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NEXTEL Cup
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The Sprint Cup Series (often shortened to Sprint Cup or the Cup Series) is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949) and Grand National Series (1950-1970). While leasing its naming rights to R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was known as the Winston Cup Series (1971-2003).
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Encyclopedia
The Sprint Cup Series (often shortened to Sprint Cup or the Cup Series) is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). It was formerly known as the Strictly Stock Series (1949) and Grand National Series (1950-1970). While leasing its naming rights to R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was known as the Winston Cup Series (1971-2003). When a similar deal was made with Sprint Nextel Corporation, it became the NEXTEL Cup Series (2004-2007).
The series holds strong roots in the Southeastern United States with half of its 36-race season in the former Confederate States. However, it has grown to become one of the five most popular professional sports leagues of the United States. The Daytona 500, its most prestigous race, had a television audience in the U.S. of about 17.8 million viewers in 2008. Previously, races have been held in Canada, and exhibition races were held in Japan and Australia.
Sprint Cup Series cars are unique in automobile racing. The engines are powerful enough to reach speeds over , but high weight makes for poor handling. Their bodies and chassis are strictly regulated to ensure parity, and electronics are generally spartan in nature.
In 2008, Jimmie Johnson became the only driver besides Cale Yarborough to win 3 Sprint Cup championships in a row. Johnson was awarded a $7 million check, and for the 3rd time, the Sprint Cup.
History
Strictly Stock & Grand National
In 1949, NASCAR introduced the Strictly Stock division, after sanctioning Modified and Roadster division races in 1948. Eight races were run, on seven different dirt ovals and the Daytona Beach beach/street course. The division was renamed to "Grand National" (not to be confused with the later Busch Grand National Series, now called the Nationwide Series) for the 1950 season, reflecting NASCAR's intent to make its part of the sport more professional and more prestigious. It would retain this name until 1971.
The 1949 Strictly Stock season is treated in NASCAR's record books as the first season of GN/Cup history.
Rather than a fixed schedule of one race per weekend with most entrants appearing at every event, the Grand National schedule included over sixty events in some years, often with two or three on the same weekend, and occasionally with two races on the same day in different states.
In the early years, most GN races were held on dirt-surfaced short ovals (from under a quarter-mile to over a half-mile lap length) or dirt fairgrounds ovals (usually a half-mile to a mile lap length). 198 of the first 221 Grand National races were on dirt tracks. In 1959, when Daytona International Speedway was opened, the schedule still had more races on dirt racetracks than paved ones. Through the 1960s, as superspeedways were built and old dirt tracks were paved, the number of dirt races was reduced.
The last Sprint Cup Series race on a dirt track was held on September 30, 1970 at the half-mile State Fairgrounds Speedway in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was won by Richard Petty in a Plymouth that had been sold by Petty Enterprises to Don Robertson and rented back for the race.
Winston Cup
From 1971 through 2003, NASCAR's premier series was called the Winston Cup Series. It was sponsored by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company cigarette brand Winston. In its later years, RJR's sponsorship became more controversial in the wake of U.S. legislation that sharply restricted avenues for tobacco advertising.
The changes that resulted from RJR's involvement, as well as the reduction of the schedule from 48 to 31 races a year, established 1971 as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The season was made shorter, and the point system was modified several times in the next four years. Races on dirt tracks were removed from the schedule, as were oval races shorter than 250 miles (402.336 kilometers). NASCAR's founder, Bill France, Sr., turned over control of NASCAR to his oldest son, Bill France Jr.. In August 1974, France Jr. asked series publicist Bob Latford to design a point system with equal points awarded for all races regardless of length or prize money. This system insured that the top drivers had to run all the races to become series champion. It was used without change from 1975 until the Chase for the Championship was instituted for 2004.
Since 1982, the Daytona 500 has been the first non-exhibition race of the year.
Starting in 1981, an awards banquet has been held the first Friday evening in December, at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, initially in the Starlight Roof. In 1985, the ceremony was moved to the much larger Grand Ballroom, where it would be held until 2001. In 2001, the banquet portion was dropped in favor of a simpler awards ceremony. In 2002, the awards ceremony was moved to the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center. In 2003, the banquet format returned, as the ceremony moved back to the Waldorf's Grand Ballroom.
