NASCAR-sanctioned races are listed into different categories, such as: The Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Corona Series and the Regional Racing Series. The several NASCAR series involve the use of different kinds of cars. They differ in terms of the size of the car and the engine.
The Sprint Cup series, which has evolved from the early Strictly Stock Series in 1949, involves the use of cars that are front engine rear-wheel drive. These cars are high powered vehicles with a roll cage that serves as a space frame chassis and a thin sheet for metal covering. The cars used in the Sprint Cup series are slightly larger than those that are used for the Nationwide Series and are completely different from the Craftsman Truck Series. Another features of the cars used in the Sprint Cup series are the closed cockpits, fenders and an aerodynamic splitter. The costs of the cars used per NASCAR season are usually within the price range of $10-20 million.
Nascar drivers definitely check their tires with a tire tread depth gauge.
The engines of the Sprint Cup series cars are powered by V8 engines that are carbureted. Additionally, the engines are accompanied with cast iron blocks and cylinders that are activated by a pushrod valve train. Currently, Chrysler, Ford, GM and Toyota are the car companies that represent the cars being used in the series. Chrysler’s Dodge Charger R/T uses a 5.7L Hemi V8 engine that produces 340 hp or 254 kW and 390 ft-lb of torque. Ford’s Fusion, on the other hand, uses a 3.0L Duratec 30 V6. This kind of engine produces 221 hp or 165 kW and 205 ft-lb of torque. The Chevrolet Impala SS from General Motors has a base engine of 3.5L V6 producing 211 hp or 157 kW of power. Lastly, Toyota’s Toyota Camry has three engines available although the engine 3.5L 2GR-FE V6 is mostly used during races. This engine produces 268 hp of power.
The manufacturers that represent the Nationwide Series are the same as the Sprint Cup. However, the cars used are completely different. To the untrained eye, there might be similarity between the size of the cars used in the Sprint Cup Series and the Nationwide Series. The cars being used in the Nationwide Series are the Dodge Charger from Chrysler, Ford Fusion from Ford, Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS from General Motors and the Toyota Camry from Toyota. The new Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS was introduced in 2005. This car uses a 3.5L V6 engine that produces 210 hp or 156 kW of power.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is the only NASCAR series that races modified production pickup trucks but is still considered as the third division of the three NASCAR national divisions. Starting in the year 1995 to 2008, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Toyota have been representing the vehicles used in the series. The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck from Chrysler that is available in three models: 1500, 2500/3500 and the SRT-10. The engine for the 1500 model is a 5.9L Magnum V8 the produces 245 hp or 183 kW of power and 345 ft-lb of torque. The 2500/3500 models can produce 345 hp or 257 kW at 5400 rpm of power, as well as 375 ft-lb at 4200 rpm of torque by using a 5.7L Hemi V8 engine. The last model is the SRT-10 that is accompanied by an 8.3L Viper V10. This kind of engine produces 500-510 hp or 373 kW of power and 525-535 fl-lb of torque. The F-150 from Ford is also a full-size pickup truck. This series of trucks are available in seven models, including: the XL, STX, XLT, FX4, Lariat, King Ranch, and the Harley Davidson. Depending on the model used in the race, there are three choices for engines, such as: the 4.2L EFI v6, 4.6L EFI V8, and the 3-valve 5.4L Triton EFI V8. General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado has been used for NASCAR races since 1995 although it has been redesigned to achieve the GMT900 generation models of pick-up trucks during the last quarter of 2006. The Chevrolet Silverado is available with four different engines though only the V8 engines are used to meet the specifications for the Craftsman Truck Series. The Toyota Tundra with the 5.7L V8 381 horsepower engine is also used for the Craftsman Truck Series. Toyota has been representing Craftsman Truck Series since 2004.
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and the NASCAR Corona Series are held at Montreal and Mexico respectively. The cars being used for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series are limited to manufacturers that supply long-developed crate motors. On the other hand, the NASCAR Corona Series uses the same cars similar to those at the Sprint Cup Series.
The Regional Racing Series, which includes the Whelen All-American Series and the Camping World Series, is an additional racing series. The Whelen All-American Series uses open-wheeled and modified cars compared to the cars being used at the Camping World Series, which are similar to that of the Nationwide Series cars.