Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southern United States and later spread to Japan; its largest governing body is NASCAR . Its NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top-level series of professional stock car racing. Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Chile also have forms of stock car racing in the Americas . Other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have forms of stock car racing worldwide as well. Top-level races typically range between 200 and 600 miles (322 and 966 km) in length.
188-588: Anthony Wayne Stewart (born May 20, 1971), nicknamed " Smoke ", is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, and former NASCAR team co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing . He also competes in NHRA . He is a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, winning two as a driver (2002, 2005), one as owner/driver (2011), and one as an owner (2014). Throughout his racing career, Stewart has won racing titles in Indy , midget , sprint , and USAC Silver Crown cars. He
376-411: A Buick . The breakup of the track surface led to two fatal accidents in the first two long-distance events (a 250 mi (400 km) and 300 mi (480 km), which was shortened to 235 mi (378 km) after two severe wrecks). That these spectacles had attracted 15,000 paying customers (and crowds of up to 40,000) persuaded principal owner Carl G. Fisher to spend $ 155,000 on repaving
564-598: A Lola - Ford . The Offenhauser engine was also paired with a European maker, McLaren , obtaining three wins for the chassis, one with the Penske team in 1972 with driver Mark Donohue , and two for the McLaren works team in 1974 and 1976 with Johnny Rutherford . This was also the last time the Offy would win a race, its competitiveness steadily decreasing until its final appearance in 1983. American drivers continued to fill
752-493: A Daytona 500 race, it was still a significant improvement over its predecessor the Dodge Charger 500. NASCAR feared that these increasing speeds significantly surpassed the abilities of the tire technology of the day, and it would undoubtedly increase the number of gruesome wrecks that were occurring. As a result, the 1970 Homologation rules were changed so that one car for every two U.S. dealers had to be built for sale to
940-846: A Midwest regional series. In addition to the ARCA Menards Series , it also sanctions the ARCA Midwest Tour since 2007, and previously the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series from 1999 to 2016. NASCAR purchased ARCA in early 2018. For the 2020 season, the NASCAR K&;N Series East and West were rebranded under the ARCA banner as the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West . Outside of NASCAR, there are
1128-537: A bang, as he qualified his No. 20 The Home Depot -sponsored Pontiac on the outside pole for the Daytona 500 . He showed courage in one of the Gatorade Twin 125s when he was involved in a battle with Dale Earnhardt for the lead in the last laps. Though Earnhardt came out on top, Stewart had nonetheless impressed quite a few people with his performance. In the 500, Stewart ran near the front until problems with
1316-407: A blind draw for the qualifying order. For each attempt, cars are allowed two warm-up laps. At that time, a member of the team is stationed at the north end of the main stretch. He or she must wave a green flag, signaling an attempt, or else the car will be waved off. The attempt can be waved off during any of the four laps by the team, driver, or race officials. (The series will wave off the run if it
1504-415: A century, the race eschewed any sort of naming rights or title sponsor , a move, though uncommon in the modern sports world, that was well received by fans. This tradition finally ended in 2016 when a presenting sponsor, PennGrade, was added for the first time. In the 21st century, the facility has also slowly added sponsorship ads on the retaining walls and infield grass. The ESPN-produced ABC telecast of
1692-412: A close second to fellow rookie Buzz Calkins . He also led laps at Phoenix in the early stages before a myriad of pit stop woes and mechanical issues led to his early exit from the race. For his Indianapolis 500 debut, he initially qualified on the outside of the front row, but the disqualification of Arie Luyendyk 's time and the death of his teammate Scott Brayton a week later propelled Stewart to
1880-641: A cost of A$ 54 million, was modeled on a scaled down version of the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway . Other tracks used included the 1 ⁄ 2 mile (805 metre) Speedway Super Bowl at the Adelaide International Raceway (also owned by Jane, this was the only paved oval track in Australia other than the Thunderdome, though with only 7° banking in the turns it was more of a traditional flat track), as well as road courses such as
2068-400: A custom built machine, or a heavily modified streetcar. Individual sanctioning bodies (like NASCAR, ACT , PASS , UARA, ASA , CARS Tour , etc.) maintain their own late model rule books, and even individual racetracks can maintain their own rule books, meaning a late model that is legal in one series or at one track may not be legal at another without modifications. The national touring series,
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#17327914326902256-781: A first-timer in 1966. Not surprisingly, he ran away with the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year award. Stewart also attempted to race 1,100 miles (1,800 km) on Memorial Day weekend , as he competed in both the Indy 500 during the day and the Coca-Cola 600 in Charlotte, N.C., at night. He finished in the Top 10 at both races: 9th in the 1999 Indianapolis 500 and 4th at Charlotte. However, he only completed 1,090 miles (1,750 km) of
