National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. NASCAR
Sprint Cup Series race cars at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2009
Sport	Stock car racing
Category	Auto racing
Area of jurisdiction	Canada Europe Mexico United States
Formation date	1948 (1948)
Headquarters	Charlotte, North Carolina Daytona Beach, Florida New York City Houston, Texas
President	Mike Helton
Chairman	Brian France
Chief Exec	Brian France
Other key staff	Robin Pemberton John Darby Jim France
Official website
www.nascar.com

Current NASCAR President Mike Helton (left) being presented a Commandant Coin by Admiral Thomas H. Collins (right) in 2005.

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of Bill France Sr.^[1] NASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of stock car racing in the United States.^[2] The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the Sprint Cup Series, the Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. It also oversees NASCAR Local Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, the Whelen All-American Series, and the NASCAR iRacing.com Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 US states and Canada. NASCAR has presented exhibition races at the Suzuka and Motegi circuits in Japan, Mexico, and Calder Park Raceway in Australia.^[3]

NASCAR's headquarters are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in four North Carolina cities: Charlotte, Mooresville, Concord, and Conover.^[4] Regional offices are also located in New York City, Los Angeles, Bentonville, Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico City and Toronto. Additionally, owing to its Southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are still based in North Carolina, especially near Charlotte.

NASCAR is second only to the National Football League amongst professional sports franchises in terms of television ratings in the United States.^[5] Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries.^[6] In 2004 NASCAR's Director of Security stated that NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world.^[7] NASCAR has 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion annually^{[citation needed]} in licensed products. Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport,^[8] although this has been in decline since the early 2000s.^[9]

History[link]

Early stock car racing[link]

Junior Johnson, seen here in 1985, was a popular NASCAR driver from the 1950s who began as a bootlegging driver from Wilkes County, North Carolina.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world land speed records, supplanting France and Belgium as the preferred location for land speed records, with eight consecutive world records set between 1927 and 1935.^[10] After a historic race between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton in 1903, the beach became a mecca for racing enthusiasts and 15 records were set on what became the Daytona Beach road course between 1905 and 1935. By the time the Bonneville Salt Flats became the premier location for pursuit of land speed records, in 1936, Daytona beach had become synonymous with fast cars.^[11] Drivers raced on a 4.1-mile (6.6 km) course, consisting of a 1.5–2.0-mile (2.4–3.2 km) stretch of beach as one straightaway, and a narrow blacktop beachfront highway, State Road A1A, as the other. The two straights were connected by two tight, deeply rutted and sand covered turns at each end.^[12]

Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, when drivers ran bootleg whiskey made primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States. Bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, and some of them came to love the fast-paced driving down twisty mountain roads.

The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 dried up some of their business, but by then Southerners had developed a taste for moonshine, and a number of the drivers continued "runnin' shine", this time evading the "revenuers" who were attempting to tax their operations.^[13] The cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, and they are most closely associated with the Wilkes County region of North Carolina. Most races in those days were of modified cars. Street vehicles were lightened and reinforced.^[14]

Significant people[link]

William France, Sr.[link]

Mechanic William France, Sr., moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, D.C., in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He was familiar with the history of the area from the land speed record attempts. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing fifth. He took over running the course in 1938. He promoted a few races before World War II.

France had the notion that people would enjoy watching "stock cars" race. Drivers were frequently victimized by unscrupulous promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid. In 1947, he decided this racing would not grow without a formal sanctioning organization, standardized rules, regular schedule, and an organized championship. On December 14, 1947 France began talks with other influential racers and promoters at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel at Daytona Beach, Florida, that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948.^[15]

Erwin "Cannonball" Baker[link]

The first Commissioner of NASCAR was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker. A former stock car, motorcycle, and open-wheel racer who competed in the Indianapolis 500 and set over one hundred land speed records. Baker earned most of his fame for his transcontinental speed runs. Baker would prove a car's worth by driving it from New York to Los Angeles. After his death, the famous transcontinental race the 'Cannonball Run' and the film that was inspired by it were both named in his honor. Baker is enshrined in the Automotive Hall of Fame, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. This level of honor and success in each diverse racing association earned Baker the title of "King of the Road".^[16]

Bob "Barky" Barkhimer[link]

In the early 1950s the United States Navy stationed Bill France, Jr., at the Moffett Federal Airfield in northern California. His father asked him to look up Bob Barkhimer in San Jose, California. Barkhimer was a star of midget car racing from the World War II era, and later ran about 22 different speedways as the head of the California Stock Car Racing Association. Young Bill developed a relationship with Bob Barkhimer and his partner, Margo Burke. He went to events with them, stayed weekends with them and generally became very familiar with racing on the west coast. "Barky", as he was called by his friends, journeyed to Daytona Beach and met with Bill France, Sr. In the spring of 1954, NASCAR became a stock car sanctioning body on the Pacific Coast under Barky.