NEXTEL & Sprint Cup
In 2003, RJR dropped its sponsorship of the top series, and NASCAR obtained a sponsorship from NEXTEL, a telecommunications company. In 2004, the series became known as the NEXTEL Cup Series.
The 2005 merger between Sprint and NEXTEL resulted in the cup series being renamed the Sprint Cup, beginning with the 2008 season.
The Sprint Cup trophy is designed by Tiffany & Co., and is silver with a pair of checkered flags in flight.
Chase for the Championship
When NEXTEL took over NASCAR's premier sponsorship for the 2004 season, the formula for declaring a series champion was rewritten using the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series as a model to develop major changes in scoring. After the first 26 races, a cut is made, with the twelve highest drivers and teams (plus ties) placed in the Chase for the Championship (or simply "The Chase"). The Chase participants have their points increased to a level mathematically unattainable by anyone outside this field (roughly 1800 points ahead of the first driver outside of the Chase). Each driver who makes the Chase will receive 5,000 points, plus 10 additional points for each race he won during the first 26 races. Race layouts remain the same and points are scored the same way in the final 10 races. Whoever leads in points after the 36th race is declared the Sprint Cup champion.
To encourage continued competition among all drivers, a number of awards are given to drivers finishing outside the Chase. The highest finishing non-Chase driver (in 2007, 13th place at the end of the season) is awarded a bonus (approximately $1 million) and a position on stage at the postseason awards banquet. The awards banquet now focuses solely on the Chase with all of the series' sponsored and contingency awards were moved to a luncheon at Cipriani the day before the banquet.
This playoff system was implemented primarily to make the points race more competitive late in the season, and indirectly, to increase television ratings during the NFL season, which starts around the same time as the Chase begins. Furthermore, the Chase also forces teams to perform at their best during all three stages of the season -- the first half of the regular season, the second half of the regular season, and the Chase.
Previously, the Cup champion may have been decided before the last race (or even several races before the end of the season) because it was mathematically impossible for any other driver to gain enough points to overtake the leader.
From 2004-2006 the Chase was shown in the United States on NBC and TNT. In 2007, ESPN on ABC telecast all ten races of the Chase as part of the new NASCAR television contracts that came in effect.
Sprint Cup Owner's Championship
The Sprint Cup Owner's Championship operates in the same manner as the Driver's Championship, but awarding points to each individual car (even if an owner enters more than one car, they are viewed and scored as separate entities). The points awarded are identical to the drivers' list, but with one addition - in the event of more than 43 cars attempting to qualify for a race, owner's points are awarded to each car in the following manner: the fastest non-qualifier (in essence, 44th position) receives 31 points, three less than the 43rd position car. If there is more than one non-qualifying car, owners' points continue to be assigned in the manner described, decreasing by three for each position.
There is a separate "chase for the championship" for the owners' points.
A 2005 rule change in NASCAR's three national series affects how the owner's points are used. The top 35 (Sprint Cup), or top 30 (other series) full-time teams in owner points are awarded exemptions for the next race, guaranteeing them a position in the next race. These points can decide who is in and out the next race, and have become crucial since the exemption rule was changed to its current format. At the end of each season, the top 35 in owner's points are also locked into the first five races of the next season.
In some circumstances, a team's owners' points will differ from the corresponding driver's points. In 2005, after owner Jack Roush fired Kurt Busch during the next-to-last race weekend of the season, the #97 team finished in eighth place in owner's points, while Busch ended up tenth in driver's points. In 2002, when Sterling Marlin was injured, the #40 team finished eighth in owner's points, while Marlin was 18th in driver's points, because of substitute drivers Jamie McMurray and Mike Bliss, who kept earning owner points for the #40.
Manufacturer's Championship
NASCAR does have a Manufacturer's Championship in their national series, although the Driver's Championship is considered more prestigious. In the past, manufacturer's championships were very prestigious because of the number of manufacturers involved, and the manufacturer's championship was a major marketing tool. In the Nationwide Series, the championship is known as the Bill France Performance Cup.
