Latest NASCAR Cup Series News

Latest NASCAR Cup Series News

More NASCAR Cup Series News

Can Rockingham Finally Claim NASCAR Cup Series Glory After 20 Years? Here’s What We Think

Can Rockingham reclaim its NASCAR Cup Series legacy? We explore its revival, challenges, and potential alongside other deserving tracks.
Rockingham Speedway

Fans Absolutely Trash Richard Petty’s Despised NASCAR Driver as Billion Dollar Sponsor Posts Viral Promo

NASCAR fans criticize John Hunter Nemechek as Jack Link's partnership brings Sasquatch to Talladega's Legacy team.
Washington Football Team v Las Vegas Raiders

NASCAR Battles Ryan Preece’s Daytona Ghost as They Propose Major Switch-Up Before Talladega

After having faced two serious debacles at Daytona, Ryan Preece may be up for changes this season with a positive update.
NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Media Day Feb 15, 2023; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Preece (41) t

Fan Favorite Veteran Marks NASCAR’s Crossroads as They Pull a Massive U-Turn on Their Modern Ways

After NASCAR's recent revival of older tracks, Kenny Wallace traces an exciting evolution of the sport, touting good prospects.
NASCAR late model racing, South Boston Speedway

Samantha Busch Reveals How Jimmie Johnson Inadvertently Aided Her Love Story With Kyle Busch

Samantha Busch takes a trip down memory lane, recalling what began her love story with Kyle Busch at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and Samantha Busch

Italian Veteran Blames NASCAR After Katherine Legge Got “Wrecked” by Joe Gibbs’ Team

After yet another wreck stained her resume, Katherine Legge gets a voice of support from a prominent veteran who blames NASCAR and Joe Gibbs.
Katherine Legge

Is NASCAR Dumping Phoenix Forever? Will Homestead Be The New Permanent Finale Track? Find Out

NASCAR moves its 2026 Championship Weekend to Homestead, raising questions about Phoenix’s future and the finale's long-term home.
Phoenix-Raceway-1

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Teaches Popular YouTuber-NASCAR Driver Talladega Tricks Ahead of His Showing

Ahead of the ARCA Menards Series' race at 'Dega', YouTuber Cleetus McFarland gets help from Talladega genius Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dale Earnhardt Jr, Cleetus McFarland

Skeptic Fans Remain Unsold on NASCAR’s Homestead Championship Move

NASCAR's Homestead Miami Championship return sparks mixed fan reactions about playoff format changes ahead.

Katherine Legge’s Horrifying NASCAR Return Fails to Hide Joe Gibbs’ Teenager’s Incompetence

Katherine Legge’s rough NASCAR return at Rockingham puts rookie William Sawalich’s struggles in a Joe Gibbs car under the spotlight.
Joe Gibbs, Katherine Legge

Denny Hamlin Stands by His Words, Fulfilling His Family’s Demand of “Denny Time” in His Week Away From NASCAR

After longing to spend more time with his family, Denny Hamlin finally gets it done on a weekend of relaxation.
Denny Hamlin and family

NASCAR’s Newest Antagonist Mocks Himself Over Rockingham Chaos While Rocking the Intimidator

Amidst the chaotic events at Rockingham Speedway, fingers were pointed at Carson Hocevar's new truck - but the driver took it sportingly.
Rockingham Speedway

Is NASCAR Right to Rob Drivers in Broad Daylight? Has Next-Gen Become a Problem With Recent Penalties on Driver?

Here's how NASCAR post-race inspection is stealing drivers and fans' moment to celebrate a race win in the modern era.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400

Former NASCAR Driver Mourns the Tragic Loss of the “Strongest Woman” in His Life

In a string of untoward losses in the NASCAR community, former driver Gray Gaulding's loved one also passed away recently.
NASCAR CARS

Is “Bought for Ride” Controversy a Sign of NASCAR’s Decline? When Will This Sponsor Backed Driver Pandemic End?