Founding[link]

On March 8, 1936, a collection of drivers gathered at Daytona Beach, Florida. The drivers brought coupes. hardtops, convertibles, and sports cars to compete in an event to determine the fastest cars, and best drivers. Throughout the race, the heavier cars got bogged down in the sand, while the lightweight Fords navigated the ruts of the course, eventually claiming the top 6 finishes for the race. Of the 27 cars that started the event, only 10 managed to survive the ordeal, as officials halted the event 10 miles short of the scheduled 250 mile distance. Driver Milt Marion was declared the winner, and a young Bill France placed 5th at the end of the day.^[17]

By early 1947 Bill France saw the potential for a unified series of racing competitors. France announced the foundation of the "National Championship Stock Car Series", otherwise known as NCSSC. France approached the American Automobile Association, or AAA, in hopes of obtaining financial backing for the venture. When the AAA declined support of the venture, France proceeded to announce a set of rules and awards for the NCSSC. France declared that the winner of the 1947 NCSSC season would receive $1000.00, and a trophy. The season would begin in January 1947 at the Daytona Beach track, and conclude in Jacksonville the following December. Nearly 40 events were logged during the season, and attendance often exceeded the venue's capacity. The competitors were paid as promised, and by the end of the season, driver Fonty Flock was declared the season champion after winning 7 events of the 24 that he entered. Bill France delivered the $1000 and 4 foot high trophy to Flock at the end of the season, along with $3000 in prize money to other drivers who competed throughout the season.^[18]

At the end of the 1947 season, Bill France announced that there would be a series of meetings held at the Streamline Hotel in Florida, beginning on December 14, 1947. At 1:00 pm, France called to order the 35 men who represented the NCSCC on the top floor of the hotel. The meeting was the first of four seminars in which France would outline his vision of an organized group of race car drivers.^[19] The name originally chosen for the series was National Stock Car Racing Association; when it was pointed out that that name was already in use by a rival sanctioning body, "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing", proposed by mechanic Red Vogt, was selected as the organization's name.^[20]

NASCAR was founded by William France, Sr., on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers of the time. The points system was written on a bar room napkin. The original plans for NASCAR included three distinct divisions: Modified, Roadster, and Strictly Stock. The Modified and Roadster classes were seen as more attractive to fans. It turned out that NASCAR fans wanted nothing to do with the roadsters, which fans perceived as a Northeast or Midwest series. The roadster division was quickly abandoned, while the modified division now operates as the Whelen Modified Tour. The Strictly Stock division was put on hold as American automobile manufacturers were unable to produce family sedans quickly enough to keep up with post-World War II demand.^[21] The 1948 schedule featured 52 Modified dirt track races. The sanctioning body hosted its first event at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948. Red Byron beat Marshall Teague in the Modified division race. Byron won the 1948 national championship. Things had changed dramatically by 1949, and the Strictly Stock division was able to debut with a 20-mile (32 km) exhibition in February near Miami.

The first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race ever was held at Charlotte Speedway, although this is not the same track as the Charlotte Motor Speedway that is a fixture on current NASCAR schedule. The race was held on June 19, 1949 and won by driver Jim Roper when Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified after the discovery of his altered rear springs. Initially, the cars were known as the "Strictly Stock Division" and raced with virtually no modifications on the factory models. This division was renamed the "Grand National" division beginning in the 1950 season. Over a period of more than a decade, modifications for both safety and performance were allowed, and by the mid-1960s, the vehicles were purpose-built race cars with a stock-appearing body.

Richard Petty's 1970 426 C.I. Plymouth Superbird on display.

The first NASCAR competition held outside of the U.S. was in Canada, where on July 1, 1952, Buddy Shuman won a 200-lap race on a half-mile (800 m) dirt track in Stamford Park, Ontario, near Niagara Falls.

Sanctioned series[link]

Sprint Cup[link]

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the sport's highest level of professional competition. It is consequently the most popular and most profitable NASCAR series. The 2012 Sprint Cup season consists of 36 races over 10 months. Writers and fans often use "Cup" to refer to the Sprint Cup series and the ambiguous use of "NASCAR" as a synonym for the Sprint Cup Series is common. The 2011 Sprint Cup Series Champion is Tony Stewart. Jimmie Johnson won 5 consecutive Sprint Cup Series drivers' championships from 2006–2010. Previously, the most consecutive championships had been three in a row by Cale Yarborough in the late 1970s, the only other time when a driver has won more than two Sprint Cup championships in a row.

The Cup Series had its first title sponsor in 1972. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which had been banned from television advertising, found a popular and demographically suitable consumer base in NASCAR fans and engaged NASCAR as a promotional outlet. As a result of that sponsorship, the Grand National Series became known as the Winston Cup Series (today called the Sprint Cup Series) starting in 1971,^[22] with a new points system and some significant cash benefits to compete for championship points. In 1972, the season was shortened from 48 races (including two on dirt tracks) to 31.^[22] 1972 is often acknowledged as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The next competitive level, called Late Model Sportsman, gained the "Grand National" title passed down from the top division and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer.

In 2004, NEXTEL took over sponsorship of the premier series from R. J. Reynolds, who had sponsored it as the Winston Cup from 1972 until 2003, and formally renamed it 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 became the Sprint Cup Series and The Chase for The NEXTEL Cup became the "Chase for the Sprint Cup", as part of the merger between NEXTEL and Sprint.

In 2011, NASCAR announced a number of major rules changes. The most important was a simplified points system that is also being adopted by the Nationwide and Truck Series. The winner of a race now receives 43 points, with one-point increments for each subsequent position (42 for second, 41 for third, and so on). The winner also receives 3 bonus points, and single bonus points are awarded to all drivers who lead a lap plus the driver who leads the most laps. Another significant change involves the qualifying process for the Chase. The number of qualifying drivers will remain at 12, but only the top 10 will qualify solely on regular-season points. The remaining two Chase drivers will be the two drivers in the next 10 of the point standings (11th through 20th) with the most race wins in the regular season.

