more for each previously moved out race win. They are thus uneinhohlbar for the rest of the field and make the championship in the last 10 races between themselves. The prize money will of course continue to be distributed among all participating teams and vehicles.
What is a "Caution"?
Caution keep an influenced the use of the safety car, which sits in front of the box, and it slows down, so as to minimize the potential danger. Caution While the other vehicles may not have the safety car (except by invitation), are obsolete. May also be refueled only after the pits were opened by the race organizers. A Caution can have many causes, such as parts of the route, an accident or rain.
Caution is a special form of the "Competition Caution". This is fixed by the race director before or during the race for a particular round. In this round, then the yellow flag is waved, symbolizing the box next to the yellow flashing lights at the edge of the track so that the safety car comes onto the track and field needs to slow down. A "Caution Competition" is set as if it was raining and so the teams could not train. Thus all teams will be given without much loss of time, the opportunity to improve their vehicle during a pit stop.
Cautions are not quite the umunstritten. Sure, if it be an accident, the rescue of the driver is in the foreground, but often also called "voltage-Caution" given. If the race goes too long without interruption "discover" the officials like to debris that are supposedly in the way in and disrupt the race. The one hand gives TV stations the option of safe commercial interruption, on the other hand, it brings together the field and makes the race more exciting again.
Cautions are an integral part of the dramaturgy. Usually there are many in the startup phase, in the middle of a race, if one goes on of laps, but a few. Towards the end of a race is the thing again more hectic, because drivers are fighting back at enhanced positions, accordingly, it crashes more often. On short tracks, there are many interruptions due to the narrowness to broad and long ovals in Fontana that happens rarely.
What is a "Big One"?
This refers to an accident that usually includes more than five vehicles. That happen either in a start-or. Re-launch phase or on the super speedways, with restrictor which is driven onto plates. Here because all drivers are equally fast, they stuck together in Zentimenterabstand and if it crashes, then there's the "Big One". Can ever be more than 10 or even relate to half the field.
How do the pit stops?
There are strict rules. First, the amount of the pit crew, which may over the wall is limited. For each axis there is a team of "Tire Carrier" and "Tire Changer". The former takes care of transporting the tires and the latter to the loosening and tightening the wheel nuts. Then there is the "Jackman", the old-fashioned means of pumping jack the cars by hand in the air. Two more ("Gas Man" and "Catch-Can Man") take care of the manual refueling by two large canister. The "Catch-Can Man" is mostly done in conjunction with the "Rear Tire Carrier" settings as needed in addition to the rear axle. This one wrench is placed in one of the three holes of the rear window, where several hidden screws. All stops are two "referees" observed on each car. Rolling a tire in the pits, there is a penalty. The car is not in the prescribed position, there is a penalty. The wheels have no central nut like Formula One, but quite old-fashioned five nuts.
The nuts have to be solved, then comes the new tires. On the new wheel, the nuts are lightly glued firmly so that they must not insert one by one. If one looks over a lug nut, however, there is also a penalty. A perfect stop usually takes still only about 14 seconds. Given the lack of central mother, and that you walk around the car needs to go the other side, this is a very good time.
What is a "Green White Checkered" (GWC)?
If in the last three laps of a race is a caution, there is a rule that you start an experiment, not the end to the "yellow", where the position of the field is indeed frozen. The rounds of the GWC are added to the race distance. Is the route free again, the green start flag is given. A lap later it shows up the white flag, indicating the last lap, in the following round is the checkered flag. Should there be another round in this incident, the race will end in "yellow". The electronic timing determines the winner.
What is a "Lucky Dog"?
If there is a Caution, then the driver must back round, which is back in the time table as the first one lap. This is the "Lucky Dog". If the driver in question, however, to blame for the Caution, then moves further to the right next to the driver.
What does a crew chief?
The crew chief is virtually the Team Manager. He is responsible for everything. For technology, the strategy for the changes in the vote and the communication with the driver during the race. But behind the scenes he is the most important man, because when it all comes together. He has several assistants, department heads or less, which are for the construction of the chassis, engines, etc. The training of the crew responsible. But ultimately he bears full responsibility for one race. He also serves as deputy to the team owner at the track. Sometimes, but not all teams, he is also responsible for marketing and sponsors. This applies only to the "small" teams. For the top teams, this task is the team owner or a manager.
