User:Pedro thy master/NASCAR Champions

This page is to name the champions, sub-champions and most remembered racers, and cars of NASCAR.

NASCAR
NASCAR is one of the most viewed professional sports in terms of television ratings in the United States. In fact, professional football is the only sport in the United States to hold more viewers than NASCAR. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 attended single-day sporting events in the world. , and claims 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion in annual licensed product sales. Many marketers consider NASCAR fans the most brand-loyal in all of sports and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other Motor Sport.

William France Sr.
Mechanic William France Sr., moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, DC, 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.

Erwin "Cannonball" Baker
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. Cannonball 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, The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame, and The NASCAR Hall of Fame. This level of honor and success in each diverse racing association earned Baker the title of "King of the Road".

Bob "Barky" Barkhimer
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 the stock car sanctioning body on the Pacific Coast under Barky.

Founding
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.

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 Flonty 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.

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.

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. 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 mi 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.



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.

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, 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, 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. 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.

ABC Sports aired partial or full live telecasts of Grand National races from Talladega, North Wilkesboro, Darlington, Charlotte, and Nashville in 1970. These events were less exciting than many GN races, and ABC abandoned live coverage. Races were instead broadcast, delayed and edited, on the ABC sports variety show "Wide World of Sports."

Finally, 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.

Sprint Cup
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 2006 Sprint 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 Sprint Cup series and the ambiguous use of "NASCAR" as a synonym for the Sprint Cup series is common. The winner of the most recent season was Jimmie Johnson in 2008; Johnson was also the 2007 and 2006 champion. He is the first winner of three in a row since Cale Yarborough.

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.

Nationwide Series


The "NASCAR Nationwide Series" is the second-highest level of professional competition in NASCAR. The most recent series champion was Clint Bowyer in 2008.

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 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. According to NASCAR Chairman Brian France, all options, except an outright ban of Cup competitors, are still being considered.

Beginning in 2010, the Nationwide cars will adapt somewhat to the current "Car of Tomorrow" (or COT) design used by Cup cars, with different bodies from the Sprint Cup Series. Some critics 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


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 Johnny Benson in 2008; It was Benson'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.

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series is a NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series founded in 1981 and was bought out in 2006. The new series has races through 6 of Canada's provinces for a total of 13 events with TV coverage is on TSN. Many drivers are content running In Canada while others move up to bigger NASCAR series. The cars are a bit different from the Car Of Yesterday with more a street look with steel tube-framed silhouette bodies powered by carbureted spec V8 engines.

NASCAR Corona Series
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.

Regional 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 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.

Sprint Cup
1949 known as Strictly Stock; 1950-1971 known as Grand National; 1972-2003 known as Winston Cup; 2004-2007 known as Nextel Cup; 2008- known as Sprint Cup

List of NASCAR all-time cup winners
The following is a list compiling the total number of career victories in NASCAR Cup Series competition. The list recognizes "Cup" victories under the following auspices:


 * Strictly Stock (1949)
 * Grand National Series (1950-1970)
 * Winston Cup Series (1971-2003)
 * NEXTEL Cup Series (2004-2007)
 * Sprint Cup Series (2008-present)

Seasons since 1972 comprise the "modern era." Years since 2004 are regarded as the "Chase Era." Non-points races such as the Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade Duel (since 1972), the Sprint All-Star Race and NASCAR Thunder Special are not reflected in the totals.

Win table
''Through the 2009 Lifelock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, 2009.
 * Indicates active driver.

List of Drivers
All statistics used in these tables are as of the end of the 2009 Pocono 500.

Full-time drivers
''Drivers in these lists are as of April 18, 2008. Stats current as of the 2009 Basha's Supermarkets 300.

Unemployed/Former drivers who currently race in another series
Drivers in these lists are as January 18, 2009.

Retired Drivers
Please use this format when formatting this page.

Deceased Drivers
Please use this format when formatting this page.

The following is a list of the 2009 NASCAR races from the Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series, along with their venues.

Some sponsors (and associated names) of the events are identified as TBA pending completion of the 2009 season sponsorship agreements.

See also 2009 in NASCAR and the List of 2008 NASCAR races.''