Nationwide Series[link]

The Nationwide Series field following the pace car at the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is the second-highest level of professional competition in NASCAR. The most recent series champion is Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in 2011.

The modern incarnation of this series began in 1982, with sponsorship by Anheuser-Busch Brewing's Budweiser brand. In 1984 it was renamed to the Busch Grand National Series. The Anheuser-Busch sponsorship expired at the end of 2007, and the series is now sponsored by Nationwide Insurance. Nationwide will also become NASCAR's official insurance agency replacing Allstate.

The Nationwide Series is currently the only series of the top three to race outside the United States. The season is a few races shorter than that of the Sprint Cup, and the prize money is significantly lower. However, over the last several years, a number of Sprint Cup drivers have run both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series events each weekend, using the Nationwide race as a warm-up to the Cup event at the same facility. Detractors of this practice^[who?] believe this gives the Sprint Cup teams an unfair advantage, and that the presence of the Sprint Cup drivers squeezes out Nationwide Series competitors who would otherwise be able to qualify. These dual-series drivers have been labeled "Buschwhackers", a play on words which combines the original series sponsor's name with the notion of being bushwhacked. In May 2007, NNS director Joe Balash confirmed that NASCAR is exploring options to deal with the Buschwhacker controversy. One of the most often-cited proposals would be for Sprint Cup drivers participating in the Nationwide Series to receive no points for their participation in a Nationwide race. In 2007, NASCAR Chairman Brian France indicated that all options, except an outright ban of Cup competitors, are still being considered.^[23] On January 11, 2011, NASCAR.com reported that beginning with the 2011 season, drivers will be allowed to compete for the championship in only one of NASCAR's three national series in a given season, although they can continue to run in multiple series.^[24] This change was officially confirmed by France in a January 26 press conference.^[25]

Beginning in 2010, the Nationwide cars adapted somewhat to the current "Car of Tomorrow" (or COT) design used by Cup cars, with different bodies from the Sprint Cup Series. Some critics^[who?] hope that the discrepancy between the Nationwide and Sprint Cup cars will help solve the Buschwhacker problem by reducing the advantages of running both series.

Camping World Truck Series[link]

Mike Skinner racing Todd Bodine in the Texas Craftsman Truck Series race.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series features modified pickup trucks. It is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, together with the Nationwide Series and the Sprint Cup. The most recent series champion was Austin Dillon in 2011; It was Dillon's first championship in the series.

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 Sprint Cup series drivers who had never raced in the Nationwide Series.

Beginning in 2009 the series became the Camping World Truck Series.^[26]

Canadian Tire Series[link]

The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is a NASCAR racing series in Canada that derives from the old CASCAR Super Series (founded in 1981 and bought out by NASCAR in 2006). The new series has races through six of Canada's provinces for a total of 13 events with TV coverage on TSN. Many drivers are content running in Canada while others move up to bigger NASCAR series including J.R. Fitzpatrick and Andrew Ranger. The cars are a bit different from the cars seen in America with more a street look with steel tube-framed silhouette bodies powered by carbureted spec V8 engines.

Corona Series[link]

In December 2006, NASCAR also announced the creation of a new series in Mexico, the NASCAR Corona Series, replacing the existing Desafío Corona Series, to begin in 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Racecar Euro Series[link]

In early 2012, NASCAR announced that it would sanction the existing European-based Racecar Euro Series as a "NASCAR Touring Series".^[27]

Regional racing series[link]

In addition to the five main series, NASCAR operates several other racing circuits.^[28][29]

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.^[30]

NASCAR also sanctions two regional racing divisions. The Whelen Modified Tour races open-wheel "modified" cars in Northern and Southern divisions. The Camping World Series, which consists of East and West divisions, race cars that are similar to Nationwide Series cars, although they are less powerful. In the past, NASCAR also sanctioned the AutoZone Elite Division, which raced late-model cars that were lighter and less powerful than Sprint Cup cars, and was originally 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 Sprint 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.

Driver safety[link]

2008 Dodge Charger Car of Tomorrow, driven by Kurt Busch

Although NASCAR frequently publicizes the safety measures it mandates for drivers, these features are often only adopted long after they were initially developed, and only in response to an injury or fatality. The impact-absorbing "SAFER Barrier" that is now in use had been proposed by legendary mechanic Smokey Yunick during the 1970s, but his idea had been dismissed as too expensive and unnecessary. Only after the deaths of Kenny Irwin, Tony Roper, Adam Petty, and Dale Earnhardt in 2000 and 2001 did NASCAR revisit the idea of decreasing the G-forces a driver sustained during a crash. Other examples of available safety features that were slow to be implemented include the mandating of a throttle "kill switch". The "kill switch" was mandated after the death of Adam Petty, along with the requirements of an anti-spill bladder in fuel cells. Fire-retardant driver suits were required only after the death of Glen "Fireball" Roberts, who died from complications of burns suffered in a crash when flames engulfed his car during a Charlotte race.^[31] Dale Earnhardt was killed after he received massive head and neck trauma from a hard crash in the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt's death prompted NASCAR to require all drivers to use the "HANS Device" (Head And Neck Support Device), a device that keeps the driver's neck from going forward in a wreck. In the mid 2000s, NASCAR redesigned the racing vehicle with safety improvements, calling it the Car of Tomorrow. The car has a higher roof, wider cockpit, and the driver seat was located more toward the center of the vehicle.

