NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also oversees seven regional series and one local grassroots series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico.

NASCAR and popular culture

Broadcast coverage

In the United States, television broadcast rights are split between FOX/FX and NBC/TNT, with FOX/FX airing the first half of the season and NBC/TNT airing the second half. The networks alternate coverage of the first and most famous race of the season, the Daytona 500, with Fox getting the odd years and NBC the even ones. For balance, the opposite network will air Daytona's July race, the Pepsi 400. The current television contract was signed for eight years for FOX/FX and six years for NBC/TNT and is valued at $2.4 billion (US) http://www.forbes.com/2003/10/07/cx_pp_1007nascar.html. FOX-owned Speed Channel carries the entire Craftsman Truck Series schedule.

Related Topics:
Television - FOX - FX - NBC - TNT - Daytona 500 - Pepsi 400 - Speed Channel

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Audio coverage

Audio coverage of all Nextel Cup, Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series races is available in the United States on both satellite radio and regular over-the-air broadcast radio on both the AM and FM bands. XM Radio currently holds the exclusive satellite radio broadcast rights for all NASCAR coverage through the end of the 2006 season. On February 23 2005, NASCAR awarded the satellite radio contract to XM Radio's primary competitor Sirius Satellite Radio for exclusive satellite radio rights to the 2007 through 2011 racing seasons in exchange for $107 million dollars.http://money.cnn.com/2005/02/23/technology/sirius_nascar/. Motor Racing Network (MRN), a subsidiary of International Speedway Corporation (ISC), holds the over-the-air broadcast radio rights of 25 Nextel Cup races, all truck races and 26 Busch Series races, as well as the Budweiser Shootout and Nextel All-Star Challenge. Performance Racing Network, a subsidiary of Speedway Motorsports, airs ten Cup races and nine Busch races. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway's network carries the Allstate 400 at The Brickyard. All broadcasts are also available (for a fee) via the web at NASCAR.com http://www.NASCAR.com.

Related Topics:
Nextel Cup - Busch Series - Craftsman Truck Series - Satellite radio - XM Radio - February 23 - 2005 - Sirius Satellite Radio - Motor Racing Network - International Speedway Corporation - Budweiser Shootout - Nextel All-Star Challenge - Speedway Motorsports - Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Allstate 400 at The Brickyard

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International coverage

NASCAR races in Canada are available on Rogers Sportsnet or TSN, in addition to FOX, NBC, or Speed Channel which are available in Canada. In the United Kingdom, television coverage is available on North American Sports Network (NASN), a subscription channel on satellite. In New Zealand, Nextel Cup races are shown on Sky Sport.

Related Topics:
Rogers Sportsnet - TSN - United Kingdom - North American Sports Network - New Zealand

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Video games

Main article:NASCAR Video Games

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NASCAR has collaborated with Electronic Arts to develop several best-selling video games that simulate NASCAR racing.

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The current game is titled .

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Related television shows

• ': A reality show on FX Networks that follows the life of several Nextel Cup drivers while off-the-track.
• NASCAR Gold: A report on CNBC that first aired on July 11, 2005, presented by Dylan Ratigan; the show focused on the business of NASCAR, especially the advertising by large companies
• NASCAR Nation: A weekly show on SPEED Channel that documents drivers' lives off the track, for example a community service event a driver participated in.
• Inside Nextel Cup: A weekly show on SPEED Channel that recaps the previous race, with commentary from drivers.
• NASCAR This Morning and Trackside: Weekly shows on the SPEED Channel that previews the upcoming race
• NASCAR Victory Lane: Weekly show that recaps each race on SPEED Channel
• NBS 24/7: Weekly show on SPEED Channel that focuses on drivers of the Busch Series

Perceptions of NASCAR

While the sport has grown tremendously, NASCAR still faces bias from many people who do not enjoy the sport.

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Fan Demographics

Some bias comes from the belief that most NASCAR fans are rednecks because of the sport's Southern heritage; this stereotype is largely inaccurate. According to NASCAR, about 10% of NASCAR fans are African-American, which a little less percentage of African-Americans in the general population. This compares to the NFL, where African-American NFL fans represent about 11.7 percent of the total NFL base. The percentage of African-American NASCAR fans has grown by 86% since 1999. About 40% of fans are female. Almost half have attended college and about 25% have attained a college degree. About 36% of NASCAR fans make more than $50,000 a year. Finally, NASCAR fans are evenly distirbuted across the country. For example, 20% of NASCAR fans live in the Northeast U.S.; this is in line with the general population--20% of the U.S. population lives in the Northeast. While the largest base of NASCAR fans live in the Southern U.S., only 38% of the NASCAR fans live in the South. Again, this is in line with the general population--35% of the population lives in the South.

Related Topics:
Redneck - African-American

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Other criticisms

In addition, many detractors of the sport do not enjoy what they perceive as repetitive driving around an oval, the shape of most NASCAR tracks. There are also NASCAR critics claiming that the old technologies used in the 'stock cars', such as the use of carburettors, cast-iron pushrod engine block, and leaded racing fuel bears little resemblance to modern day street vehicles.

Related Topics:
Oval - Pushrod

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