Sprint Cup Series
♦ - Qualifying rained out. Starting order set by owner's points. ≠ − Non points race involving pole sitters from 2007 races. ₡ - Starting order determined by random draw. ǂ - Front Row is set for Daytona 500. ₪ − Race to set fields for Daytona 500. † — Non points races. ♣ — Race will either be run at night, or start in the late afternoon, and finish under lights.

Nationwide Series
♦ - Qualifying cancelled due to weather. Starting order set by owner's points.

Road Course Ringers

 * Brandon Ash
 * Tony Ave
 * Austin Cameron
 * Chris Cook
 * Ron Fellows
 * Adrian Fernandez
 * Jorge Goeters
 * Marc Goossens
 * Klaus Graf
 * Tom Hubert
 * Jim Inglebright
 * P. J. Jones
 * Michel Jourdain Jr.
 * Terry Labonte- Ran full-time in Cup until 2005.
 * Anthony Lazzaro
 * Butch Leitzinger
 * Johnny Miller
 * Max Papis
 * Scott Pruett- Also ran full-time in Cup in 2000.
 * Jose Luis Ramirez
 * Mara Reyes
 * Boris Said- Occasionally runs at Daytona and Talladega.
 * Brian Simo
 * Joe Varde

Former Road Course Ringers

 * Elliott Forbes-Robinson
 * Butch Gilliland
 * Dorsey Schroeder
 * Irv Hoerr

Suspended Drivers

 * Aaron Fike
 * Shane Hmiel (First driver to be suspended for life from NASCAR)
 * Carl Long
 * Brian Rose
 * Tyler Walker

List of NASCAR Games
In 2003, EA Sports received an exclusive console license to produce NASCAR games, eliminating Papyrus and Hasbro Interactive as competitors.

In 2009, IRacing.com received a license to run NASCAR sanctioned IRacing online racing starting in 2010.

Beginnings
NASCAR did not gain industry until years after such games as NHL Hockey and Madden NFL Football (both created by Electronic Arts) had several titles under their specific names. However, before NASCAR Racing took the simulation racing world by storm, there was another, lesser-known racing game released four years before it that donned the NASCAR license. This game was known as Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge (released in 1990 by Konami). This game was not only the first game to have the NASCAR license, but it was also the first game to have several NASCAR tracks (including Watkins Glen and Talladega) and a NASCAR driver in it (which was Bill Elliott). Even though NASCAR broke into the video game market in 1990, it would take several more years until NASCAR would see another title hit store shelves.

Papyrus Design Group
In 1994, Papyrus Design Group, an up-and-coming simulation racing developer (at the time) that was best known for the IndyCar Racing series, released the first installation to the NASCAR Racing Series into the video game market. The game was a huge success. This game, with its revolutionary and dynamic car physics system, changed the image of many people that NASCAR was "just a boring sport where you watched cars make left hand turns all day".

Over the next decade Papyrus teamed with Sierra Entertainment and continued producing games for their NASCAR Racing series. The NASCAR Racing games were universally praised for their accuracy in terms of physics and track feel, with NASCAR Cup and Busch series drivers regularly practicing for upcoming tracks using the games. Many believe that NASCAR Racing 2003 Season is still, years after release, the most realistic stock car racing game ever released. Unopened copies of NASCAR Racing 2003 Season are selling for upwards of $130 is testament to this fact. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, and Martin Truex Jr. still use the game for training. Prior to sweeping both races at Pocono in 2006, Denny Hamlin had only seen the track on the NASCAR Racing 2003 Season Game.

Electronic Arts
The company developed NASCAR games for the original PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 under names such as NASCAR 98, NASCAR 99, NASCAR 2000 and NASCAR Road Racing. Also, a big hit for the company was Nascar Rumble, a spin-off of the normal NASCAR racing games. The company expanded into NASCAR games for PC, Game Boy Color for their 2000 game, and the PlayStation 2 for their 2001 game, the last under the old name. For 2002, the series was renamed NASCAR Thunder, and by 2003, has simultaneously been released on GameCube, Xbox, PlayStation 2, PC, and the original PlayStation.