Criticism[link]

Similar to other professional leagues and sanctioning bodies, NASCAR has been the target of criticism on various topics from various sources. Some critics^[32] note the significant differences between today's NASCAR vehicles and true "stock" cars. Others^[who?] frequently cite the dominance of the France family in NASCAR's business structure, policies, and decision making. Recently, the increased number of Cup drivers competing consistently in the Nationwide Series races has been hotly debated. Another general area of criticism, not only of NASCAR but other motorsports as well, includes questions about fuel consumption,^[33] emissions and pollution, and the use of lead additives in the gasoline. NASCAR moved to unleaded fuel for all three top series in 2007, fully one year in advance of the planned switch in 2008. In 2011, Nascar switched to E15 "green" fuel (15% ethanol and 85 % gasoline) for all three touring series^[34] As NASCAR has made moves to improve its national appeal, it has begun racing at new tracks, and ceased racing at some traditional ones — a sore spot for the traditional fan base. Most recently, NASCAR has been challenged on the types and frequency of caution flags, with some critics^[35][36][37] suggesting the outcome of races is being manipulated, and that the intention is not safety, as NASCAR claims, but closer racing. There have been a few accidents involving fans during races and even some off the tracks, but no spectator has ever been killed during a race.^[38][39] It was revealed in 2008 that a wrongful death lawsuit against NASCAR stemming from the crash of a company plane was settled for $2.4 million.^{[40] [41]}

Global expansion[link]

In 2006, Toyota announced they would be joining NASCAR's ranks.^[42] Toyota generated early success winning several races off performances from Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.^[43] Other foreign manufactures are looking to jump in the mix of NASCAR. Honda is speculated to be interested in joining the NASCAR ranks in the near future.^[42] The increase in foreign competition is expected to raise the price of putting a car on the track.^[42]

Another topic on the NASCAR circuit is the increase in foreign born drivers and the effects they may have on the future of NASCAR.^{[citation needed]} Juan Pablo Montoya, Patrick Carpentier, and Dario Franchitti are among the foreign-born big names who have crossed over from Formula One and the Indy racing circuit.^[44] These drivers have made an impact on NASCAR not only by winning races and dominating road courses, but by expanding NASCAR's point of view.^[43]

NASCAR has incorporated a race in Mexico City for the Nationwide Series and possible expansion with exhibition races in Japan and Canada.^[45]

Expanding into international markets could increase NASCAR's popularity and allow foreign sponsors and manufactures to get involved in the sport.^{[citation needed]} Some think this could be a very positive move for NASCAR, which has seen its television ratings drop 21 percent between 2005 and 2007.^[46] During the same 2 year period, NASCAR also saw the greatest drop in tickets prices observed in over a decade.^[46] In 2010, NASCAR saw television ratings drop 10% from the year before, which was down 33% off its peak in 2005.^[47] Some think that an increase in international diversity would translate into growth and generate greater opportunities for NASCAR fans.^[44]

NASCAR.com[link]

In October 2000, the Time Warner Company, Turner Sports Interactive, acquired all of NASCAR's interactive rights and the rights to the nascar.com domain. As of January 2001, Turner Sports Interactive is the exclusive producer, and NASCAR.com is the official site for NASCAR Inc. The NASCAR.COM staff is located in Atlanta, with additional personnel in Charlotte and Daytona Beach.^[48] The nascar.com domain is currently leased through Network Solutions, and extends through the year 2016.^[49]

Subsidiaries and ‘sister’ organizations[link]

NASCAR Digital Media[link]

NASCAR Digital Media is a television production company located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company is a subsidiary of NASCAR and produces programs designed to promote the sport of professional stock car racing.

International Speedway Corporation[link]

While not officially connected to NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1953 to construct and manage tracks that NASCAR holds competitions at. Since several members of the France family are executives at ISC, it is sometimes the subject of antitrust lawsuits.^[50]

Grand-Am[link]

The Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am) is a sanctioning body of sports car racing. While it was founded independently of NASCAR by several members of the France family, NASCAR has since taken over Grand-Am, but allows it to operate autonomously.

Education[link]

NASCAR Technical Institute located in Mooresville, North Carolina, is the country's first technical training school to combine a complete automotive technology program and a NASCAR-specific motor sports program, and is the exclusive educational partner of NASCAR.

See also[link]

NASCAR portal

	Book: Auto racing in North America
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• NASCAR rules and regulations
• NASCAR lore
• List of NASCAR champions
• List of NASCAR drivers
• List of NASCAR race tracks
• List of NASCAR seasons
• List of NASCAR teams
• List of NASCAR drivers who have won in each of top three series
• Closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finishes
• NASCAR dad
• NASCAR Hall of Fame
• NASCAR Rookie of the Year
• NASCAR Video Games
• NASCAR Angels
• NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers

Notes[link]

Note 1: The largest NASCAR tracks can accommodate upwards of 190,000 people in the stands and infield, far larger than any non-motorsport venue in North America.

