NASCAR 101
Points System
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.
Flag System
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.
NASCAR 101
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.
Racing Strategy
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.
NASCAR 101
Pit Crew
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.
Glossary of Terms
NASCAR LINGO
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
Bump drafting: Drivers push the other car, bumper to bumper, to increase their speed.
Dirty air: Turbulence created by a lead car that negatively impacts the downforce and handling of a
trailing car.
Drafting: 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.
Green-white-checkered finish: NASCAR's version of overtime, which allows up to three attempts at
two-lap shootout finishes so that races don't end under caution.
Groove: Slang for the fastest way around the racetrack.
NASCAR 101
Handling: Generally, a race car's performance while racing, qualifying or practicing. How a car
"Handles" is determined by its tires, suspension geometry, aerodynamics and other factors.
Happy hour: Final practice before the race
Loose: Describes a car's back end wiggling and losing stability when entering or exiting a corner.
When the back of the racecar feels like it wants to spin out.
Lucky Dog: TV slang; known by NASCAR as a "free pass" or "beneficiary." When a yellow flag is
waved, the first lapped driver gets a lap back.
Marbles: Pieces of tire rubber that accumulate in the turns of the track, giving the sensation of driving
on marbles.
Pass-through: A penalty (for infractions such as speeding on pit road) that forces a driver to make a
trip down pit lane under green-flag conditions at pit-road speed.
Pit Road: The area where pit crews service the cars.
SAFER barriers: "Steel and Foam Energy Reduction, " energy absorbent walls used at all NASCAR
tracks to reduce crash impacts
Stickers: Slang term for new tires. The name is derived from the manufacturer's stickers that are
affixed to each new tire's contact surface.
Tight: Used to describe a car that has difficulty turning in the corner, usually requiring the driver to get
out of the throttle. When the front of the racecar does not want to turn.
Track bar: A rear bar assembly that can be raised (to loosen the car) or lowered (to tighten) during
the race. Pit crews access the track bar through the rear window using an extended ratchet.
Wave around: During a caution, cars at least one lap down can stay out on the track and, provided all
lead-lap cars pit, get waved around the pace car before the restart and get one lap back
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.
Jack Post- Area where the jack man places the jack to lift the car during pit stops.
Roll Cage- A cage of steel tubing inside the car that protects the driver during impacts and rollovers.
Windshield Clips- Allow for easy removal of the windshield should a driver need to be extricated
from the car.
NASCAR 101
Double Frame Rail and Energy Absorbing Material- A combination of steel plating and energy
absorbing materials installed in between the roll cage door bars and door panels that absorb energy
upon impact.
Cooling Vents- Help remove warm air from the cockpit.
Roof Strips- Two half-inch-tall aluminum strips which run lengthwise on the roof to help prevent the
car from flipping when turned sideways during a spin or accident.
Alternate Exit- Also known as a “roof hatch,” it allows drivers to exit the car in the event of an
emergency situation.
Roof Flaps- Help prevents the car from becoming airborne when it is turned sideways or backwards
during a spin or accident.
Window Net- Safety device located in the driver-side window that keeps the driver’s head and arms
inside the car during an accident.
Goodyear Eagle Racing Tires- Tread less radial tires designed specifically for racing.
Jacking Bolt- An area where the crew uses a tool to adjust the handling of the car by altering the
load on the rear springs.
Rear Spoiler- Affixed at a 70 degree angle (non-adjustable), 4 inches tall in the center, 64.5 inches
wide.
Fast Facts
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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
NASCAR 101
What To Expect
Be prepared for a good time! Here is some advice for first-time visitors to WGI...
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Dress in comfortable layers - Upstate, NY weather is unpredictable!
Wear good walking shoes - Keep in mind that WGI sits on over 2,000 acres and personal golf
carts are prohibited
Allow time for gate entry
ATMs are available on-site; no need to carry large amounts of cash
Recently renovated shower facilities are also available on site - don't forget shower flip-flops
Remember, parking is free!
WHAT TO BRING:
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Sunglasses & sunscreen
Ear protection
Seat cushions (only soft-backed seat cushions without concealed spaces will be permitted)
Flags without poles
Binoculars/scanners/headsets/cameras (please consolidate to one carrying bag)
ONE soft-sided bag/cooler not exceeding 9”x10”x13” with contents
ONE day pack/bag approx. 17” in length
*REMEMBER* all items brought within grandstands will be inspected!
WHAT NOT TO BRING
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Weapons of any description
Illegal drugs
Fireworks
ATVs, dirt bikes, motorcycles, mopeds, and bicycles
Water balloon launchers of any kind
“Super Soakers”
Circus/party tents exceeding 20’x30’
Awnings exceeding 20’x20’
Box, rental, or lift trucks, cargo vehicles, cargo trailers
Portable swimming pools/hot tubs/spas of any size