EA Sports decided to split their old "Thunder" titles into two separate racing lines; one for consoles focused on gameplay, and one for PC, which attempted to focus on technical accuracy in the spirit of the old Papyrus/Sierra lines - indeed the PC game used many former members of the Papyrus development teams (although David Kaemmer, the heart and soul of Papyrus, was not involved). The games were given differing names, as to not confuse the two, with the console series renamed NASCAR 2005: Chase for the Cup (released in 2004, a reference to the new NASCAR playoff format) and the PC series renamed NASCAR SimRacing (released in 2005). Sweeping gameplay changes meant that the "Chase for the Cup" name was dropped from the 2006 edition of the console game. Instead, the game was titled NASCAR 06: Total Team Control. The new name is derived from the new feature by which a player who has teammates in the field can actually switch to their teammates' cars and control them during a race. It was released on August 30, 2005. Released on September 6, 2006, NASCAR 07 is EA Sports' tenth game in the series. NASCAR 09 is the most recent game in the EA Sports NASCAR series. It is available on both next generation consoles, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, as well as PlayStation 2. The NASCAR Series took a different approach in 2009 to the series as EA introduced NASCAR Kart Racing which is NASCAR geared towards casual gamers which was on the Wii console and was the only NASCAR game available in 2009. It was later announced that EA would not make a NASCAR 10 and the series is currently on hiatus because a drop in sales.

Other Developers
Other NASCAR games include Hasbro Interactive's NASCAR Heat; Papyrus' NASCAR Legends, which took players back to the 1970 season, featuring a different point system, and many different tracks. There is also a pinball game. This game was based on the NASCAR Racing 3 engine; EA Sports NASCAR Revolution (released between NASCAR 99 which came out in 1998, and NASCAR 2000, which came out in 1999); and NASCAR Rumble, an EA game incorporating some of the features of Nintendo's Super Mario Kart, but with NASCAR car designs. On June 3rd, 2009, at Sony's Electronic Entertainment Expo conference, a trailerfor the upcoming PlayStation 3 game Gran Turismo 5 featured NASCAR as one of several new licenses that will be in the game.

NASCAR Pinball
Sierra created a NASCAR Pinball game. In the introduction, the player selects one of four different NASCAR drivers: Bill Elliot, Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, or Dale Earnhardt. The player then proceeds to the "garage" where they play pinball while the crew works on the car. The player tries to hit each necessary NASCAR piece. Qualifying is next. It takes the player to the racetrack, where a pinball scene is set up with a track running along the edge. There are four races total: Bristol, Atlanta, Talladega, and Watkins Glen. The process is repeated each time a new race comes up.

NASCAR Rookie of the Year
The NASCAR Rookie of the Year Award is presented to the first-year driver that has the best season in a NASCAR season. Each of NASCAR's national and regional touring series selects a RotY winner each year.

History of the Award: Grand National/Winston Cup/Nextel Cup/Sprint Cup
The Rookie of the Year award for NASCAR's premier series was first presented to a driver named Blackie Pitt by Houston Lawing, NASCAR'S Public Relations director, in 1954. While it wasn't an official award, it would help set the standard for the top rookie prize.

From the 1958 through the 1973 seasons, NASCAR did not have an official points system to determine the Rookie of the Year. NASCAR's officials merely gathered together to select a winner. Naturally, this policy came under controversy, as officials didn't consider former champions from rival racing series. This system came to an end in 1973 after Lennie Pond was controversially chosen over Darrell Waltrip for the honor, even though Pond scored more points, although he ran 23 compared to Waltrip's 19 races. Since 1974, the Rookie of the Year points system described below has been used, even if it meant the winner was not the highest finisher in championship points.

Main Rookie Points
Rookie of the year candidates earn points for their best seventeen (Sprint Cup), sixteen (Nationwide), or fourteen (Craftsman Truck) races of the season. All other points are based on a ten-to-one system.
 * 1) The highest finishing rookie earns ten points, the second highest finishing rookie earns nine points, etc.
 * 2) One point is granted to all rookies who enter an event prior to the entry deadline, regardless of finishing position or even if they don't qualify. All rookies with teams that enter past the regular entry deadline ("post entry") do not receive this point.

Rookie Bonus Points
Bonus points are also awarded to drivers in the following circumstances:


 * 1) A rookie candidate finishes in the top ten in a race. If that candidate wins, he/she earns ten bonus rookie points. If that candidate finishes second, he/she earns nine bonus rookie points, etc.
 * 2) "Segment Bonus Points." The season is divided into three segments, the first segment being after the first ten races of the season, the second segment being after the second ten races of the season, and the third segment being the rest of the schedule. The candidate with the most championship points in each segment earns ten bonus rookie points, the candidate with the second-most championship points earns nine, etc. The system is different slightly in the Craftsman Truck Series because only 25 races, compared to the other two series, are run in their season.
 * 3) The rookie driver who finishes highest in the championship standings at season's end will receive an additional ten bonus rookie points.