[edit] References

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: NASCAR

• Official website
• NASCAR Technology – from PopularMechanics.com
• Results of Every Race in NASCAR History at Racing-Reference.info
• NASCAR Video on ESPN Video Archive
• All About NASCAR

Matthew Roy Kenseth
Born	(1972-03-10) March 10, 1972 (age 40) Cambridge, Wisconsin, United States
Achievements	2003 Winston Cup Series Champion International Race of Champions XXVIII Champion 2009 Daytona 500 Winner 2012 Daytona 500 Winner
Awards	2000 Winston Cup Series Rookie of the Year
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
448 race(s) run over 15 year(s)
Car no., team	No. 17 (Roush Fenway Racing)
2011 position	4th
Best finish	1st – 2003
First race	1998 MBNA Gold 400 (Dover)
Last race	2012 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
First win	2000 Coca-Cola 600 (Charlotte)
Last win	2012 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Wins Top tens Poles 22 217 7
NASCAR Nationwide Series career
248 race(s) run over 16 year(s)
2011 position	96th
Best finish	2nd – 1998
First race	1996 Red Dog 300 (Charlotte)
Last race	2011 Top Gear 300 (Charlotte)
First win	1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 200 (Rockingham)
Last win	2011 Top Gear 300 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 26 168 16
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series career
1 race(s) run over 1 year(s)
Best finish	67th - 2002
First race	2002 Canada Day Shootout (Cayuga)
First win	2002 Canada Day Shootout (Cayuga)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 1 0
Statistics current as of May 27, 2012.

Matthew Roy "Matt" Kenseth (born March 10, 1972) is a NASCAR driver. He currently drives the No. 17 Ford Fusion in the Sprint Cup Series for Roush Fenway Racing.

Kenseth started racing on several short tracks in Wisconsin and he won track championships at Madison International Speedway, Slinger Super Speedway and Wisconsin International Raceway. He moved to the ARTGO, American Speed Association, and Hooters Late Model touring series before getting a full-time ride in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) for his former Wisconsin short track rival Robbie Reiser. After finishing second and third in the Busch Series (now Nationwide Series), he moved up in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (later NEXTEL Cup Series and now Sprint Cup Series). He won the series' Rookie of the Year title in 2000 and the championship in 2003. The International Race of Champions invited Kenseth to race in their 2004 season as the reigning champion and he won the season championship. In 2009, he won a rain-shortened Daytona 500. He repeated as Daytona 500 winner in 2012.

Early life and career[link]

Kenseth's Sportsman car from Columbus 151 Speedway

Kenseth was born in Cambridge, Wisconsin. He made an agreement with his father, Roy, that Roy should buy a car and race, and Matt would work on the car until he was old enough to race.^[1] Kenseth began stock car racing in 1988 at the age of 16 at Madison International Speedway.^[2] "My dad bought a car when I was 13 and raced it at Madison," Kenseth said. "Neither of us knew much and it was a learning experience. He continued to race in 1988 and 1989. My first car – what might be considered a sportsman – was a 1981 Camaro that Todd Kropf had driven to championships at Madison and Columbus 151 Speedway. On the third night out I won a feature. I ran 15 features in 1983 and won two of them."^[2] "The first night out in the Kropf car Matt won a heat race," said Kenseth's father Roy. "The third night he won the feature by holding off two of the best drivers at the track, Pete Moore and Dave Phillips, for 20 laps. Matt was smooth. I knew then he was going to be a racer."^[2] He ran for the points title on Saturday nights at Wisconsin Dells) in 1989. He finished second in points and won eight features.^[2] On Friday nights, he ran about half of the races at Golden Sands Speedway and half at Columbus 151 Speedway.^[2] In 1990, he bought a late model from Rich Bickle.^[2] In the season-opening race at Slinger Super Speedway, Kenseth inherited the lead and won his only race of the season when track champion Tony Strupp had a flat tire.^[2] He finished sixth in season points and won the track's rookie of the year award.^[2] Kenseth entered fifteen ARTGO events that season and raced in 40 features that year.^[2] After graduating from Cambridge High School that summer, Kenseth worked for four years selling and shipping parts for Left-hander Chassis, a late model racecar chassis manufacturer just south of Wisconsin in Illinois.^[1] In 1991 he won the ARTGO race at La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway to become the youngest winner in the series' history.^[2] He passed Joe Shear and Steve Holzhausen, and held off Steve and Tom Carlson for the win.^[2] 1992 was a difficult year for Kenseth. He won three races and blew up more engines than he could count.^[2] He was ready to quit racing after the season.^[2] "I felt we were at a standstill", he said. "I wasn't gaining. My dad and I had some major discussions at the end of the year. We had to find the dollars for a good program or I told him I would rather not race."^[2] Kipley Performance loaned a motor to Kenseth for the season-final race at La Crosse and the team ran better.^[2] Kenseth built a new car for 1993 using a Kipley engine.^[2] He used the car at Madison to win eight features and finished second in the points.^[2] Mike Butz offered Kenseth the chance to race his late model, and it took some time for the combination to stop struggling before they started winning features.^[2] At the end of the season, they won the final short track series race at Madison, La Crosse, and I-70 Speedway.^[2]

