Front Porch Football

NASCAR Breakdown for SEC Fans

by Andrew Koontz & John Covington Lamm

If you’re anything like us, you’ve had a tough time adjusting to a life without sports. You miss the pageantry, competitiveness, camaraderie that sport brings to our lives. We certainly do. No one knows when or if the NBA, MLB, NFL, or College Football will resume play. Even leagues that have posted revised schedules understand that the situation is fluid, and can change in response to the ongoing pandemic. That being said, we do know one thing for certain: 

NASCAR is back, baby. 

NASCAR is set to resume competition on May 17th at Darlington Raceway. Then they will hold a second Cup Series race at Darlington on the 20th. After those two races the Coca-Cola 600 will take place on May 24th at Charlotte Motor Speedway, followed by a second race in Charlotte on May 27th. In between these Cup Series dates, NASCAR will also be running races for its two lower divisions; the Xfinity and Trucks series. This means that there’s going to be a lot of racing on television over the next two weeks… and you’re most likely going to need a primer to fully appreciate it. That’s where we come in. 

We’ve been NASCAR fans our entire lives due to a combination of upbringing and geography, but we really dove back into the sport about a year and a half ago. NASCAR has everything you could ever want in a sport; decades of tradition, huge personalities, and an incredibly competitive product. But like any sport, there’s a learning curve to be able to truly appreciate what you’re watching. So we’re gonna learn you up on all that NASCAR has to offer. From how races and the season are conducted, to what to say to sound like an expert, to which driver is best suited to each fandom. Strap in. 

BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY, LET’S GO RACIN’

The Layout 

The NASCAR Cup Series Season consists of 36 non-exhibition races (there’s the Clash at Daytona and the All Star Race as well). The majority of races are held on oval tracks between 0.526 miles and 2.66 miles in length, as well as three road courses. There is a 26 race regular season followed by a 10 race playoff. The initial playoff field is made up of 16 drivers, with 4 drivers being eliminated every 3 races. At the year’s final race, the top four drivers vie for the championship, with the highest placing driver winning the overall championship. 

Races are composed of lengths varying from 220 to 600 miles, depending on the track. They’re also divided into either three or four stages, with the last stage generally being longer in length than the preceding ones. These stage breaks are designed to create mid race excitement, as the top 10 drivers in a stage each receive bonus points towards the championship. 

HOW TO SOUND LIKE AN EXPERT