Panel
There is a five-member panel composed of drivers, officials, etc. that meet during the final week of the season. They evaluate that year's candidates on the following criteria:


 * 1) Conduct with officials
 * 2) Conduct and awareness on the racetrack
 * 3) Personal appearance and conduct with the media

The panel may penalize rookies for any conduct that may be detrimental to NASCAR.

Anyone involved with a rookie candidate (such as a teammate or car owner) may NOT serve on that year's panel and will be replaced by another driver. In 2002, Bobby Labonte served on the Cup rookie panel as NASCAR disqualified Jeff Gordon from the position because of his equity ownership in Jimmie Johnson's #48 car.

Eligibility
Drivers must meet the following criteria in order to be eligible to run for or receive the Rookie of the Year award.


 * 1) Must have run no more than seven races in any previous season.
 * 2) Drivers who compete in more than five races in a higher series are not eligible for the award in a lower series.
 * 3) If a driver does not start eight races before the end of Race 20 on the schedule, they will immediately become ineligible to earn rookie points for the rest of that season. The seven-race-limit still applies pertaining to eligibility for future attempts.
 * 4) A driver may NOT receive rookie points if he/she starts a race for a team that he/she did not qualify with. However, he/she is still eligible for championship points in that race.

2009 standings

 * 1) Joey Logano (#20)–205 points
 * 2) Scott Speed (#82)–182 points
 * 3) Max Papis (#13)–70 points

Officially eliminated from contention

 * 1) Dexter Bean (#51)

History of Sprint Cup RotY Awards
Below is a list of all winners, and known runner-ups. (Note: some of the drivers listed here are not confirmed as ROY contenders, and competed in more than the maximum number of races to be eligible for ROY honors.)

2009 standings

 * 1) Justin Allgaier (#12)–191 points
 * 2) Brendan Gaughan (#62)–182 points
 * 3) Michael McDowell (#47)–153 points
 * 4) Scott Lagasse Jr. (??)–147 points
 * 5) Michael Annett (#15)–139 points
 * 6) John Wes Townley (#09)–102 points
 * 7) Erik Darnell (#6)–90 points
 * 8) Ken Butler III (#23)–63 points
 * 9) Terry Cook (#91)–25 points

Officially eliminated from contention

 * 1) Peyton Sellers (#77)
 * 2) Marc Davis (#??)

2009 standings

 * 1) Tayler Malsam (#81)–143 points
 * 2) Johnny Sauter (#13)–135 points
 * 3) James Buescher (#10)–131 points
 * 4) Ricky Carmichael (#4)–93 points
 * 5) Brian Ickler (#15)–67 points
 * 6) J. R. Fitzpatrick (#4)–60 points
 * 7) Brent Raymer (#85)–45 points
 * 8) Chris Jones (#87)–45 points
 * 9) Chase Austin (#??)–16 points
 * 10) Ryan Hackett (#76)–5 points

Closest NASCAR Sprint Cup Series finishes
NASCAR's premiere racing division, the Sprint Cup Series, has seen many close finishes since the electronic scoring system was instituted in May during the 1993 season. To date the closest finish in the Sprint Cup Series occurred during the 2003 Carolina Dodge Dealers 400. Ricky Craven won the race in a stunning, side panel rubbing battle to the checkers with Kurt Busch at Darlington Raceway, at the start/finish line Craven edged out Busch by mere inches.

History
Close finishes have been a part of the sport since the beginning of stock-car racing. One notable photo finish occurred in the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959. Initially, NASCAR declared the race won by Johnny Beauchamp, but many fans felt that Lee Petty had won. It took 61 hours before the win was finally awarded to Petty.

Beginning May 1993, NASCAR switched from using handheld stopwatches or analog timing clocks to integrated electronic scoring.

Before margins of victory were scored in laps, car lengths or feet. Geoffrey Bodine defeated Ernie Irvan by 0.53 seconds in the 1993 Save Mart Supermarkets 300K. It was the first race utilizing electronic scoring. Now scoring can be measured down to seconds, or fractions of a second.