Is NASCAR losing its edge to sponsor-backed drivers? We dive into the pay driver controversy and what it means for the sport’s future
Katherine Legge

Rick Hendrick’s Returning Driver Kasey Kahne Teases Cryptic 9-Word NASCAR Comeback in Near Future

Veteran RCR racer laid bare his heart upon returning to the iconic track where his journey began in the sport.
Kasey Kahne

NASCAR Easter Fever: Kyle Busch’s Inner Opportunist Ending Tyler Reddick’s 99-Lap Reign in Last Lap Thriller

Throwback to the moment when Kyle Busch steals 2022 Bristol dirt win after Tyler Reddick and Briscoe spin in final corner.
Kyle Busch

2 Year Deadline Handed to NASCAR & Fans as Rockingham’s Cup Series Return Sees Stars Aligning, Claims Veteran

NASCAR's historic Rockingham Speedway revival gains momentum with sold-out races signalling potential permanent Cup Series return.

Mike Chase: Who Was the Former NASCAR Star and West Coast Hall of Famer

Here's everything that you need to know about West Coast Hall of Famer Mike Chase, who recently passed away at the age of 73.
NASCAR late model racing, South Boston Speedway

Did NASCAR Lied About Not Being Top Heavy Anymore? Is NASCARs Future Being Mortgaged for Sponsor Dollars? Find Out

Is NASCAR still top-heavy? Rising costs, sponsor woes, and small team struggles paint a bleak picture despite Next-Gen promises.
NASCAR: Daytona 500

How a NASCAR Driver Gave the Most Iconic Tribute to Dale Earnhardt at Rockingham One Week After Daytona Tragedy

Time to revisit a friend's nostalgic tribute to Dale Earnhardt, who remained a friend, mentor, and guide for many who loved the sport.
Dale Earnhardt

NASCAR Veteran Spills the Tea on Massive Corruption Behind Rockingham’s Severed Ties With NASCAR Amidst Return

Former NASCAR driver and a present commentator shares an interesting story behind NASCAR's fallout with the iconic Rockingham Speedway.
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Rockingham Speedway: The Fall and Rise of NASCAR’s Lost Legacy

Rockingham Speedway returns to the NASCAR spotlight with a 2025 Easter weekend triple-header featuring the renewed legacy of “The Rock.”
Rockingham Speedway

King Richard Petty & Son Lets Out 4-Word Success Mantra for Rockingham as Years of NASCAR Domination Shows

Richard Petty and Kyle Petty relive their era of dominance at Rockingham Speedway, NASCAR’s ultimate training ground
Richard Petty, Kyle Petty

Fans Locked in as Dale Earnhardt Jr. Brings New Hope to $19 Billion Giant’s American Dreams

NASCAR fans can rejoice because Dale Earnhardt Jr. will grace the TV screens once again in 2025, as he is set to tackle a brand-new role.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.

NASCAR Veteran Reflects on Wood Brothers Ride Delivering Upon Dale Earnhardt’s Prophecy

Former NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip had a really special bond with the late great Dale Earnhardt, and it is easy to see the reason why.
Dale Earnhardt Sr

About NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series: Origin, Teams and More

What is the NASCAR Cup Series?

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is the authorizing body for stock-vehicle racing in North America. It was established in 1948 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Currently, the organization fields four types of tracks: Intermediate tracks, Superspeedways, Short Tracks and Road Courses.

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USA Today via Reuters

NASCAR Cup Series Origin

The first-ever NASCAR race was held at Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway on June 19, 1949 and Christian David "Jim" Roper was the victor after racer Glen Dunaway was disqualified for making illegal adjustments to his car.

Why is it named Cup Series? 


The NASCAR Cup Series is the pinnacle of the racing arrangement in the NASCAR classification. The arrangement started in 1949 and was called the Strictly Stock Division. The series was subsequently known as the Grand National Division from 1950 to 1970.

Then, in 1971, it started renting its naming rights to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and was alluded to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series till 2003. From the next year onwards, the series came to be known as the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series till 2007 after a partnership with Nextel.

Sprint obtained Nextel in 2005 and 2008 saw the arrangement being renamed as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sprint remained the sponsor of the NASCAR Cup from 2008 to 2016. It was reported in December 2016 that Monster Energy would be the sponsor; therefore, the arrangement was renamed the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from 2017 to 2019.

However, after decades of name changes, in 2017, the organization finally decided to shed off its old image and simply be named as the NASCAR Cup Series, with series sponsors being called 'Premier Partners'.

What is the format of the Cup Series?

The NASCAR points system has been a complicated affair to say the least. Over the years, the organization has tried several iterations, namely the Latford system, the Chase and the current elimination playoffs format among others, to discern one that would be fair to each driver.