The 1994 and 1995 seasons established Kenseth as a short track star.^[2] Kenseth made a name for himself while driving at several Wisconsin tracks, beating nationally known drivers such as Dick Trickle and Robbie Reiser. He raced 60 times in three different cars in 1994, winning track championships at both Wisconsin International Raceway (WIR) on Thursday nights and Madison on Friday nights.^[2] Kenseth competed against Reiser at Madison, and won 12 of 17 features at the track.^[2] He won the 1994 Slinger Nationals at Slinger Super Speedway.^[1] In 1995, he repeated with back-to-back championships at Madison and WIR, plus he won the Red, White, and Blue state championship series at WIR on three Saturday nights.^[2] Butz's wife Patty Butz said "We knew by 1995 that Matt had too much talent to be with us for very long."^[2]

Kenseth decided to move across the country in 1996 to the Southern United States to race for engine builder Carl Wegner in the Hooters Series Late Model championship.^[2] The plan was to run the Hooters Series, five NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races, and five Busch Series (now Nationwide Series) before moving full-time into the Busch Series in 1997.^[2] He finished third in the Hooters Series, nearly winning the series championship as a rookie.^[2] In 1996, Kenseth made his Busch Series debut at the spring race at Lowe's Motor Speedway for Wegner, finishing 22nd after starting 30th in a car rented from Bobby Dotter.^[2] Kenseth was disappointed because they were unable to attract major sponsorship.^[2] "It was just like 1992", Kenseth said. "Plans just didn't work. I thought things would be different. Personally, I had moved and was adjusting to being a thousand miles from home."^[2] At the end of the season, the Wegner/Kenseth team closed, and Kenseth found a ride for Gerry Gunderman's American Speed Association team, who was also Alan Kulwicki's last shop in Wisconsin before moving to NASCAR.^[1] The team raced together for two races in 1997 before Kenseth received a telephone call from a former competitor.^[2]

Nationwide Series[link]

Busch car for Kenseth's first victory

In 1997, racer Tim Bender was injured, and Bender's crew chief/car owner Robbie Reiser hired his former competitor and rival Kenseth to race for him despite having only one Busch start.^[2] Reiser said "Matt and I used to have some fierce races against each other. I needed someone who understood race cars the way I understood them. I knew he could drive and he could talk to me in a manner I could understand."^[2] Kenseth qualified third for the new team's first race. He was racing in third place in the final laps when he spun and finished eleventh.^[2] Kenseth qualified in 20th place for the next race at Talladega in his second time at a track big enough to have a significant draft.^[2] He passed thirteen cars to finish seventh.^[2] Kenseth had two Top 5 finishes during the partial season.^[2] The following year he raced full-time all season. He won his first Busch Series race on February 22, 1998, when he nudged leader Tony Stewart's car entering the final turn of the final lap,^[2] culmulating in a second- and third-place finishes in the Busch points. Kenseth drove the No. 17 Chevrolet sponsored first by Kraft, then Lycos, and most recently by DeWalt.

2007 Busch Series car

Kenseth won the last two races of the Busch season in 2006 driving the #17 Pennzoil Ford Fusion, at Phoenix and Homestead.

In 2007, Kenseth planned to run 23 Busch races to be sponsored by Arby's restaurants (13 races), Dish Network (five races), iLevel by Weyerhaeuser (four races), and Aflac (one race). Kenseth won the Stater Brothers 300 at California Speedway in February and the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in April.

Kenseth broke an 18 race winless streak as he won the 2008 Nicorette 300 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kenseth's 23rd career series victory came after the series was renamed the Nationwide Series. On lap 104 at the 2009 Aaron 312 on April 25, Kenseth took a wild ride flipping over 3.5 times, sliding on his roof, then completed a fourth flip. The car burst into flames, and Kenseth walked away.

Kenseth won the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington Raceway in 2009. Kenseth led only the last four laps of the race – three of them under caution – after Busch had to pull into the pits due to a flat right-rear tire during the penultimate caution period and just as the race was about to get into a green-white-checkered finish.

On May 28, 2011 Kenseth won the Top Gear 300 at Charlotte. Kenseth, filling in for Trevor Bayne, passed Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards with two laps to go to win his only Nationwide Start of the 2011 season.

Sprint Cup Series[link]

Won at Daytona 2012 Kenseth made his Winston Cup series debut in 1998 at Dover, Del., filling in for Bill Elliott who was attending his father's funeral on the day of the race. He finished sixth, the third best debut of any driver. The last driver before Kenseth to debut with a top-10 finish was Rusty Wallace in 1980 with a second place finish in Atlanta.

2000–2005[link]

In 2000 Kenseth's entire team joined the Roush Racing organization, where they beat out Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, and is still the only rookie to win the famed 600 mile event. He went on to finish 14th in points with four top 5s and 11 top 10s.

In 2001 Kenseth finished 13th in points with four top 5s and nine top 10 finishes. Robbie Reiser and the DeWalt pit crew won the Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Competition.

In 2002 Kenseth won the most races (five) and one pole, but inconsistency caused him to finish eighth in the final points. His wins came at Rockingham, Texas, Michigan, Richmond and Phoenix. The DeWalt team won a second Unocal 76 World Pit Crew Competition.

