Americans have been known for their many passions which includes speed. This apparent need for speed has led to the creation of motor races which have been attracting Americans year after year. While the sport may not seem as physical as other sports such as baseball, football, and basket ball, a huge number of Americans are supporting sports based on the speed of automobiles. And when one speaks of car race, the first thing that comes to mind is the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.

The said championship series has captured the imagination of millions of Americans who are known for their attraction to speed contests. The United States is also undoubtedly the biggest market for automobiles in the world which is a reason for the love of automobiles shown by Americans. As popular as the Nextel Cup Series may be, there are still a large number of people who are still in the dark what this sport is about.

Basically, the Nextel Cup is a series of races where the best race car driver, as judged by the number of points received during the duration of the entire series of races is crowned as the champion. The motorsport can be traced back to the days when races are between ?strictly stock? cars or cars which have not been modified in any way. During those early days, one can bring a car to the tracks and race it.

Today though, the race cars used in the Nextel Cup Series are tailor made for racing. Although teams can tinker with their cars to make it better than the competition?s, NASCAR imposes rules to keep the cars equal. This year, four car brands have their vehicles racing at the series. These are Ford, Dodge, Toyota, and Chevrolet. The latter has been dominating the current series by winning nine of the last ten races.

While a NASCAR Nextel Cup race car can be modified for racing, they must have three stock parts from manufacturers. These three parts are the roof, the trunk lid, and the hood of the cars. Aside from these three parts, the chassis, the drive train, suspension, steering, and other systems can be modified to make the car so as to be suited to the demands of high speed operations. In fact, aftermarket parts such as the Pacesetter exhaust parts can be used by these race cars. While these systems can be tinkered with, NASCAR set some rules that each team must meet including the weight of the race car.

Currently, the weight set by NASCAR for race cars is 3,400 pounds. Another rule is that the distance between the front and rear wheels should also be uniform on all race cars which would compete in the Nextel Cup Series. The wheelbase of all race cars should be 100 inches. The fuel capacity of these race cars are also controlled by NASCAR. For most tracks, the mandated fuel capacity is 17.5 gallons. All race cars entering the contest should have the same fuel type which is 110 octane unleaded fuel as ruled by the sport?s sanctioning body. The cars? top speed also has a limit which is set at 235 miles per hour.

For a car to be permitted to race at the Nextel Cup Series, its engine should conform to the rules set by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing or NASCAR. For instance, electronic features are not permitted and instead, mechanical parts are used. This keeps the costs from ballooning for the benefit of teams competing in the races. Engines allowed to be used on race cars competing in the Nextel Cup Series should have eight cylinders with combustion chambers measuring 358 cubic inches. To keep the cars equal power output is set at a maximum of approximately 750 horsepower.

An interesting fact about these race cars is their headlights. Since these cars are raced only during the day, they do not need to have a pair of headlights. The actual headlights that we see in front of these cars are in fact decals which look realistic enough to fool the unknowing person. Another interesting fact about these race cars is that they have to meet a number of templates that NASCAR is using to make sure that the shape of the cars is almost uniform. The tires used on these cars have no tread on them which is the reason why the Jimmy Stewart 400 was postponed due to the rain that poured during the event. The absence of treads on the tires of these cars makes them impossible to race in wet tracks. The tire compound used on these cars? tire is harder than those used by other motorsport vehicles given the fact that these race cars significantly weigh more.

