NASCAR Explained: Stages, Points and the National Series

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If you're new to NASCAR, the first race can feel like a lot: 40 cars, constant pit stops, flags, and a broadcast that keeps talking about stages. It's easier to follow than it looks. Once you know the three national series, what a stage is, and how the track shapes the race, most of it makes sense.

This guide covers the basics that don't change from season to season. For current standings, schedules and results, use the live data elsewhere on this page. Here we explain how the sport works so those numbers mean something.

The Three National Series

NASCAR runs three national touring series, and each is a step on the same ladder. The top is the NASCAR Cup Series, which grew out of the sport's first "strictly stock" races in the late 1940s. NASCAR itself was founded in 1948 by Bill France Sr. in Daytona Beach, Florida. The Cup Series has carried several sponsor names over the decades, but the idea has always been the same: the top division, with the biggest teams and the most famous races.

The middle rung is the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. Longtime fans still call it "Busch" or "Xfinity," because the title sponsor has changed more than once. The cars are close cousins of the Cup cars, but the series typically has smaller budgets and a mix of young drivers working their way up, full-time veterans, and some Cup drivers dropping in.

The third is the Craftsman Truck Series. The trucks look like pickups, not sedans or coupes, and the racing is known for being close and aggressive. Trucks often run shorter races than the other two series. Many drivers have used the series as a first step toward the top, and some veterans use it to stay sharp.

Sponsor names change, but the structure holds. If you hear a series called by an older name, it's the same championship under a different banner. NASCAR has also limited how many lower-series starts experienced Cup drivers can make, though the details of those rules change, so check the current rulebook before you quote one.

What Stages Are and Why They Exist

Stage racing arrived in 2017 and is now part of all three national series. Each race is split into segments. When a stage ends, the field is slowed under caution, the stage is scored, and teams usually pit before the race restarts. The final stage runs to the checkered flag.

The reason is simple: more moments that matter. Before stages, a driver could run mid-pack for hours with little at stake until the last stretch. Now the top finishers in each stage earn points, so there's something to race for in the middle of a long event. Strategy gets more interesting too. Crew chiefs choose between pitting under the stage-ending caution to get track position later and staying out to grab stage points.

The broadcast will show the stage lengths in laps, and they vary by track and series. It's a quick way to see when the next break is coming. If the lap count looks odd, that's normal. Stages are set to fit the race distance, not to match a round number.

How Points Work (Without the Playoff Math)

NASCAR points reward finishing position, with extra points for strong runs in the stages. A race win is worth the biggest single points haul, and points trickle down through the order. Different points go to the driver and to the car owner, which is why you'll hear about both driver standings and owner standings.

The sport has changed how it picks a champion more than once. The first playoff-style format arrived in 2004, and it has been reworked several times since. Rather than memorize every version, remember the broad idea: a regular season builds up results, and a postseason narrows the field and decides the title. Win a race and you typically get a big boost toward that postseason. For the exact format this year, check NASCAR's official rules page, because it's the one part of this guide that can change.

What stays true from year to year is that consistency helps, but wins matter a lot. A driver who finishes ninth every week will gain ground slowly. A driver who wins gets noticed by the system.

• Stage points go to the leaders at each stage break.
• Finishing points are largest for the winner and shrink down the field.
• Drivers and car owners each have their own standings.
• Wins carry extra weight in the playoff picture.

Four Track Types, Four Different Races

The same car behaves very differently depending on where it races. Learning the four basic track types is the fastest way to understand why a driver is dominant one week and lost the next.

• Superspeedways: Daytona and Talladega are the classics, at roughly 2.5 and 2.66 miles around. Cars run in tight packs and draft off each other, so the lead can change constantly. Big multi-car wrecks, known as "the big one," are a real possibility, and the winner is often decided in the final laps.
• Intermediate tracks: These are the 1.5-mile-ish ovals, such as those at Charlotte, Texas, Las Vegas and Kansas. They make up a large part of the schedule. Handling matters most here, with cars sliding up the banking, tires wearing, and teams adjusting the car through the day.
• Short tracks: Martinsville, Bristol and Richmond are the best-known. These tracks are under a mile, which means close quarters, bumping, lots of cautions, and short tempers. Brakes and tires take a beating.
• Road courses: Left and right turns, elevation changes and heavy braking zones. Sonoma and Watkins Glen have long been part of the picture, and NASCAR has added more road-course events over the years. Drivers with road-racing backgrounds sometimes surprise people.

Watching at the Track

A NASCAR race is loud. Really loud. A full field at full speed can be hard on your ears, and from the grandstands it's tough to see the whole track, so a few small items make the day better.

Hearing protection is first on the list, especially for kids. After that, something to hear the action and something to see across the infield. Bring a cushion too, since a long race on bleacher seating adds up. Check the venue's rules on what you can bring in, because bag and cooler policies differ from track to track.

Learning the Tracks From Home

You don't have to be at a track to appreciate how different these places are. A sim wheel gives you a feel for why a short track and a superspeedway ask different things of a driver, even if you're a long way from a real pro's pace. Some fans prefer to build a collection instead, with diecast cars of favorite drivers or paint schemes from different eras.

Neither is required, and both are just ways to get more out of the sport between race weekends.

FAQ

NASCAR gets easier once you know the three series, the idea behind stages, and how each track type changes the racing. Start there, then use the live data on this page for what's happening now.