Close finishes are not limited to the Cup series. There have also been some photo finishes in the lower divisions. The closest finish in the history of NASCAR top three divisions (since 1993) occurred in the 1995 SuperTruck Total Petroleum 200 at Colorado National Raceway. Butch Miller beat Mike Skinner by only 0.001 second.

NASCAR dad
In North American social, cultural and political discourse, NASCAR dad refers broadly to a demographic group of often white, usually middle-aged, working-class or lower-middle-class men. The group received this nickname because they are men who are believed to typically enjoy watching NASCAR racing, or comparable high-impact sports or entertainment (football, professional wrestling). The term was often used during the United States presidential election of 2004, particularly in describing the efforts of Democrats to regain the votes of white southern males. The group consists of an estimated 45 million people.

List of NASCAR drivers who have won in each of top three series
Below is a list of drivers who have won at least one race in each of the top three NASCAR divisions: Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series.

The following drivers have won in each of the three series during the same season: Terry Labonte (1995), Kevin Harvick (2003) and Kyle Busch (2005-2009).

Active Drivers With Wins In Two of Three Top Series
Below are drivers who have scored victories in just two of the top three series.

Strictly Stock
1949

Grand National
1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970

Winston Cup
1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

NEXTEL Cup
2004 2005 2006 2007

Sprint Cup
2008 2009

Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series
1982 1983

Busch Late Model Sportsman Series
1984 1985

Busch Series
1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

Nationwide Series
2008 2009

SuperTruck Series
1995

Craftsman Truck Series
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Camping World Truck Series
2009

NASCAR Hall of Fame
The NASCAR Hall of Fame will honor drivers who have shown exceptional skill at NASCAR driving, all-time great crew chiefs and owners, and other major contributors to the sport. NASCAR has committed itself to building a Hall of Fame and on March 6, 2006, the city of Charlotte, North Carolina was selected as the location. Ground was broken for the $160 million facility on January 26, 2007 and is expected to open no later than the first quarter of 2010, with the inaugural class inducted during the week of Sprint All-Star Race XXVI. The new Hall of Fame is expected to bring hundreds of jobs and an increase in tourism to Charlotte. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the NASCAR Plaza, a 20-story office building, opened in May, 2009. The 390000 sqft structure will be the home of Hall of Fame-related offices, NASCAR Digital Media, and their licensing division. Other tenants include; Charlotte Regional Partnership, 7th floor and Lauth Property Group. Richard Petty and Dale Inman helped unveil the first artifact at the Hall of Fame, which was the Plymouth Belvedere that Petty drove to 27 wins in 1967.

The City of Charlotte is responsible for the construction of the building and will own the NASCAR Hall of Fame. However, it will be operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. Winston Kelley is the NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director. Internationally renowned Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners is leading the design effort. Little Diversified Architectural Consulting based in Charlotte, NC is the local architectural firm overseeing many aspects of design and construction of the project. Exhibition design is by Ralph Applebaum Associates, and exhibition lighting by Technical Artistry. Site excavation and grading services commenced on May 21, 2007.

Charlotte
Because of stock car racing's roots in and wealth of famous drivers from North Carolina, many NASCAR offices in the area and many teams in the three major series NASCAR competes in (Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Camping World Truck Series) totaling over 73% of motorsports employees in the United States working in what the committee called "NASCAR Valley", Charlotte was considered the favorite by many fans and commentators. The proposed site is in Uptown Charlotte, one half hour south of Lowe's Motor Speedway. Another factor that helped in the winning bid was the fact that over half of the total population of the USA was living within a 500 mi radius of the greater Charlotte region. The bid was led by NASCAR car owner Rick Hendrick, Mayor Pat McCrory, and business leaders in Charlotte. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners were enlisted for the complex's design, which will be located near the Charlotte Convention Center. An expansion, which includes a new ballroom, is also part of the project.

While most information on the Charlotte bid has been released voluntarily, the Charlotte Observer has asked the state Attorney General for an opinion requiring full disclosure of the financial details.

The self-proclaimed slogan used by Charlotte for the Hall of Fame is "Racing Was Built Here. Racing Belongs Here."
 * Charlotte Hall of Fame bid official site

Other final candidates
The other two cities at the time of the announcement that were in the running were Atlanta, Georgia and Daytona Beach, Florida.