Last Saturday it took place the Nascar Sprint All-Star Race, one of the most important and special events as much for the fans as for each one of the drivers who managed to classify for this huge event that has the particularity of not been taken into account for the general classification. Therefore, the one that manages to finish first does not get points; instead he gets the enormous amount of a million dollars as the prize of the race. For this season, the exciting competition was held at the Lowe’s Motor Speedway, where the recognized driver Tony Stewart was the one who managed to be crowned as champion. This was a great moment for Stewart, since it was his first triumph on the present season in which, in addition to being a driver, he is making a debut as owner of its own team, the Stewart Haas Racing, for which him competes on the No. 14 Chevrolet Impala. Saturday night started with the Sprint Showdown, race in which Sam Hornish Jr. was the winner whereas Jamie McMurray finished in the second position. These were the two drivers who had the great opportunity to compete in the maximum challenge. Another lucky driver who got placed on the list of the most famous men in Nascar was the rookie Joey Logano, who won a place on the grid because he received the greater amount of votes from the fans. With the exit order established it started the contest of the All-Stars, a tough challenge where beforehand each one of the pilots knew that they would have to give the best of themselves, since the excitement generated just by fact of being part of something so wonderful, along with the encouraging monetary aspect, were factors that would generate a hard-fought battle with a high degree of difficulty. This time, the All-Star Race was divided in four stages; the first one had a distance of 50 laps which was completely dominated by Jimmie Johnson, followed by Jeff Gordon and Kurt Busch who disputed the second position. The second stage was controlled by Kyle Busch, who in spite of risking his position when doing a change of tires, was able to advance at full speed to be placed at the head of the race. On the third stage it appeared a yellow flag due to an accident between Gregg Biffle and Sam Hornish Jr. Later on, the green flag showed up and affected Kyle Busch as Jeff Gordon took advantage of the situation and went ahead to be placed in front, where he stayed until the end of the stage. The motivation of the enormous amount of money of which the final prize consisted, turned the fourth stage on an exciting and ferocious confrontation between the leader Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth, who managed to catch the attention of all those who were there. It was right in the middle of all this where Stewart appeared and in a very talented and skillful way managed to surpass them one by one advancing quickly and positioning himself at the head, where he stayed until the checkered flag waved with which the veteran and famous driver was awarded with the millionaire victory.

The NASCAR, also known as the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, started in the southern parts of the United States in 1948. Now a lucrative franchise with several million followers around the globe, it is second only to the National Football League in terms of viewership and popularity.

You can get a costume that?s sure to get your engines racing in a wide variety of styles and sizes for infants, kids, and male and female adults alike. You can even don Ricky Bobby?s Talladega Nights outfit. Here are just some of the NASCAR-themed outfits that you can find on the Net, or derive inspiration from if you want to make your own NASCAR costume for Halloween or any similar event: a kid-sized pit crew outfit for kids, a number of official NASCAR outfits, or sexy racer costumes with racing motifs.

There?s the NASCAR Toddler Race Car Driver blue zip-up bodysuit, with trademarked patches and logos on the white upper portion of the outfit (complete with a cap), an adult-sized blue and white Ricky Bobby Talladega Nights Wonderbread costume in shiny fabric (which you can pair with sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat for the Will Ferrell look), the Black Racer NASCAR dress for teens and adults (with a low-cut plunging v-neckline, long sleeves, and a black and white checkered motif on the right side of the outfit), and the plus-sized Ricky Bobby Costume for heftier adults.

You may also get any of the following variations on the NASCAR outfits: the white and blue pantsuit based on the Speed Racer costume (with the Speed Racer logo on the upper right portion of the chest, which you can pair with a visorless white helmet), the pink and white Racing Girl costume (with sponsor patches and logos on the upper torso, which you can complement with the included trucker-style cap), the Race Car Driver body suit for adult females (which comes in black and lime green, with long sleeves and flared pants), and the blue Fantasy Race Car Driver full costume for kids. You can also play the part of the NASCAR enthusiast at leisure with a rockabilly-inspired black and red Race Car Driver costume for adults, with a black and red top with stylized flames, fingerless leather gloves, black pants, and a red billed cap. Wear any of these outfits with aviator sunglasses like you?re on your way to the racetrack.

Get the party in high gear with your very own NASCAR-inspired costume to help you get ready and set to go to any costume ball.

