- How can someone get a NASCAR Nextel Cup Rules Book?
Only teams, drivers, NASCAR Officials can get a Winston Cup rules book. NASCAR does not sell them and I can't get them for anyone. You can join NASCAR, last I heard it was $400, see ways to contact NASCAR on my RacingFAQ page
Rules and Guidelines
NASCAR issues five different Rule Books, each of which includes in its title reference to a particular NASCAR-sanctioned series. There is a NASCAR Rule Book for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, a NASCAR Rule Book for the NASCAR Busch Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Regional Touring Series and NASCAR Weekly Racing Series. Each NASCAR Rule Book is published exclusively for NASCAR members.
NOTE: per legal reasons, I could not post the rules book (or parts of) even if I had one
- Time for a drivers Union? UPDATE: The always boisterous Tony Stewart led a loud parade of outrage aimed at Goodyear's engineers after Sunday's Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. If Stewart had thought about it long enough, he might have realized that there is much more that he and his fellow drivers can do. This is the perfect time for the drivers in the Sprint Cup Series to form a union. Then they can have real leverage on matters such as tires, safety and races. NASCAR has always said the drivers are "private contractors," so there has never been a need for a union. Plus, in the old days, any talk of forming a union could have seriously jeopardized a driver's career. See full story at the Delaware News Journal.(3-13-2008)
UPDATE: Major League Baseball has a union. The NFL has a union. The NHL has a union. Is it time for NASCAR to have one? Would a union help settle issues such as the Goodyear tire controversy at Atlanta last weekend? Jeff Gordon isn't sure. "I've seen the unions run things in the ground," Gordon said during a rainy Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. "It bugs the heck out of me when I think of the strikes that have happened in baseball. Look at the strike that just happened with the writer's strike in Hollywood. While there are positives for the people they're representing, sometimes if you look at the sport as a whole or an industry I've seen where it's done a lot of damage. I see it happening right now with General Motors." Gordon said a union is a good thing only if the right people are managing it and the proper intent is there. The problem, he said, is nobody can guarantee that. We all have so many different agendas and ideas, to see them all come together as one could be tough," he said. Gordon said NASCAR would be better suited to have a quarterly meeting in which all drivers are brought together to discuss hot topics.
NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said the current system remains effective. "NASCAR always has had an open-door policy and always will," Tharp said. "Drivers, owners, and crew chiefs are regularly in communication with our sport's leadership. It is a system that has worked and continues to work well." Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the drivers need a spokesperson to represent them as his father once did. Dale Jarrett would like to see a panel of three to five drivers, and not necessarily the same every year, become the voice of the garage. "We won't use that word union," said Jarrett, who is driving in his final points race this weekend. "That gets people stirred up. Does there need to be a panel? Yes, it could be really helpful."(ESPN.com)(3-15-2008) Comment here
- BofA boosts its NASCAR incentives: A sharp drop in profits isn't keeping Bank of America from pursuing NASCAR fans as new customers. The Charlotte-based bank on Tuesday announced it was more than doubling the number of drivers featured in race-themed accounts. The bank also will boost its NASCAR rewards program, providing more access to drivers and behind-the-scenes experiences. Bank of America launched the NASCAR-themed "affinity banking" accounts last spring as part of its push to win business from loyal race fans. The bank also sponsors the October Sprint Cup race at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, issues officially licensed NASCAR credit cards and, since 2006, has been the official bank of NASCAR. In its NASCAR banking program, Bank of America issues cards and checks printed with a driver's image or the NASCAR logo. Account holders get "RacePoints" that can be redeemed for merchandise, race tickets or -- for those with high point totals -- special honors, such as meeting a driver or waving the green flag at the Bank of America 500. Along with the NASCAR logo, Bank of America offers accounts with several current and past drivers' images: Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott, Dario Franchitti, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Kasey Kahne, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Juan Pablo Montoya, Reed Sorenson, Martin Truex Jr., Kenny Wallace and Rusty Wallace.(Charlotte Observer)(1-23-2008)
- Go or Go Home Drivers to Qualify Together; NASCAR to Provide Tires for Tests: Michael Waltrip suggested last season that drivers outside the top 35 in owners' points should be allowed to qualify together so nobody would have an advantage in track conditions. NASCAR officials must have listened. The governing body kicked off its annual media tour by announcing that those outside the top 35 in all three series [30 locked in for Nationwide and Trucks] -- Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series and Craftsman Truck Series -- will qualify at the end of their respective session. It also was announced that teams will be provided tires for testing at non-sanctioned NASCAR tests. Sprint Cup teams will be given 200 tires, Nationwide teams 160 and Craftsman Truck Series teams 120.(ESPN.com)(1-21-2008) Comment here
