On the Sofa - ARS Racing Primer

the cars
the teams
the terms

the tracks
the terms

On the Sofa

A Primer for NASCAR's Newbies
On the Sofa
by Mitch Arnold

Very few of us have the financial resources and time to follow our favorite drivers around the circuit, so most of us find ourselves watching from the comfort of our living room, at least occasionally. To the uninformed, watching racing on television can be boring, or, as one friend of mine put it, "like watching traffic." To truly appreciate a race through television, knowledge of terminology and statistics is a must.

What to watch for
I find it most helpful to focus my attention on a few of my favorite drivers. There are 43 drivers on the track, each operating within his own circumstances. Let the broadcasters, with their highly skilled team, keep track of the field. You'll be better off focusing on a few individuals.

Position
Because points, pride and prize money depend on where you finish in relation to the rest of the field, drivers spend their day trying to advance to the higher positions in front of them. Generally, positions are shuffled throughout the race, especially during pit stops and caution periods. Being toward the front of the field not only means that you'll be able to run faster because you don't have to maneuver around slower cars, it also translates into points and money. NASCAR awards points to any driver who leads a lap and to drivers who lead the most laps, regardless of where they finish in the field. In Winston Cup, prize money is also awarded to the winner who leads at the race's half-way point.

Toward the end of the race, even when they know that winning the race is out of their reach, teams start working toward position. Points and money are awarded to each team based on how many people finished the race behind them, passing as many people as possible without wrecking is the plan for most cars at the end of the race. If you wreck, you're going to lose valuable position and possibly lose the points awarded to every team that finishes the race.

Pit stops and strategy
Daring passes on the track are not the only way to gain track position. Teams with quick pit stops or creative pit strategy are often able to leave the pits ahead of cars that were previously ahead of them. A full, four-tire pit stop usually takes anywhere from 17 to 25 seconds. Teams sometimes forsake the better performance of new tires to take only two, or sometimes even, no tires, in an effort to get ahead of those who take four tires. Toward the end of the race, when teams have determined that they don't have enough gas to finish the race, they will sometimes stop for a "gas-and-go" pit stop, during which they will stop only long enough to get the fuel necessary to finish the race.

Yellow, Red and Black Flags Rules and Strategy
Caution periods, signalled by yellow flags, have a major impact on race strategy. When NASCAR determines that a threatening condition, such as a wreck or debris on the racing surface, exists on the track, it will declare a caution period by having the flagman display a yellow flag at the start-finish line. As soon as they pass the flagman holding the yellow flag, drivers are expected to maintain their track position, reduce their speed and stay behind the pace car. However, they can race all the way around the track UNTIL they reach the start-finish line. This is called, "racing back to caution." Caution laps are counted as part of the race's total.

Many teams elect to make pit stops during a caution period, because the field isn't moving as fast, so they are closer to the cars who didn't pit, when they return to the race. Though drivers on the track maintain their position during a caution period, drivers in the pits can gain or lose position based on how quickly they exit the pit area. This is why some teams shorten their pit stop by taking only two tires or only gas. NASCAR bases position on the order in which cars exit the pits.

When a threatening condition on the track requires a more involved clean-up effort, the flagman will display a red flag. This means that cars must literally stop where they are on the track, and that no one is allowed to work on the cars.

When a driver receives a black flag, it means that NASCAR is making him stop in the pits on the next lap by. The black flag typically means that the driver violated a rule, such as jumping the start, speeding on pit road or unnecessarily bumping another car, or that leaking fluids or some other condition make the flagged car a hazard to the other drivers. If a driver is flagged for breaking the rules, the penalty is typically a "stop-and-go" stop in the pits, which means that the driver must stop at his pit stall until a NASCAR official allows him to leave. This costs the penalized driver valuable track position.

Positions, last lap speeds and fuel windows
Television networks typically show a graphic on the screen which depicts the driver's position on the track and his last lap speed. The last lap speed allows viewers to see which cars are running fastest, and these are not always the cars at the front.

Commentators also frequently talk about fuel windows, which simply mean the number of laps a car can go before needing to stop for gas. This statistic comes into play later in the race, when you are trying to calculate if your driver can finish the race without stopping for fuel and if the drivers around him can do the same.