Six Tundras drivers finished in the top-10 at Memphis: Jack Sprague (second), Mike Skinner (fourth), Aaron Fike (fifth), Ryan Mathews (No. 36 Lilly Company/Toyota Industrial Equipment Tundra, sixth), Johnny Benson (No. 23 360 OTC Tundra, seventh) and Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Tundra, eighth). Other drivers in the field were Brad Keselowski (16th), Terry Cook (No. 59 Harris Trucking Tundra, 29th) and Ken Butler (No. 00 Aaron?s Lucky Dog Tundra, 33rd).

Keselowski started, for the first of his NCTS career, on the pole in the No. 9 Team ASE Tundra for Germain Racing and led three times for 23 laps. Skinner led 16 laps, and has now led at least one lap in the season?s first 12 races. As a result, he tied the NCTS record for consecutive races led to start a season (Jason Leffler, 2002).

No. 60 Con-way Freight Tundra driver Jack Sprague said that it was a difficult race. He explains that they were horrible but they did a great job with we made some great adjustments. According to him, his truck was a little loose but cooperated by rotating pretty well in the center. He added that they have to give up something at this race track because it is not going to be perfect on both ends.

No. 5 Toyota Tundra diver Mike Skinner said that the truck was very consistent though each set of tires they put on it was a bit different. He considers the recent race as the best run they have ever had in Memphis.

No. 1 RFMS Tundra diver Aaron Fike said that they were looses the whole race but it was their first top-five of the season. He added that they probably should have had a couple top-fives already this year, but they caught a couple bad breaks. He further said that they been in the top-10 in points all year so it is nice to get a good finish and keep the truck up there in points.

No. 9 Team ASE Tundra driver Brad Kaselowski commented that they had a strong truck all night, but it just did not end how they wanted it to. He said that he used everything he had to get to Travis and pass him. Kaselowski caught a little break in traffic to get by Travis. The two got into more traffic and could not get around a couple lapped trucks, and used the rear tires a little too hard and used them up. Though disappointed, Kaselowski was certain that it was the best run he has ever had.

Toyota’s History in America Motorsports

Aside from making quality auto parts such as Toyota Highlander parts, Toyota is also into the world of Motorsports.

Challenges abound as Toyota prepares to face its biggest motorsports test ever in North America when it enters the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and Busch Series this year.

In 2006, a pair of manufacturer’s championships, a driver’s title and a win in America’s most prestigious sports car race was all a part of the rich motorsports history. Todd Bodine bagged Toyota’s first-ever NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Driver’s Championship with three victories. Furthermore, Bodine led a sweep of the top six positions by Toyota Tundra drivers to give Toyota its first Manufacturer’s Championship. For the season, Tundra drivers would achieve victory 12 times in the 25-race campaign.

So you found yourself a redneck partner and want to impess them? Well, A NASCAR date is like a commitment – it can be cheap and not well thought out, or it can be over-the top and a lifelong memory. You’re going to need tickets, grub, beer and a good pick-up, (truck, that is) to get you there.

You will want to plan a pre-party, either the night before you leave for your trip, or with your friends that are going along, if you live near a track. The NASCAR party theme can be in the decorations and food, such as black and white checkered tablecloths, racetrack cake, (chocolate fudge brownies with checkerboard pattern cutout stencil to sprinkle powder sugar squares on top), diesel dogs, Petty pepperoni pizza pie, or blackened steak sandwiches and waffle fries. Get creative with it. You can take the grill and the black-checkered tablecloth and make it a tailgate party for just the two of you.

NASCAR tracks are scattered around the country, and the price of their tickets vary as much as their location. Kansas Speedway offers a one-of-a kind, Sprint Fan walk, for the pre-race experience at $15.00 a head. You can watch mechanics in the pit area, get autographs, (be sure to bring a camera, a permanent maker and plan to buy a Nascar t-shirt to have the drivers sign, for a lasting souvenir.) Many other tracks also sell pit passes.