- NASCAR Fine Payments Going to NASCAR Foundation: NASCAR announced that starting this season, all money collected from fines issued to drivers will go to the NASCAR Foundation for its charitable initiatives. “Now that the NASCAR Foundation is well established and supporting dozens of charitable organizations it is the logical place for fine money to be distributed,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France. “We are excited to be able to work with our charities and help them develop a program that will maximize the impact they can have with their organizations,” said Sandy Marshall, executive director of the NASCAR Foundation.(NASCAR PR)(1-21-2008) Comment here
- Judge rules on discrimination lawsuit against NASCAR: A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed virtually all claims in a racial discrimination and breach of contract lawsuit against NASCAR and other parties stemming from a highly publicized 1999 incident at New Hampshire International Speedway. The incident occurred when former Penske Racing motorcoach driver David Scott, who is black, was greeted by a pair of motorcoach drivers, one of whom was wearing a white pillow case over his head as if he were a member of the Ku Klux Klan. NASCAR indefinitely suspended the two motorcoach drivers involved. In his complaint, Scott said he was promised a job with NASCAR in response to the incident. NASCAR had claimed in its filings that Scott "was given several work opportunities which were declined" and "was not qualified" for the racing official job he wanted. Judge Deborah A. Batts ruled Thursday that the three-year statute of limitations had passed for all of the allegations, except for one on whether NASCAR did not award Scott a minority vendor contract in 2005 and 2006 based on race. Scott must re-file his lawsuit within 45 days to focus on that claim.(SceneDaily.com)(1-19-2008) Comment here
- NASCAR to increase age requirement? MORE A reliable inside source tells rowdy.com that NASCAR is seriously considering raising the age limit for drivers in the Sprint Cup Series from the current 18 years of age to 21. Should the change happen, and a decision has not yet been made according to the source, the driver who comes most quickly to the mind of Rowdy listeners is phenom Joey Logano. Logano, currently with Joe Gibbs Racing, turns 18 on May 24th of this year (he's scheduled to make his Nationwide Series debut at Dover shortly afterward), and under the current rules he would be eligible for Cup duty in 2009. Presumably any change would affect the Sprint Cup series only.(Rowdy.com)(1-16-2008)
UPDATE: NASCAR sources confirmed Wednesday that the sanctioning body is considering raising the minimum age for drivers racing in the Sprint Cup Series from 18 to 21. Currently, drivers must be 18 to compete in the Cup, Nationwide or Craftsman Truck series. If a change is made, drivers between 18 and 21 would remain eligible for Nationwide and Truck competition but would have to wait to make the move into stock-car racing’s top series. There are concerns that young drivers are being moved up through the ranks too soon, and that more time in the second-tier series would give them time to develop their skills on the track and to mature off of it. Such a change could, theoretically, also bolster interest in the Nationwide and Truck series, since it would ensure that promising young drivers could build fan followings and attract sponsorships while competing at those lower levels.(Thats Racin)(1-18-2008) Comment here
- Rules Change Before Daytona? NASCAR is still evaluating data from Sprint Cup Series testing at Daytona International Speedway, but it looks as if there likely will be a change in the gear rule when competitors return in February. Teams currently have a choice of a 370 gear or a 375 gear, but their RPMs are above what NASCAR is looking for. A change in gear - likely a 364 gear - would reduce RPM. That would make the engines more durable. It could even make the cars faster. "If we change the rule, we won't do it officially until all of testing is completed," NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Director John Darby said Wednesday during testing. "I think all of the teams are already anticipating a change. I know a lot of teams last week tried a 364 gear and a lot of teams here have got 364s in." NASCAR would like to keep the RPMs below 9,000, Darby said. Darby said no one has reached 9,000 RPM. "We're getting too close to that," Darby said. "The key to it is if 10 cars are drafting and they see 8900, when we put 43 out, they're going to be over 9000." Darby said NASCAR is fine with the overall speeds, which have hit 188 mph in drafting.(SceneDaily.com).(1-17-2008) Comment here
- NASCAR to increase age limit? A reliable inside source tells rowdy.com that NASCAR is seriously considering raising the age limit for drivers in the Sprint Cup Series from the current 18 years of age to 21. Should the change happen, and a decision has not yet been made according to the source, the driver who comes most quickly to the mind of Rowdy listeners is phenom Joey Logano. Logano, currently with Joe Gibbs Racing, turns 18 on May 24th of this year (he's scheduled to make his Nationwide Series debut at Dover shortly afterward), and under the current rules he would be eligible for Cup duty in 2009. Presumably any change would affect the Sprint Cup series only.(Rowdy.com)(1-16-2008) Comment here
- NASCAR Settles with Family of Plane Crash victim: NASCAR has agreed to a multi-million dollar settlement with a man who lost his wife and son when a NASCAR owned plane slammed into their Sanford Florida home. That plane crash last July set off a massive fire. Joe Woodard lost his wife Janice and his 6 month old son Josiah. In the home next door four year old Gabreila DeChat died and her brother 10 year old Daniel Happy is still recovering in the Shriners’ Burn Center in Cincinnati. The plane was piloted by Dr. Bruce Kennedy the husband of Lesa France Kennedy president of International Speedway Corporation. NASCAR pilot Michael Klemm was also killed. DeChat’s parents were also burned but have since recovered from their injuries. Woodward’s attorney wouldn’t discuss the terms of the settlement.(Fox News Orlando)(1-12-2008)
