NASCAR Facts and Trivia

Racing fans everywhere will know that NASCAR racing is a big deal. Each year stock car racing gets bigger and bigger. This sports event has grown so much since its first race on the Charlotte Speedway in June 19, 1949. Listed below are some interesting facts that be very useful when talking about NASCAR betting online.

NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

Happy Hour is the nickname for the last practice session prior to race day.

43 cars are entered in each race.

The cars are equipped with 358 cubic inch engines that generate about 770 - 780 horsepower.

The car must weigh at least 3,400 lbs. with all fluids and allowing for a 200 lb. driver.

The temperature can approach 140 degrees inside the car during the race.

A driver can lose from 5 to 10 lbs. during the course of a race.

The car has ‘roof flaps’ to try and keep the car from rolling over if it gets turned around.

A single tire weighs 75 lbs.

The gas can holds 11 gallons of fuel and weighs about 80 lbs. when full.

The cars’ fuel cell holds 22 gallons of fuel.

The Pit Crew consists of 7 members: front tire changer, front tire carrier, rear tire changer, rear tire carrier, jack man, gas man and the gas catch can man.

Drafting is the practice of two or more cars, while racing, to run nose-to-tail, almost touching. The lead car, by displacing the air in front of it, creates a vacuum between its rear end and the nose of the following car, actually pulling the second car along with it. At this point, the second car can actually surge forward and push the lead car allowing two cars to travel around the track faster than one.

Restrictor Plate is the term for the aluminum plate, with four holes drilled in it, which is placed between the base of the carburetor and the engine’s intake manifold. The plate is designed to reduce the flow of air and fuel into the engine’s combustion chamber, thereby decreasing horsepower and speed.

HANS stands for Head And Neck Support. The Hutchins design is also utilized by drivers. These two pieces of equipment are designed to eliminate or reduce the amount of injury sustained by the head and neck.

In 2001, NASCAR drew 6.5 million fans throughout more than 70 events and more than 75 million television viewers, making NASCAR the fastest growing sport on television.

During a race, a driver’s pulse is at 85 percent of maximum, similar to marathon runner.

The front grandstands at a speedway are constructed of 2 million pounds of aluminum and 15,000 tons of steel. The aluminum used could produce 61 million soft drink cans.

A driver can lose from 5 – 10 pounds through the course of a race. They will hydrate their systems in the morning prior to the race and drink lots of fluids during the race to help combat dehydration during the race.

A driver’s helmet weighs around 3 lbs. However, on a banked turn, pulling between 2.5Gs and 5Gs, it can be five times as heavy.

The windshields have ‘tear-off’ three layers of thin clear coat plastic transparent sheets in case the windshield is smeared or dirty. . If a car’s windshield gets smeared with track debris or other cars fluids, they can Pit and pull off the outer layer.

A yellow strip across the rear of a racecar means rookie driver.

NASCAR Flags

GREEN – this flag is used to signal the beginning of the race and any restarts.

YELLOW (caution) – this flag is used to signal an accident, debris or weather related issues.

RED – this flag is used to stop the race due to a large accident or weather related issues.

WHITE – there is one lap left in the race.

CHECKERED – the race is over.

BLACK – come into the pits due to mechanical failure or a rules infraction.

BLACK w/ WHITE CROSS – laps are no longer scored until reporting to the pits.

BLUE w/ YELLOW STRIPE – pay attention to your mirrors, faster traffic is approaching.