Kenseth's 2003 Winston Cup trophy

The car that Kenseth won the 2003 championship in

In 2003 he dominated in the points standings for almost the entire season and became the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup champion, the last driver to ever hold that title. In so doing, he also became only the second Wisconsinite to win the championship (the late Alan Kulwicki was the first, in 1992). Kenseth also had a series best 25 top 10 finishes.

• Began with a 20th-place finish in the Daytona 500, but quickly sped to the front. Fresh off his only win of the season at Las Vegas, Kenseth took the point standings lead after a fourth-place finish at Atlanta in the season’s fourth week. He never relinquished the top spot, remaining No. 1 for 33 consecutive weeks, and setting a new modern-era record for most weeks at No. 1. The previous mark was 30 weeks, set by the late Dale Earnhardt during his first title season of 1980.
• Clinched the 2003 series crown with a fourth-place finish at Rockingham on Nov. 9, in the season’s penultimate event. Finished with a 90-point margin over runner-up Jimmie Johnson.
• Displayed amazing consistency during his title run,spending 35 of 36 weeks in the NASCAR Top 10.Only week outside that elite group came after a 20th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500. Finished with one win, 11 top fives and a series-high 25 top-10 finishes.
• Became the fifth different champion in five years, and the third consecutive former Raybestos Rookie of the Year to win the series title.

In 2004 Kenseth won the International Race of Champions (IROC) championship. He qualified for the inaugural Nextel Cup, finished eighth in the final NASCAR point standings.Finished with two wins, those coming back-to-back early in the year at Rockingham and Las Vegas. His win at Rockingham was a photo finish with eventual Raybestos Rookie of the Year Kasey Kahne. He also won the All-Star Race. Began the 10-race Chase in fifth place and finished eighth. ... One of only four drivers to be ranked in the top 10 all season.

Kenseth started the 2005 season with relatively poor finishes but had a strong mid-season run. He rose from the 24th place in championship points after fourteen races to eighth after twenty six races, and he qualified for the Chase for the Cup. He finished seventh in the final points standings with one win coming at Bristol. Kenseth made his 200th career start. His totals after his first 200 starts were: 1 championship, 10 wins, 40 Top 5s, 85 Top 10s, 1 pole position, and more than $28.5 million earnings. He also led a career high 1,001 laps.

2006–2010[link]

Kenseth's car at a Detroit Lions practice

Kenseth had a fast start to the 2006 season. He led early in the Daytona 500, but then spun out after contact with Tony Stewart. He fell down two laps, but rallied back to a 15th place finish. Kenseth won the following race at California Speedway. He was the points leader after the eighth race at Phoenix. He won the Dover spring race by racing from sixth to the front in the final 60 laps. He made the winning pass over teammate Jamie McMurray with three laps left. With the season winding down into the last dozen races, Kenseth won the Sharpie 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway – securing his spot in the chase for the Nextel Cup. He finished the year with winnings of $9,524,966, his take for second place.Only spent one week outside the top 10 (finished 15th in seasonopening Daytona 500). ... Was either first or second in points for 27 of 36 weeks. ... Led 1,132 laps, second among all drivers.

In the second race of the 2007 season Kenseth won the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. After Jeff Gordon wrecked out of the Coca-Cola 600, Kenseth was left as the only driver to complete every lap this season until he was wrecked out of the Citizens Bank 400 at Michigan where Ryan Newman was trying to get one of his 3 laps back. The wreck also ended Kenseth's streak of 13 consecutive top-15's this season. Kenseth won the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2007. The race was the final event under series title sponsor NEXTEL, and the final race using the templates originally based on the 1964 Holman Moody Ford Fairlane template.Finished fourth in series points. ... Finished in the top 10 in the standings for six consecutive seasons, tied with Jimmie Johnson for the most. ... Won two races – Auto Club (February) and Homestead. Won at least one race in six consecutive seasons. ... Led a lap in 20 different races, leading the most in four of them.

Kenseth's car in Manhattan

In 2008 Finished 11th in series points. Top finish was second at Dover on Sept. 21. Had five top-10 finishes during the Chase. Ended streaks of winning at least one race in six consecutive seasons and finishing in the top 10 in the standings in six consecutive seasons.

In 2007, Kenseth finished fourth in the point standings in the NEXTEL Cup Series. Kenseth won two races, the Auto Club 500 and the Ford 400, and earned $6,485,630 in winnings. he also won an additional 100,000 dollars from his sponsor, Safeway

Kenseth started toward the back for the Daytona 500 and worked his way to the lead and led 2 laps, but soon after his own teammate, David Ragan, would squeeze him into the wall, knocking both out of contention and resulting in a finish of 36th.

In the Goody's Cool Orange 500 Kenseth started 28th, but finished 31st. Kenseth was held a lap for pitting outside of his box early, but later was spun out by David Gilliland and was held for 2 laps for intentionally wrecking him back. Despite that, Gilliland finished 24th.

