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2007 in NASCAR
National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing, Inc.
Jeff Burton (99), Elliott Sadler (38), Ricky Rudd (21), Dale Jarrett
(88), Sterling Marlin (40), Jimmie Johnson (48), and Casey Mears (41) practice
for the 2004 Daytona 500The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing
(NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States.
The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup,
the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also oversees NASCAR
Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Whelen All-American
Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 states,
Canada, and Mexico. From 1996 to 1998, NASCAR held exhibition races in
Japan, and an exhibition race in Australia in 1988.
With roots as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the second-most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League.[1] Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S.,1 and has 75 million fans[1] who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport.
NASCAR's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in four North Carolina cities: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are also located in New York City, Los Angeles, Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico City and Toronto, Ontario.
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Beginning of the modern era
NASCAR made major changes in its structure in the early 1970s. The
top series found sponsorship from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) (tobacco
companies had been banned from television advertising and were looking
for a promotional outlet). The "Winston Cup" (begun in 1971) became the
top competitive series, with a new points system and some significant cash
benefits to compete for championship points. The next division down, called
Late Model Sportsman, gained the "Grand National" title passed down from
the top division and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer. In the mid-1970s,
some races began to get partial television coverage, frequently on the
ABC sports variety show "Wide World of Sports."
Before NASCAR started racing at Infineon Raceway, they used to run at the Riverside International RacewayFinally, in 1979, the Daytona 500 became the first stock car race that was nationally televised from flag to flag on CBS. The leaders going into the last lap, Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison, wrecked on the backstretch while dicing for the lead, allowing Richard Petty to pass them both and win the race. Immediately, Yarborough, Allison, and Allison's brother Bobby were engaged in a fistfight on national television. This underlined the drama and emotion of the sport and increased its broadcast marketability. Luckily for NASCAR, the race coincided with a major snowstorm along the United States' eastern seaboard, successfully introducing much of the captive audience to the sport.
The beginning of the modern era also brought a change in the competitive
structure. The purse awarded for championship points accumulated over the
course of the season began to be significant. Previously, drivers were
mostly concerned about winning individual races. Now, their standing in
championship points became an important factor.
NASCAR-sanctioned series
NEXTEL Cup
Main article: NEXTEL Cup
The 2006 NASCAR Nextel cupThe "NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series" is the sport's highest level of professional competition. It is consequently the most popular and most profitable NASCAR series. The 2006 NEXTEL Cup season consisted of 36 races over 10 months, with over $4 million in total prize money at stake at each race. Writers and fans often use "Cup" to refer to the NEXTEL Cup series and the ambiguous use of "NASCAR" as a synonym for the NEXTEL Cup series is common. As of 2007, the defending champion is Jimmie Johnson.
In 2004, NEXTEL took over sponsorship of the premier series from R.J.
Reynolds, formally renaming it from the Winston Cup to the NEXTEL Cup Series.
A new championship points system, "The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup" was also
developed, which reset the point standings with ten races to go, making
only drivers in the top ten or within 400 points of the leader eligible
to win the championship. In 2007, NASCAR announced it was expanding "The
Chase" from ten to twelve drivers, eliminating the 400-point cutoff, and
giving a ten-point bonus to the top twelve drivers for each of the races
they have won out of the first 26. Wins throughout the season will also
be worth five more points than in previous seasons. In 2008, the premier
series title name will become the Sprint Cup Series, as part of the merger
between NEXTEL and Sprint.
Busch Series
Main article: Busch Series
The Busch Series field following the pace car at Texas in April 2007The "NASCAR Busch Series" is the second-highest level of professional competition in NASCAR. The cars look very similar to Nextel Cup cars with only a few differences, such as the weight and length of the car, the size of the rear spoiler, and the power output of the engine. As of 2007, the defending champion is Kevin Harvick.