While the earlier system saw drivers being awarded points on the basis of prize money in a particular race, in 1972 a new format was introduced. This time the points were awarded on the basis of laps completed. However, even that came with its own flaws and just two years later, in 1974, the organization introduced point calculation based on a mathematical formula. However, given the complexity of the equation, Bill France Jr, the former CEO of NASCAR decided to step in and call upon his close friend Bob Latford, to come up with an efficient way, which later came to be known as Boot Hill Format or the Latford Model.

With equal points awarded in all races, as New York Times aptly put it: "Mr. Latford set up his points scale to reward consistency rather than flashes of brilliance, and drivers seem to like it that way."

This system was perhaps the longest-running one during that time, being replaced in 2003, by The Chase format. Currently, the NASCAR Cup Series operates on the Playoff Format. The schedule consists of 31 oval races, 4 road course races, one street track race, and 4 non-championship races to be held on ovals. This also includes 16 playoff races, with four elimination rounds, namely, Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 4 and Championship 4.

NASCAR Cup Series Teams

As of 2024, the NASCAR Cup Series has 16 full-time teams participating and three manufacturers, namely Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford. As for the team with the most number of victories and championship, Hendrick Motorsports has has an undebatable upper hand, with 305 Cup Series wins and 14 drivers championships.

NASCAR Cup Series Venue

The first championship race was reportedly held at Martinsville Speedway, a half-mile oval, on October 16, 1949. Currently, the final race of a Cup season is held at the Phoenix Raceway, which is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona, near Phoenix.

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USA Today via Reuters

NASCAR Cup Series Championship

The NASCAR Cup Series hosts three different championship under one name: The Driver's Championship, the Owner's Championship and the Manufacturer's Championship. The driver's championship as the name suggests is the award given to the driver that has emerged as the winner at the end of a season. On the other hand, the Owner's Championship aims to reward the team at the top of the points standings. The driver with the most championship wins are Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson. Additionally, Rick Hendrick-owned Hendrick Motorsports has won a record-breaking 14 championships till date.

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On a similar note, the Manufacturer's Championship sees Original Equipment Manufacturers(OEMs) being awarded a championship based on how races their cars managed to dominate and the points accumulated. In this regard, US-based manufacturer Chevrolet has racked up the most Cup Series wins at 42, followed by Ford at 17, and Toyota at 3.

NASCAR Cup Series Track Types

As mentioned earlier, the NASCAR Cup series organizes its races on four different types of tracks, namely, Intermediate tracks, Superspeedways, Short Tracks and Road Courses.

When it comes to Intermediate tracks, it simply means "any track greater than one mile in length, with the exception of both Daytona and Talladega" according to the official NASCAR website and currently the Cup Series drivers compete on the following Intermediate tracks/Speedways :

  • Atlanta Motor Speedway (1.540-mile, Quad-Oval)
  • Charlotte Motor Speedway (1.500-mile Quad-Oval, including a 2.280 miles Road Course)
  • Darlington Raceway (1.366-mile, Egg-Shaped Oval)
  • Dover Motor Speedway (1.000-mile, Concrete Oval)
  • Homestead-Miami Speedway (1.500-mile, Oval)
  • Kansas Speedway (1.500-mile, Tri-Oval)
  • Las Vegas Motor Speedway (1.500-mile, Tri-Oval)
  • Michigan International Speedway (2.000-mile, D-Shaped Oval)
  • Nashville Superspeedway (1.333-mile, Tri-Oval)
  • New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-mile, Paperclip Oval)
  • Phoenix Raceway (1.000-mile, Dogleg Oval)
  • Texas Motor Speedway (1.500-mile, Quad-Oval)
  • World Wide Technology Raceway (1.250-mile, Egg-Shaped Oval)

On the other hand, Superspeedways ae oval road courses of two miles or longer. Currently, the NASCAR Cup Series has the following Superspeedways:

  • Auto Club Speedway (2.000-mile, D-Shaped Oval; Currently not in use)
  • Chicagoland Speedway (1.500-mile, D-Shaped Oval; Currently not in use)
  • Daytona International Speedway (2.500-mile, Tri-Oval)
  • Kentucky Speedway (1.500-mile, D-Shaped Oval)
  • Pocono Raceway (2.500-mile, Triangular Oval)
  • Talladega Superspeedway (2.660-mile, Tri-Oval)

