NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is the sanctioning body behind the most popular form of motorsport in the United States. Founded in 1948, it is best known for close, high-speed racing in large packs of cars.
Its cars are "stock cars" — powerful, purpose-built racing machines that outwardly resemble ordinary production models, running big V8 engines. Racing happens predominantly on oval speedways of varying sizes, from short tracks to giant superspeedways like Daytona and Talladega, with a handful of road courses on the calendar too.
NASCAR runs three national series in a ladder:
- NASCAR Cup Series — the top tier, home to the sport's stars.
- Xfinity Series — the second tier.
- Craftsman Truck Series — pickup-truck racing that serves as a proving ground.
The season's biggest race, the Daytona 500, opens the Cup Series each February. A distinctive feature of oval racing is drafting, where cars run nose-to-tail to cut through the air more efficiently, producing the tight pack racing NASCAR is famous for.