Atlanta
NASCAR legend Bill Elliott had campaigned for Atlanta to be the NASCAR HOF site, which would have been adjacent to Centennial Olympic Park. Atlanta's argument was that with the World of Coca-Cola, CNN Center, the Georgia Aquarium and the Children's Museum of Atlanta nearby, more visitors would come to town to visit the city. However, legal issues surrounding the secret bid and the Georgia Open Records Act arose after a request from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the cost of the proposal. At least $25 million (US) in state money plus an extra $5 million from Atlanta and Fulton County taxpayers would have been committed to the project.

Other bids
The state of Alabama had also been mentioned as a potential candidate city, and was no longer seen as a contender, possibly because Talladega currently is home to the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which is not affiliated with NASCAR. The only northern area that considered bidding was in the state of Michigan. Detroit prepared bids, but state officials decided not to submit the proposals. The cities of Richmond, Virginia and Kansas City, Kansas were actually among the five finalists, but on January 5, 2006, NASCAR announced they had been eliminated from the running, leaving just Daytona, Atlanta and Charlotte as the remaining cities. 

Eligibility
Former drivers must have been active in NASCAR for at least 10 years, and retired for at least three. Non-drivers must have been involved in the industry at least ten years. Some candidates with shorter careers will be considered if there were special circumstances.

Nomination
A 20-member nominating committee will choose nominees from those who are eligible. The committee will consist of:
 * Seven NASCAR representatives
 * NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Wiston Keley
 * NASCAR Hall of Fame Historian
 * Track owners (Two each from International Speedway Corporation and Speedway Motorsports Incorporated, the Hulman family representing Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the owners of Dover International Speedway and Pocono Raceway)
 * Four track owners from historic short tracks: Bowman-Gray Speedway in Winston-Salem, N.C.; Greenville-Pickens Speedway in Greenville, S.C.; Riverhead Raceway in Riverhead, N.Y; and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in Irwindale, CA.

Induction
After the nomination committee selects the list of candidates, a total of 48 votes will be cast by a voting committee, which will consist of:
 * The 20 members of the nominating committee
 * 14 media representatives: Three each from the National Motorsports Press Association, the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Eastern Motorsports Press Association; one each from FOX, Turner, ESPN, Motor Racing Network and Performance Racing Network.
 * One representative each from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Toyota
 * Three retired drivers
 * Three retired owners
 * Three retired crew chiefs
 * One ballot which will represent the results of a nationwide fan vote

Finalists announced for the Class of 2010

 * Bobby Allison, driver
 * Buck Baker, driver
 * Red Byron, driver
 * Richard Childress, owner
 * Dale Earnhardt, driver
 * Richie Evans, driver
 * Tim Flock, driver
 * Bill France Sr., NASCAR founder and promoter
 * Bill France Jr., promoter
 * Rick Hendrick, owner
 * Ned Jarrett, driver and broadcaster
 * Junior Johnson, owner-driver
 * Bud Moore, owner
 * Raymond Parks, owner
 * Benny Parsons, driver, promoter and broadcaster
 * David Pearson, driver
 * Lee Petty, owner-driver
 * Richard Petty, owner-driver
 * Fireball Roberts, driver
 * Herb Thomas, driver
 * Curtis Turner, driver
 * Darrell Waltrip, driver and broadcaster
 * Joe Weatherly, driver
 * Glen Wood, owner
 * Cale Yarborough, driver

Trophy
=== Sprint Cup (trophy) ===

The Sprint Cup is a trophy that is awarded to the winner of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It is made of sterling silver with a wood base and was created by renowned silversmiths Tiffany & Co., whose other major championship trophies in sports have included the World Series (Major League Baseball) Commissioner's Trophy, the NFL's Vince Lombardi Trophy, given to the champions of the Super Bowl and the Larry O'Brien Trophy, handed to the playoff champions of the NBA following the NBA Finals.

The trophy is 24 in tall and weighs 27 lb. It was designed in 2003 by Bruce Newman and was first awarded in 2004 to series champion Kurt Busch. The Sprint Cup is awarded to the driver who scores the most points after the Chase for the Sprint Cup at a post season awards banquet in New York City in December and is crowned the champion for that season. The winner maintains permanent possession of the trophy, some teams will display the trophy in their race shop. Also teams who have not won a Sprint Cup will usually have a reserved display case located in their race shop for the trophy.