The Busch Series is currently the only series of the top three to race
outside the United States and the only series to have ever held points-paying
international events. The season is a few races shorter and the prize money
is significantly lower. Over the last several years, a number of NEXTEL
Cup drivers have tried to run races in both series, using the Busch race
as a warm-up to the Cup event at the same facility. Detractors of this
practice have labeled such drivers as "Busch-whackers." The Busch sponsorship
is set to expire at the end of 2007 and the series is currently looking
for a new title sponsor for 2008 and beyond.
Craftsman Truck Series
Main article: Craftsman Truck Series
The '"NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series" features modified pickup trucks.
It is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, together with the
Busch Series and the Nextel Cup. As of 2007, the defending champion is
Todd Bodine.
In 1994, NASCAR announced the formation of the NASCAR SuperTruck Series
presented by Craftsman. The first series race followed in 1995. In 1996,
the series was renamed the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to emphasize Craftsman's
involvement. The series was first considered something of an oddity or
a "senior tour" for NASCAR drivers, but eventually grew in popularity and
has produced Nextel Cup series drivers who had never raced in the Busch
Series.
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NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
Main article: NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
NASCAR announced the purchase of Canadian racing series CASCAR in September
of 2006. The CASCAR Western Series will become NASCAR's fourth-tier series
starting in the Fall of 2007.
NASCAR Mexico Corona Series
Main article: NASCAR Mexico Corona Series
In December of 2006, NASCAR also announced the creation of the NASCAR
Mexico Corona Series, replacing the existing Desafio Corona Series, to
begin in 2007.[3]
Other NASCAR racing series
In addition to the five main series, NASCAR operates several other
racing circuits.
Many local race tracks across the United States and Canada run under the Whelen All-American Series banner, where local drivers are compared against each other in a formula where the best local track champion of the nation wins the Whelen All-American Weekly Series National Championship. The Whelen All-American series is split into four divisions. Each division champion receives a point-fund money payout and even more goes to the National champion (driver with most points out of the four division winners). The Whelen All-American Series is the base for stock car racing, developing NASCAR names such as Clint Bowyer, Jimmy Spencer, Tony Stewart, the Bodine brothers and many others along the way.
NASCAR also sanctions three regional racing divisions: The Whelen Modified Tour, which races open-wheel "modified" cars in Northern and Southern divisions; the Grand National Division, which races in the Busch East (formerly Busch North); and the AutoZone West Series. Grand National cars are similar to Busch Series cars, although they are less powerful. The AutoZone Elite Division, which races late-model cars which are lighter and less powerful than NEXTEL Cup cars, is split into four divisions: Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest. At the end of 2005, NASCAR announced that the AutoZone Elite Division would be discontinued after the 2006 season due to having trouble securing NASCAR-sanctioned tracks to successfully host AutoZone Elite Division events, plus escalating costs of competing and downsizing of the Division in recent years.
In 2003, NASCAR standardized rules for its AutoZone Elite and Grand National divisions regional touring series as to permit cars in one series to race against cars in another series in the same division. The top 15 (Grand National) or 10 (AutoZone Elite) in each series will race in a one-race playoff, called the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to determine the annual AutoZone Elite and Grand National champions. This event has been hosted at Irwindale Speedway in California since its inception.
Many drivers move up through the series before reaching the NEXTEL Cup series. In 2002, over 9,000 drivers had licenses from NASCAR to race at all levels.
The winners of the Dodge Weekly Series National Championship, the four
AutoZone Elite Divisions, the two Whelen Modified and Grand National Divisions,
and the three national series are invited to New York City in December
to participate in Champions Week ceremonies which conclude with the annual
awards banquet at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
North Carolina race shops
Most NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina, especially near Charlotte.
Cities in North Carolina that are home to NASCAR teams include: Charlotte,
Wilkesboro, Mooresville, Concord, Statesville, Huntersville, Welcome, Kernersville,
Randleman, Greensboro, High Point, Harrisburg, and Kannapolis.
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