What does a Spotter?
The spotter is one of the most important people for the driver. The spotter stands on an elevated point, usually on the roof of the stands in an oval, and observing what's around the driver's happening around and in front of him. On large ovals sometimes two spotters are used. During the race, the driver is in permanent radio contact with his spotter. This informs the driver of the racing action around him, who say that about him, under him, leaves him behind or in front of him and who want to overtake him, or whom he surpassed. Even with accidents that happen in front of the vehicle of its driver, the spotter has to have the difficult task of his driver's way through the rubble and other vehicles.
Why did the car go into the season, sponsors and colors?
There are a few teams over the year have the same sponsor. In Formula One requires the FIA, as the paint of the car has to be over the year. One can not change the colors, which makes things easy. In the U.S. there is more generous, a team may have different sponsors for each race, changing the paint up. Even top teams with a lot of money go different in the U.S. called "Paint Schemes", painting.
Why does not NASCAR in the rain?
NASCAR moves apart from the two races all on ovals. On ovals, it is simply too dangerous to ride in the rain. Serious accidents were inevitable. NASCAR had to rain tires a few years ago, but which one no longer used due to the rare use on the racetrack, for cost reasons. In the Nationwide Series, however, are still used rain tires. However, it also runs on ovals, but here not only on the track when it rains. At the speeds that are reached, rain tires just make no sense to this, that the rain in the steep curves almost run down in torrents. This is altogether too dangerous.
Who are the stars of NASCAR?
Most of the names tell the Europeans not say anything. But are important personalities: Jeff Gordon (multiple champion), Jimmie Johnson (won the last four championships), Tony Stewart (former IRL champion, two-time NASCAR champion), Dale Earnhardt Jr, Mark Martin, Kyle Busch, his brother Kurt Busch Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott (former champion).
Take pilots, which are known in Europe?
The best known is former Formula One driver Juan Pablo Montoya pilot, which has been established after three years in NASCAR firmly at the top, and now ranks among the major stars. In addition there are Scott Speed (Ex-Toro Rosso) and Max Papis (Ex-F1, ex-GT-pilot). This year makes the IRL-driver Danica Patrick an attempt to establish itself in the second division of NASCAR, Nationwide Series. There has been some IRL drivers who have tried it, including the well-known from the DTM, Dario Franchitti, but the attempt failed 2008th The former F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve has dabbled in NASCAR, but could not find enough sponsors who wanted to support him.
How popular is the series in the U.S.?
In terms of motor sport in the U.S. there is no series that NASCAR can reach the water. Formula One is in the U.S. "also ran", the IRL is still only a shadow of its old days. Ratings of the NASCAR lie roughly at the level of a baseball playoff game, but far below those of the NFL. A game between two top NFL teams has about five times the amount of spectators. An exception is the Daytona 500, which comes to about half the audience of an NFL head game. With the playoffs or the Super Bowl but can not compete in NASCAR races. Compared with Formula One in Germany, the odds are, depending on the NASCAR race at one level. But we must not forget that NASCAR runs 36 races a year, since the range will look different again.
Where can you see NASCAR in Europe?
The TV coverage of NASCAR in Europe is different. First things first: The NASCAR is not currently live in Germany or in full length! Premiere / Sky had the rights to the Daytona 500 2008, and after that came one years summaries, in 2009 it looked completely into the tube. The only legal way to watch NASCAR in Germany was, until April 2010, the Internet subscription from Ab-Moteurs, more information here (Warning: Not all the races live and only French commentary!). In Great Britain could be the series on Sky until 2009 to see live. The TV-rights situation in 2010 is as follows: ServusTV, a station belonging to the Redbull Group, Monday night always sends a one-hour summary of the race last weekend. The transmitter is originally from Austria, but also in Germany via satellite or cable Germany. Another way to watch NASCAR in Germany, Internet streams, whose legality is disputed, more information here .
