| NASCAR is a competition and has its own set of | | | | NASCAR championships with racing trucks |
| championship series just as the World Series in | | | | designed from modified pickup trucks. The season |
| Major League Baseball or the Stanley Cup | | | | runs from February through November. The |
| Playoffs in the National Hockey League. Probably | | | | beginning race is the Chevy Silverado HD 250 run |
| the most famous NASCAR championship series is | | | | at the Daytona International Speedway. The |
| the Sprint Cup Series. Note that the Cup Series | | | | trucks run without restrictor plates to limit max |
| will become the Sprint Cup Series because of the | | | | speed like the NASCAR Sprint and Nationwide |
| merger of the Sprint Corporation and NEXTEL | | | | Series however because trucks are not as |
| Communications. | | | | aerodynamic, they cannot reach the speeds the |
| The history of the Sprint Cup Series began as the | | | | cars do. |
| Strictly Stock Series in 1949, the Grand National | | | | The Busch Series is another of the championships |
| Series between 1950 and 1971, and the Winston | | | | and it is equivalent to the minor leagues of |
| Cup Series between 1972 and 2003. Innovators | | | | NASCAR racing. However, unless you are an |
| of the Sprint Cup Series have made it so that | | | | expert, you cannot easily spot the differences |
| drivers can score more points and even get 5 | | | | between Nationwide Series competition and Sprint |
| bonus points any time they take the lead for | | | | competition. The difference is in the cars. The |
| even one lap. And the lowest spot in the race | | | | cars of the Nationwide Series have a shorter |
| result gets at least 34 points. | | | | wheel base 105 inches as opposed to 100 inches |
| This model results in much more competition to | | | | and the spoiler is larger too. At the end of the |
| the very end plus makes NASCAR more | | | | 2007 season, Busch has announced that it will no |
| competitive with the National Football League in | | | | longer sponsor the Busch Series and now other |
| numbers of television viewers watching the racing | | | | sponsors like Wal Mart and Subway Sandwiches |
| sport. The series has also consists of a | | | | were trying to win a spot as the events primary |
| competitive series in the last 10 races known as | | | | promoter. Nationwide is what it will officially be |
| The Chase. This is where the top drivers are | | | | called. |
| selected based on accumulated points (those tied | | | | And then there is the championship among the |
| for a position too) after 26 races. There are | | | | auto makers known as the NASCAR |
| many winners in this series. The champion gets 5 | | | | Manufacturers Championship. This championship |
| million and the others finishing in the top 10 | | | | has been held ever since 1949 and it works by |
| positions each get 1 million. There is even | | | | points being awarded to the different automobile |
| something for the 11th place driver a 250,000 | | | | manufacturers represented in each race. The auto |
| bonus. All this is designed to keep competition and | | | | manufacturer at the end of the season with the |
| excitement at a high level throughout the season. | | | | most points wins. Chevrolet won this NASCAR |
| Craftsman Truck Series is another one of the | | | | championship in 2006. |