What does NASCAR stand for? Understanding its full name and meaning

NASCAR is the acronym for the motorsport association that organizes different levels of stock car racing. The word NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It is the biggest and most popular form of motor racing in the US. NASCAR organizes three National racing series: the NASCAR Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

All three series are based on stock cars which are modified and customized for racing. The Cup series and the Xfinity Series are based on Coupe road cars. The Cup Series is the pinnacle of the series organized by NASCAR whereas the Xfinity Series is a tier below and is seen as the stepping series for drivers and teams.

NASCAR: Go Bowling at The Glen - Source: Imagn

The Xfinity Series calendar is the same as the Cup Series. However, the number of laps at an Xfinity race is fewer as compared to the Cup series. The playoff format is different as well where only 12 drivers qualify for playoffs compared to 16 in the Cup series.

The Craftsman Truck Series debuted in 1995 and is based on pickup trucks that are modified for racing. Only 10 drivers make it to the playoffs in the Craftsman Truck series and the calendar is similar to the other series. Now let's take a look at the origin of NASCAR.

The Origin of NASCAR

The open-wheel racing format has been in the USA since the early 1900s in the form of IndyCar. However, it was extremely difficult to make the cut to the series. Hence drivers and manufacturers started modifying and racing the stock production cars in the 1930s and 1940s.

Mechanic and race promoter, Bill France Sr. saw the opportunity to enter the untapped market of stock car racing in the 1940s. France Sr. created NASCAR in 1948 to organize races for these stock cars. The first race was organized on February 15 1948 at Daytona Beach.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship Race - Source: Getty

Over the next couple of decades, the popularity of the series increased with more manufacturers investing in the series. As a result, the competition, the safety level,l, and the technology advanced.

The series that started it all was the Grand National Series (now the Cup series). The Xfinity Series was put in place in the early 80s and 1982 was its debut season. With the rising popularity, the Xfinity Series took place as the support race for the Cup Series races.

Later in 1995, the Craftsman Truck series was also introduced. The pickup truck culture saw a boom in the US market in the 80s as the Ford F150 became the best-selling vehicle. Looking at pickup truck fever, the Craftsman Truck series was launched.

The France family is still the owner of the NASCAR association. Bill France Sr’s son Jim France is the current Chairman and CEO of NASCAR.