Points are scored in a 1960-1990 Formula One system, with the winner's manufacturer scoring nine points, six for the next manufacturer, four for the manufacturer third among makes, three for the fourth, two for the fifth, and one point for the sixth positioned manufacturer. This means that if Chevrolets place first through tenth in a given race and a Ford is 11th and a Dodge 12th, Chevrolet earns 9 points, Ford 6 and Dodge 4.
Sprint Cup cars
Sprint Cup Series cars (often called "Cup cars") adhere to a front engine rear-wheel-drive design. A roll cage serves as a space frame chassis and is covered by a 24-gauge sheet metal body. They have a closed cockpit, fenders, a rear wing, and an aerodynamic splitter. Fielding a car for one season usually costs $10-20 million. Each team may build their own cars and engines (per NASCAR's specifications) or purchase cars and engines from other teams.
They are powered by carbureted V8 engines, with cast iron blocks, and a pushrod valvetrain actuating two-valves per cylinder, and limited to 358 cubic inches (about 5.8 liters) displacement. However, modern technology has allowed power outputs near in unrestricted form while retaining the conventional basic engine design. In fact, before NASCAR instututed the gear rule, Cup engines were capable of operating in excess of 10,000 rpm. A Sprint Cup Engine with the maximum bore of 4.185 inches (106.3 millimeters), and stroke of 3.25 inches (82.55 millimeters) at 9,000 rpm has a mean piston speed of 24.75 m/s (roughly that of a Formula One engine).
The front suspension is a double wishbone design, while the rear supsension is a two-link live axle design utilizing trailing arms. Brake rotors must be made of magnetic cast iron or steel and may not exceed 12.72 inches (32.3 centimeters) in diameter. The only aerodynamic components on the vehicles are the front splitter, rear wing (with endplates), NACA ducts in the windows only, and side skirts. The use of rear diffusers, vortex generators, canards, wheel well vents, hood vents, and undertrays is strictly prohibited. While the cars may reach speeds of about 200mph (321.8km/h) on certain tracks, Russ Wicks drove a stock car built to NASCAR's specifications 244.9mph (394.1km/h) during a speed record attempt at the Bonneville Salt Flats in October 2007.
The electronic systems on Sprint Cup Cars remains rudimentary. Since the engines are carbureted and the ignition system is mechanically timed there is no need for an electronic control unit. This prevents teams from using traction control, anti-lock brakes and telemetry. During free test sessions, NASCAR's regulations involving electronics are relaxed allowing teams to utilize technologies such as telemetry, oxygen sensors, pitot tubes, throttle position sensors, accelerometers, and many other devices to measure vehicle performance.
Evolution of Sprint Cup cars
1949-1980
When the series was formed under the name, strictly stock, the cars were just that, production vehicles with no modifications allowed. The term stock car implied that the vehicles racing were unmodified street cars. Drivers would race with factory installed bench seats and AM radios still in the cars. To prevent broken glass from getting on the race track, windows would be rolled down, external lights would be removed, and wing mirrors would be removed. Before the early 1960s, cars were based on full sized cars such as the Chevrolet Impala or Ford Galaxie. As mid-size cars were introduced such as the Fairlane, they were adopted after the mid 1960s.
NASCAR once mandated that a homologation rule that at various times stated as few as 500 cars had to be produced, or as many as one car for every make's dealership in the nation had to be sold to the general public. Sometimes cars were made expressly for NASCAR, such as the Ford Torino Talladega, which had a rounded nose. The most famous aero-warrior was the Dodge Charger Daytona and later Plymouth Superbird which had a rear wing raised above roof level and a shark shaped nose-cap which enabled speeds of over , quickly outpacing most other cars. NASCAR soon rewrote the rules to effectively outlaw such outlandish aerodynamic devices. Perhaps the least aerodynamic was the Penske-prepared factory backed 1972 AMC Matador piloted by Mark Donahue, dubbed the "flying brick".
1981-2007
In 1981, cars downsized into Fairmonts and Thunderbirds along with the now smaller Monte Carlos. The Monte Carlo adopted bubble back windows, while the Buick Regal would do well both on the track and as a street muscle car. The aero-Thunderbirds, driven by drivers like Mark Martin, did well.