Then there are the tickets, they can range from $15.00 for grandstand to over $200 for great seats-per person, so you need to check the location you are planning to attend. There are several NASCAR ticket websites, just use your search engines to find the ones that offer the cheapest. They also sell the pit passes and parking passes.

If the NASCAR track is not close enough for same day driving, then you are going to need a hotel room, aw-shucks! Yes, but before you get too excited, it could “cost ya’ a pretty penny”. Hotel rooms are normally marked way up for an event because they know they will sell out, so unless you plan to sleep in your car, plan ahead, make lots of calls and plan to shell out some dough. Some hotels offer race packages that include tickets, lodging, shuttle service to the track and maybe some other perks. These packages are usually multi-day, before and after the event and can cost several hundred per person, but are worth the convenience.

So in summary, a NASCAR date needs to be planned out with a little notice depending on how far from the track you are. If you have a number of friends going, you can contact the track for group ticket pricing and maybe rent an RV or camp to save money. The cheap date package is still going to set you back about $100 per person, (camp, hotdogs, beer, park and grandstand tickets). The over-the top will be several hundred per person. Be ready for some loud noise, not much talkin’ going on, shuckin’ out some dough, and a fun time!

With the coming of engineering in the 21st century, reality television has made the front seat. As more and more proficiencies are formulated to make TV more interactional and advanced, sporting events are not left far behind. Nascar has started the race F/X technology, which has enhanced the interest further amongst TV audiences. Well, the technology was primitively started by FOX, which started trailing the hockey puck on national television. The trick was hot, and it became an instant hit.

Nascar brought in a synonymous technology to track their cars. But tracking a puck on a hockey field and tracking a car moving at 200 mph on a racing circuit are two different matters entirely. In Nascar, the commentators talk about a car and then the car is spotlighted with a glowing halo around it. It looks incredibly cool on television. The statistical information about the car is also presented just above the car.

The Technology Behind The Trick

Race F/X uses a wide range of parameters to showcase their final product. GPS orbiters form an integral component of the Race F/X technology. They are used to dig up the cars as they move around the circuit. They work in tandem with an earth-based navigation system. The tracking is so accurate that the car is tracked up to 20 millimeters distance from its real position.

In-car sensing elements in the cars also play a important part in enhancing the telecasted event. They help the GPS locate the cars and also help the networks to collect as much statistical data about the car as possible. The info is highly detailed and contains minute contingents like RPM, acceleration, speed, fuel consumption, and even braking. This information is gathered at the speed of ten times a second. So you can rest assured that it is most recent information that you see on top of your favorite Nascar cars.

You Will Be In It

The day is not very far when you will be able to control the Nascar cars race F/X technology and you will be able to select and highlight the car that you want to follow. This will be done with the help of a set top box, Nascar says. A video game variation of Nascar is also on the advent. This will enable you to race your own virtual car on the racing circuit with the greats of racing. So the days are not far when your own car will be racing beside Jeff Gordon and you will be in your living room all the time. Now isn’t that cool?

This will propel Nascar racing into a entirely different realm altogether. So, get ready, get set, GO!

Pontiac Daytona Prototype (DP) and GT teams will have their first natural road course race of the season to be held at the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) on April 28 and 29. Crown Royal Special Reserve will present round four of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series which will witness separate GT and DP races.

Ten Pontiac powered race vehicles will compete in two-hour-and-thirty-minute races. Seven of which are Daytona Prototypes (DP) and three of which are GT cars. The will compete separately: GT on Saturday and DP on Sunday. The VIR road course is made up of 17-turns and runs 3.27-miles in length.

Jon Fogarty and Alex Gurney, members of the team from Texas have their own list going with three front row starting positions on the season. They would like to add another win to their record on the season. They bagged the first place in the field at Mexico City as their very first victory.

