The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

One of the biggest auto racing events in America is the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sprint took over sponsorship of the NASCAR Cup Series in 2008.  The cup series was previously known as the Nextel Cup Series and before that the Winston Cup Series. The Cup Series was changed a couple of years ago to make it more competitive and exciting for the fans. The NASCAR Sprint Cup “Race to the Chase” was established, much like a “playoff” system.  After 26 regular season races the top twelve drivers in points are eligible to compete for the Sprint Cup over the last 10 races of the season. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rewards drivers points for leading laps, wins and for the most laps led. Drivers who lead a whole lap during a race receive five bonus points. Five points are awarded for leading the most laps in a race while winning a race gets the winner 10 points.

Owner’s points frequently differ from drivers’ points over the season. It is rare for owner and driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series to be one and the same. This is partly due to the structure of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series  favouring multiple car teams such as Childress Racing, Goe Gibbs Racing, DEI and Hendrick Motor Sports.

It takes several people besides just the driver to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.  This ranges from the pit crews who service the cars during the race for the cup to the designers and car builders, who work all year to find ways to improve the cars and gain a slight advantage over other teams. Computers and simulations are used by crew chiefs to help them judge how well a car will perform at the various track configurations.

NASACAR has become of the most popular family sports in the US. It’s a sport that all members of the family can enjoy. Many show up in their RVs and watch the race from lawn chairs perched on their roof. NASCAR fans are very loyal to their favorite drivers. One of the biggest crowd favorites is Dale Earnhardt Jr. His fans are affectionally known as the “Junior Nation”.