Kenseth failed to win a race in the 2008 season for first time since 2001. Matt Kenseth won the rain shortened 2009 Daytona 500, passing Elliott Sadler mere moments before the caution came out on lap 146 as the result of an accident on the backstretch between Aric Almirola and Sam Hornish, Jr.. The red flag was later waved and subsequent end of the race, 152 laps in, followed, giving Kenseth his first Daytona 500 victory, and the first Daytona 500 Victory for his owner Jack Roush after 20 years as a car owner.^[3] He led only 1 green flag lap (of 7 laps led), after starting the race in 43rd. It was Kenseth's tenth attempt at "The Great American Race".^[4]

Kenseth won the second race of the season, the (Auto Club 500), to become the fourth driver in NASCAR history to follow up a win at the Daytona 500 with another win the following race.^[5] Kenseth's bids for a third straight victory went south after engine failure at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Kenseth flipped his car during the April Nationwide Series Race at Talladega. Kenseth won in the Nationwide series for his 24th win at Darlington. He also won the pole at Darlington in the Sprint Cup Series, setting a new track record in the process.

It was announced before the Indianapolis race that DeWalt was going to drop its sponsorship with Kenseth. Crown Royal will take over its sponsorship in 2010 for 35 races. Valvoline has announced sponsorship for another 3 races. (Includes non-points races)

After finishing 25th at the Chevy Rock and Roll 400 at Richmond, Kenseth was bumped out of the Chase by Brian Vickers. This will leave Jimmie Johnson as the only driver to have made the Chase every time since its inception in 2004.

In 2010, Following the Daytona 500 Drew Blickenderfer was released from his duties as crew chief of the #17 team. Todd Parrott was announced as his replacement. Later in the year Parrott was replaced by Jimmy Fennig.

2011-2012[link]

On March 4, 2011 Kenseth captured his fifth pole of his career setting a new track record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

On April 9, 2011, Kenseth snapped 76 race winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway by winning the race.

On May 15, 2011, Kenseth tamed the concrete monster, winning the Fedex 400 benefitting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway. For most of the day it appeared as Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson had the cars to beat. On a late caution, Kenseth and crew chief Jimmy Fennig called an audible in the pits and decided to go with two tires instead of the four. That proved to be all the difference as Kenseth won for the second time in 5 races.

On October 15, 2011 Kenseth won the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway for his third win of the season. Kenseth's 2nd Championship hopes went south after several altercations with Brian Vickers. This later carried on into Phoenix where Kenseth was officially knocked out of the championship. He finished 4th in points behind Stewart, Edwards, and Harvick.

Kenseth at 2012 Kobalt Tools 400

On February 28th, 2012 Kenseth won the 2012 Daytona 500.^[6]

Criticism[link]

After the 2003 season, Kenseth's championship became a source of controversy and criticism. Critics of the Sprint Cup points system, most notably Roger Penske, pointed out the flaw in having a driver who won only one race out of 36 winning a championship. Additionally, the fact that Kenseth led the points standings for an unprecedented 33 weeks despite only having the one victory, as well as already having clinched the Sprint Cup title with one week to go in the season (rendering the final race in essence a non-event) led to discussions on how to prevent Kenseth's feat from happening again.

As a result, 2004 saw the implementation of a new points and playoffs system titled "The Chase for the Nextel Cup" after Winston was replaced as primary sponsor of NASCAR's top series by NEXTEL. In essence, the system created a 10 race playoff, with only the top-10 drivers in points after the first 26 races competing for the championship. Moreover, the system placed an emphasis, and a points premium, on wins. As a result, the term "The Matt Kenseth Rule" was coined to describe NASCAR's adoption of the current points system. NASCAR acknowledged that the 2003 championship outcome was not the driving factor in establishment of The Chase, as it had been researching methods to adjust the points system to put more emphasis on winning races since 2000. However, the coincidence of the commencement of the new format in 2004 and Kenseth's 2003 championship linked the issues, and were even referred to by NASCAR officials in the interviews and press releases following the announcement of the new format.

Personal life[link]

In 2000, Kenseth married Katie Martin, also from Cambridge. Kenseth has a son named Ross from a previous relationship. Matt and Katie's daughter Kaylin Nicola was born July 6, 2009.^[7] Ross raced a legends car for one year in Wisconsin before starting in limited late model racing as a 14 year old.^[8] As a 16-year-old, Ross won the 2009 championship in the Big 8 Series, a late model touring series in Wisconsin and northern Illinois.^[9] He qualified the second fastest for the Snowball Derby in December 2009.^[10]

Kenseth's fan museum

Roush Fenway Racing hired Kenny Wallace to stand by at Daytona, as Katie was expecting her second child. Grace Katherine Kenseth was born February 22, 2011.

Matt and Katie have four cats, one named Lars after Lars Ulrich of Metallica (Kenseth's favorite band), one named Charlotte after the site of Kenseth's first Sprint Cup win, and the most recent additions, two kittens, one named Miley and one named Sulley. The Kenseth cats have been featured in NASCAR pets calendars to raise money and awareness for Humane Societies and animal charities. Kenseth has also been featured on a READ poster for the American Library Association. In addition, he is a licensed private pilot with multi-engine and instrument ratings. The Kenseths currently reside in North Carolina.^{[citation needed]}

Kenseth operates a racing museum in his hometown of Cambridge which features cars, trophies, firesuits, helmets, and other memorabilia from his amateur and professional career. The museum features one of his early stock cars, the car where he won his first Busch race, and the car in which he clinched the 2003 Sprint Cup. His sister, Kelley Maruszewski, manages the museum and its retail store while also running his official Fan Club.^{[citation needed]}

Career NASCAR Sprint Cup Statistics[link]

Data as of November 21, 2011.^[11]

References[link]

External links[link]