By the 1990s, GM had switched to V6-engined front-wheel-drive Luminas and Grand Prix, but the NASCAR racers only kept the body shape, with V8 rear-wheel-drive running gear. When the Ford Thunderbird was retired, without Ford having any two-door intermediate bodies, the four-door Ford Taurus was used for a body even though NASCAR racers actually have no opening doors.
While the manufacturers and models of automobiles used in racing were named for production cars (Dodge Charger R/T, Chevrolet Impala SS, Toyota Camry, and the Ford Fusion), the similarities between Sprint Cup cars and actual production cars were limited to a small amount of shaping and painting of the nose, headlight and tail light decals, and grill areas. Until 2003, the hood, roof, and decklid were identical to their stock counterparts.
Because of the notorious manner of the Ford Taurus race car and how the manufacturer turned the car into an "offset" car (the car was notoriously asymmetrical in race trim because of its oval shape), NASCAR ended this practice to put more emphasis on parity and based new body rules in 2003, similar to short track racing, where offset cars had become a burden for race officials, resulting in the "Approved Body Configuration" design.
Car of Tomorrow (2007-present)
In 2007, NASCAR introduced a radically new vehicle specification known as the "Car of Tomorrow" (CoT). Its debut was at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. The design of this car has focused on cost control, parity, and driver safety. The car's width has been increased by 4 inches (10 centimeters), the bumpers have been re-designed to virtually eliminate bump and run tactics, and the height of the car has increased by 2 inches (5 centimeters) to accommodate taller drivers and increase aerodynamic drag. The driver's seat was moved closer to the center of the car. New rules for the car eliminate the asymmetrical bodies on cars which had run rampant since the 1998 Taurus release. The most noticeable change to fans will be the addition of a rear wing (all of which are owned by NASCAR, not the teams) replacing the familiar spoiler. The wings may be adjusted between 0-16 degrees and are used with multiple configurations of end plates. NASCAR distributes the wings in the same manner as restrictor plates.
The CoT was used in 2007 events at all oval tracks shorter than 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers), at all road courses, and at the October race at Talladega Superspeedway. While initially NASCAR planned to wait until the start of the 2009 season to use the CoT in every race, they changed that date to the start of the 2008 season. Many drivers still had complaints about the CoT, but this new timeline was intended to help teams save money by giving them only one car specification to work on.
Setup
The automobiles' suspension, brakes, and aerodynamic components are also selected to tailor the cars to different racetracks. A car that understeers is said to be "tight", or "pushing," causing the car to keep going up the track with the wheel turned all the way left, while one that oversteers is said to be "loose," or "free," causing the back end of the car to slide around which can result in the car spinning out if the driver is not careful. The adjustment of front and rear aerodynamic downforce, spring rates, track bar geometry, brake proportioning, the wedge (also known as cross-weight), changing the camber angle, and changing the air pressure in the tires can change the distribution of forces among the tires during cornering to correct for handling problems. Recently, coil bind setups have become popular among teams.
These characteristics are also affected by tire stagger (tires of different circumference at different positions on the car, the right rear having the most influence in left turns) as well as the rubber compounds used in tire construction. These settings are determined by NASCAR and Goodyear engineers and may not be adjusted by individual teams.
NASCAR will mandate changes during the season if one particular car model becomes overly dominant. However, almost all advantages of using one car over another have been nullified. NASCAR used to mandate stock or stock replacement hoods, roofs, and decklids. However, in recent years, NASCAR has begun to require cars to conform to common body templates, regardless of make/model. This is more in-line with recent NASCAR tradition, because none of these stock cars have anything mechanically "stock" about them.
Specifications
*Engine Displacement: 358in³ (5.86L) Pushrod V8 engines.