Traditionally, there are three Sprint Cup trophies handed out; one each to the championship driver, team, and primary sponsor.

There is a permanent Sprint Cup trophy at the Daytona 500 Experience next to Daytona International Speedway featuring all of the past champions into perpetuity. Another Sprint Cup is located within NASCAR's New York City offices that is put on display during "Championship Week", when the annual awards ceremony and banquet honoring that year's champion is held and another one travels from track-to-track as part of the Sprint Experience tour.

=== Harley J. Earl Trophy ===

Harley J. Earl Trophy on display at the Daytona 500 Experience.The Harley J. Earl Trophy is the trophy presented to the winner of NASCAR's premier event, the Daytona 500. It is named after influential automobile designer Harley Earl, who served as the second commissioner of NASCAR, has been known as the so-called "father of the Corvette" and designer of the Firebird I prototype that adorns the trophy.

The permanent trophy is housed at Daytona 500 Experience, a museum adjacent to the Daytona International Speedway. It stands about four feet tall, and five feet wide, and is in the same triangluar "tri-oval" shape of Daytona International Speedway. Winners of the Daytona 500 through 1997 received the Harley Earl Award, a wooden trophy, approximately three feet tall, adorned with silver figurines.

Starting in 1998, to celebrate the 40th running, individual winners of the Daytona 500 have been presented with a miniature replica of the Harley J. Earl Trophy, which was recreated by John Lajba, a sculptor from Omaha, Nebraska. For every trophy he creates, it takes six weeks of 12-hour days to painstakingly handcraft the Firebird I car before it gets plated in silver. The first replica trophy, won in 1998 by Dale Earnhardt was originally on a marble base, but has since been switched to an acrylic stand, making it lighter.

For the 2008 Daytona 500, the 50th anniversary of the first race, the replica of the trophy, given to winner Ryan Newman, was plated in gold rather than silver.

=== NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award ===

NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award is awarded to the fans' favorite NASCAR driver. The award has been awarded since 1956. It started out as a poll of just the drivers, but eventually included all NASCAR Cup competitors. Today it is voted for by fans across the United States. The award will be renamed after Bill Elliott when he retires from the sport.

The award is presented by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA), and became sponsored by Chex in 2005. The ceremony is called the Myers Brothers Awards Breakfast. The event is held in New York City at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The winner is typically announced in December.

1940s
1949 Curtis Turner

1950s
1952 Lee Petty

1953 Lee Petty(2)

1954 Lee Petty(3)

1955 Tim Flock

1956 Curtis Turner (2)

1957 Fireball Roberts

1958 Jack Smith

1959 Glen Wood

1960s
1960 Rex White

1961 Joe Weatherly

1962 Richard Petty

1963 Fred Lorenzen

1964 Richard Petty(2)

1965 Fred Lorenzen(2)

1966 Darel Dieringer

1967 Cale Yarborough

1968 Richard Petty(3)

1969 Bobby Isaac

1970s
1970 Richard Petty(4)

1971 Bobby Allison

1972 Bobby Allison (2)

1973 Bobby Allison(3)

1974 Richard Petty(5)

1975 Richard Petty(6)

1976 Richard Petty(7)

1977 Richard Petty(8)

1978 Richard Petty(9)

1979 David Pearson

1980s
1980 David Pearson(2)

1981 Bobby Allison(4)

1982 Bobby Allison(5)

1983 Bobby Allison(6)

1984 Bill Elliott

1985 Bill Elliott(2)

1986 Bill Elliott(3)

1987 Bill Elliott(4)

1988 Bill Elliott(5)

1989 Darrell Waltrip

1990s
1990 Darrell Waltrip(2)

1991 Bill Elliott(6)

1992 Bill Elliott(7)

1993 Bill Elliott(8)

1994 Bill Elliott(9)

1995 Bill Elliott(10)

1996 Bill Elliott(11)

1997 Bill Elliott(12)

1998 Bill Elliott(13)

1999 Bill Elliott(14)

2000s
2000 Bill Elliott(15)

2001 Dale Earnhardt

2002 Bill Elliott(16)

2003 Dale Earnhardt Jr.

2004 Dale Earnhardt Jr.(2)

2005 Dale Earnhardt Jr.(3)

2006 Dale Earnhardt Jr.(4)

2007 Dale Earnhardt Jr.(5)

2008 Dale Earnhardt Jr.(6)