The short tracks (less than 1 mile in length) that are part of NASCAR are:

  • Bristol Motor Speedway (0.533-mile, Oval)
  • Eldora Speedway (0.500-mile, Oval; Currently not in use)
  • Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile, Oval)
  • Knoxville Raceway (0.500-mile, Oval
  • Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum)
  • Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park (0.686-mile, Oval)
  • Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile, Paperclip Oval)
  • Milwaukee Mile Speedway (1.015-mile, Oval)
  • North Wilkesboro Speedway (0.625-mile, Oval)
  • Richmond Raceway (0.750-mile, D-shaped Oval)

As for Road Courses, NASCAR makes use of the following race tracks:

  • Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (2.459-mile, Currently not in use)
  • Chicago Street Race (2.14 miles)
  • Circuit of the Americas (3.426-mile)
  • DAYTONA Road Course (4.170-mile, Currently not in use)
  • Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.400-mile, Currently not in use)
  • Portland International Raceway (1.967-mile, Currently not in use)
  • Road America(4.048-mile, Currently not in use)
  • Sebring Raceway (3.741 mi, Currently not in use)
  • Sonoma Raceway (1.99-mile)
  • Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile)

NASCAR Cup Series Crown Jewel Races

While NASCAR has several racetracks that it competes on, there are a couple venues that are held in high regards. Currently there are four such venues/races, namely the Daytona 500 held at the Daytona International Speedway, the Coca-Cola 500 held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway , the Brickyard 400/Verizon 200 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Southern 500 at the Darlington Raceway.

Till date, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman and retired NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon has the most number of Crown Jewel race wins (21), followed by Legacy Motor Club team owner Jimmie Johnson (14) and retired NASCAR driver Bobby Allison (13).

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via Imago

NASCAR Cup Series Cars

NASCAR is an ever-evolving sport and till date, there have been several iterations of the cars used during races. If we go back to the very inception of the sport, the first kind of vehicle that was used used to be called Generation - 1 (1948-1966), followed by Generation - 2 (1967-1980) and Generation - 3 (1981-1991). Later the Generation - 4 (1992 to 2007) was introduced , and then Generation - 5 (2007 -2012) and Generation - 6 (2013-2021) came into play. And currently, NASCAR features the Generation - 7 car that is also known as the Next-Gen.

Anothe notable model was the Generation - 5. Dubbed as the "Car of Tomorrow", this model featured flaunted prominent front splitters under the bumpers and larger rear wings. Apart from that, according to NASCAR, the car also had "significant safety advancements and a return to symmetrical bodies". 

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USA Today via Reuters

NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Street Course

The NASCAR Cup Series has come a long way since its initial days. The organization has always been open to developments and one of the most exciting ones came in 2023,when the tourney made its Street Course debut at Chicago.

In a bid to turn make the schedule even more exciting, NASCAR officials were reportedly in talks with Chicago authorities for a number of years, with one attempt of a Chicago street race even dating back to the 1980s. However, owing to political pressure, that plan failed to materialize. Now, fast forward to four decades later and authorities were finally geared up to host an exciting, first-of-its-kind race in downtown Chicago.

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USA Today via Reuters

Designed by race simulation video game developer iRacing, the race aimed to showcase the city's major landmarks such as the Buckingham Fountain, the Grant Park and the Soldier Field Stadium, among others.

The first iteration of the race came in July of 2023, with New Zealand born driver Shane van Gisbergen clinching victory in his first-ever NASCAR race. If that's not iconic, what is?

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Full NameNASCAR Cup Series
Place of OriginCharlotte Fairgrounds Speedway
Year of Origin1949
First RaceNASCAR "Strictly Stock" Race, Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway
Last RaceNASCAR Cup Series Spring Race at Martinsville Speedway, 2024
Crown Jewel RaceDaytona 500, Coca Cola 600, Brickyard 400/ Verizon 200, Southern 500
Drivers with the most ChampionshipsRichard Petty (7), Dale Earnhardt (7) and Jimmie Johnson(7)
Team with the most ChampionshipsHendrick Motorsports (14)
First ChampionRed Byron
Defending ChampionRyan Blaney (2023)
Defending TeamTeam Penske