- Transmission: 4 Speed Manual
- Weight: 3450 pounds (1564.9kg) Minimum without driver, with fuel; 3650 pounds. (1655.6kg) Minimum with driver, fuel
- Power Output: ˜865hp (645kW) unrestricted; ˜445hp (332kW) with restrictor plate (2007)
- Fuel: 92 MON, 104 RON, 98 AKI unleaded gasoline provided by Sunoco
- Fuel Capacity: 17¾ U.S. Gallons (67.2 Liters; most tracks)
- Fuel Delivery: Carburetion
- Compression Ratio: 12:1
- Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
- Carburetor size: 750-830 cubic feet per minute (354-392 liters per second) 4 barrel
- Wheelbase: 110in (2794mm)
- Steering: Power, recirculating ball
- Tires: Slick tire provided by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
- Length: 208.25in (5290mm)
- Width: 74in (1879mm)
- Height: 53.5in (1358mm)
- Safety equipment: HANS device, Seat belt 6-point supplied by Willans
Sprint Cup Series tracks
NASCAR races are not conducted on identical tracks. Oval tracks vary in length from 0.526 miles (847 m) (Martinsville Speedway) to 2.66 miles (4.28 km) (Talladega Superspeedway). While some tracks are true ovals (Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway), many are tri-ovals (Kansas Speedway, Daytona International Speedway). Other configurations are quad-oval (Lowe's Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway), D-oval (California Speedway, Michigan International Speedway, Richmond International Raceway), oval with unequal ends (Darlington Raceway), triangular (Pocono Raceway), and almost-rectangular (Indianapolis Motor Speedway). Courses also differ in degree of banking on the curves, with differences in degree of banking and course length contributing to different top speeds on various courses. New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Phoenix International Raceway are considered "flat" tracks as they have only 7 and 11 (respectively) degrees of banking in the turns. Two courses (Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International) are complex shaped road courses and the only two tracks where NASCAR has developed rain tires. These tires have never been used in a competition setting, although they have been used during practices at Watkins Glen and during a qualifying session at Suzuka, Japan for an exhibition race.
Race speeds vary widely based on the track. The fastest track is Talladega Superspeedway where the record race average speed is 188 mph (303 km/h) with the record qualifying lap of 212.809 mph (342.483 km/h) set by Bill Elliott in 1987. The slowest tracks are Infineon Raceway, a road course, with a record race average speed of only 81 mph (130 km/h) and qualifying lap of 99 mph (159 km/h); and Martinsville Speedway, a very short, nearly flat "paper clip" shaped oval, with a record race average speed of 82 mph (132 km/h) and a qualifying lap of only 98 mph (156 km/h). The average speed is figured out based upon the winner's race time throughout the entire race, from the waving of the green flag to the waving of the checkered flag, including laps spent under caution, divided by the number of laps. Time during red flag periods does not get added into the calculation of the average speed.
List of current Sprint Cup Series tracks
Manufacturer Representation
Strictly Stock/Grand National Era (1949-1970)
Chrysler
Ford
General Motors
American Motors
Independent
Foreign
Winston Cup (1971-2003)
- American Motors
- Chrysler and DaimlerChrysler
- Ford
- General Motors
NEXTEL Cup (2004-2007)
- DaimlerChrysler and Chrysler LLC
- Ford
- General Motors
- Toyota
Sprint Cup (2008-Present)
- Chrysler LLC
- Ford
- Ford Fusion: 2008-Present
- General Motors
- Toyota
Cup Series records
- Most championships: 7-(tied) Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt
- Youngest champion: Bill Rexford, 23 years old
- Oldest champion: Bobby Allison, 45 years old
- Fewest victories in a championship season: 1-(tied) Benny Parsons, Bill Rexford, Ned Jarrett, Matt Kenseth
- Most consecutive championships: 3-(tied) Cale Yarborough, Jimmie Johnson
- Most career wins: 200-Richard Petty
- Most wins in a season: 27-Richard Petty
- Most wins in a modern era season: 13-(tied) Jeff Gordon and Richard Petty
- Most starts in a career: 1,177-Richard Petty
- Smallest margin of victory: 0.002 seconds-Ricky Craven, 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400
- Largest margin of victory: 14 laps-Ned Jarrett, 1965 Southern 500
- Most consecutive seasons with at least one win: 16-Ricky Rudd, 1983-1998
- Most consecutive starts (Called "Iron Man"): 788 starts-Ricky Rudd
List of Manufacturers Champions
See also
External links
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