Fogarty said the speed of the car has so far been really good this season. They have been able to get that little extra from it in qualifying to start on the front row in the first three races. The racer further commented VIR was not good to them last year. They were racing a borrowed car. They went down a lap early and then got a penalty. He said the track is one of his favorites; it has a nice combination of turns and some really nice fast stuff. He is anticipating getting back to a natural road course.

Tracy Krohn is looking forward to getting his No. 76 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley back to VIR. Their Texan teammates Max Papis and Colin Braun are currently fourth in DP points.

Krohn thinks VIR is a great track. He always looks forward to going there and it will be nice to get to a natural road course after two modified ovals. The high speed eases are good barometers for the way the car is setup.

Noted sports car racer Justin Bell will be joining the DP ranks as a full time driver partnering Roger Schramm in the No. 12 RVO Motor sports Pontiac Riley.

Bell raced with Roger and Bill Lester at Daytona. They came back and wanted him to do the rest of the year starting at VIR. He will be finishing out the season with the team. He said he is very pleased because it has been a strange last three years, since Trans Am disappeared. He added he missed the Grand-Am boat, it set sail with out me, and so it is nice to be back with a full time program. He has been to VIR in Trans-Am and finished second there, so he is continuing the season on familiar ground.?

Around the twists and turns of VIR, Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards will be looking to maximize the handling of their Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R.

Collins said Banner Racing and the engineering team have improved the setup every race with regard to cornering. They just cannot hang down the straight. So behind the wheel they do the best that they can. The track?s high speed turns will suit the cars ability, the long straight does not right now.

Expecting a strong battle in the GT race at VIR is Leighton Reese in the No. 06 Pontiac GXP.R. He said VIR has got a lot of turns. He is comparing it to Mexico City a little bit. The car likes big, broad, fast turns, but they tend to lose ground down the straights. According to him, the cars handle fantastic and they are a pleasure to drive. There are 12 fast Porsches out there and the Mazda has come a long way and they now have the support for the effort and they are going fast. The competition in the GT class is real strong right now. Their team wants to be a part of the fight at the front.

Jon Mirachi, No. 30 GXP.R Racers Edge team owner, has had the opportunity to test since Homestead and has sportscar hot shoe James Gue behind the wheel for VIR. Gue will partner Canadian Mark Pavan at VIR.

Mirachi said they are happy to have been able to secure James Gue for VIR. According to him, James is a talented and experienced young driver who has a lot of agility. Following the race event at Homestead, they went to VIR and had an extremely successful test. He said the test really increases their level of confidence going into the event for both Pontiac Rolex GT teams, Racers Edge Motor sports and Banner Racing, as both GXP.R drivers Paul Edwards and Mark Pavan participated in the test.

Another racer said Pontiac mufflers will play a huge task during the race.

The GT race from VIR will run on Saturday, April 28th and will be televised the same day on the SPEED Channel. A delayed telecast will be shown in ET at 8:30 in the evening. The DP race will be televised live on the SPEED Channel starting 1:00 in the afternoon.

Hello everyone out there in the automotive world. Im 16, dad gave me his prized possession of a 1967 Pontiac GTO. Im so stoked on it and have been wanting to have a project car for a while. The body work and interior is all being done by body shops and other professionals like that. My problem is working with my engine. Its beautiful and sounds like a BEAST, but i want to learn more about it, and frankly its a lot. i get the main concept of how motors run and what a carb. is and fuel injectors, but like i want to sup this babby up!! put some performance parts on her. people say the easiest way to learn is by taking your car apart and putting it back to gether.! Bull Shi+. You dont know the names and what they do! so people i want a real answer. something that will help me.
(maybe study it?? take class at community college?)
i dono you tell me!
LOVE THE 4oo HP!

Is there a place to search all music played by NASCAR on Fox that aired during the race, specifically right before they went to commercials. I’ve been combing the Internet and other sources to find a song that was played back on April 6, 2008-The Samsung 500.

Just wanted to see if somebody knows how much it cost to get in and watch the Nascar race. How much does the Pit Pass cost to watch from the pits?