2444-500: A full-time IRL schedule. The double duty did not affect his performance in either series. In the IRL, he won twice and finished 3rd in the championship. His season was a disappointment as he finished last in the Indy 500 because of an engine failure. On the Busch side, he finished in the top-five five times in 22 starts. He came close to winning his first Busch Series race at Rockingham , but
2632-415: A given car number—the "primary" car and a "backup" car. The backup car is identified by the letter "T". For example, the two cars for the #2 team would be numbered #2 and #2T. Both cars may be practiced during the month, but due to engine lease rules, they must share the same engine. It is not uncommon for teams to prefer their backup car, if it is deemed faster, or for other strategic reasons. Additionally, as
2820-502: A great deal of available data, and NASCAR was formed just as some of the improved technology was about to become available in production cars. Until the advent of the Trans-Am Series in 1967, NASCAR homologation cars were the closest thing that the public could buy that was actually very similar to the cars that were winning national races. The 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket V-8 with a displacement of 303 cu in (5.0 L)
3008-581: A handful of Busch Series races in 1998. This time, he was racing for Joe Gibbs , NFL Hall of Fame head coach of the Washington Redskins , who was having major success with Bobby Labonte in the Winston Cup Series. When Stewart was able to finish races, he finished in the top 10 and had a 3rd-place finish at Charlotte. Stewart so impressed Gibbs that he was signed to drive the majority of the Busch schedule in 1998 to go along with
3196-411: A highly sophisticated purpose built race car with race-tuned V-8 engines developing 480 kW (650 bhp), quick change axles and gearboxes and biased and staggered chassis and braking set up for constant left turning. However large bumpers were mandatory with contact very much encouraged to remove opponents. The sport can be seen at venues throughout Britain and Mainland Europe. A downsized version of
3384-478: A meeting at the Streamline Hotel in order to form an organization that would unify the rules. When NASCAR was first formed by France in 1948 to regulate stock car racing in the U.S., there was a requirement that any car entered be made entirely of parts available to the general public through automobile dealers. Furthermore, the car models were required to have sold over 500 units to the public. This
3572-691: A number of other national or regional stock-car sanctioning bodies in the United States. There are a few organizations that cater to these local short tracks . The American Speed Association (ASA), Champion Racing Association (CRA), International Motor Contest Association (IMCA), United Auto Racing Association (UARA), Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS), and they all sanction their own forms of stock-car racing, on varying types of track, and with various levels of media coverage. The International Race of Champions (IROC) and Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) are usually perceived as being outside of
3760-541: A one-time ride in the Craftsman Truck Series with Mueller Brothers racing, where he finished 10th. Stewart was poised to improve his IRL standing in the 1996-97 season but at times he struggled to finish. He failed to finish the first three races of a ten-race schedule, but recovered to come in second at Phoenix . At that year's Indy 500 , Stewart's car was good enough to enable him to win his first IRL race, leading 64 laps. However, he trailed off near
3948-399: A part-time team altogether that does not enter any of the other races, or enters only a few selected races. The "Indy-only" drivers may come from a wide range of pedigrees but are usually experienced Indy car competitors who either lack a full-time ride, are former full-time drivers who have elected to drop down to part-time status, or occasional one-off drivers from other racing disciplines. It
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#17327914326904136-409: A pit stop seemed like an unlikely contender for the win. However, Stewart amazed the audience when in the final 10 laps he drove from 14th up to second place, and passed Boris Said to take the lead and win. After the race, Stewart said he no longer wanted to climb the catch-fencing at Daytona because of the fans crowding him but he later changed his mind on that thought. On July 23, Stewart once again
4324-481: A privileged status for automobile races. The first "500" was held at the Speedway in 1911 on Decoration Day , May 30, (as it was known from its inception in 1868 to 1967, when federal law made "Memorial Day" the official name), run to a 600-cubic-inch (9,800 cc) maximum engine size formula. It saw a field of 40 starters, with Harroun piloting a Marmon Model 32-based Wasp racer—outfitted with his invention,
4512-410: A pullover site sealing Stewart's win. As Joe Gibbs Racing officially switched its manufacturer partnership from Chevrolet to Toyota , Stewart began the 2008 season with a 6th-place start in the Daytona 500 . During this race, he was only able to come up with a 3rd-place finish after being passed by Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch on the last lap. The finish of this race was somewhat like a repeat of
4700-507: A race high 132 laps, but a late race caution moved Stewart to 2nd, where he finished behind Jeff Gordon . In the following week, Stewart implied the cautions were "bogus" and that NASCAR is "rigged like professional wrestling ". On June 4, 2007, Stewart and Kurt Busch had another altercation on pit road in the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover . Kurt Busch passed Stewart on the inside and then slid up, which caused contact, sending him into
4888-400: A reputation of having a hot temper, and he became known as NASCAR's "bad boy". Stewart started the 2002 season even more inauspiciously than last year's, as the Daytona 500 lasted just two laps for him due to a blown engine. He went on to win twice early in the season at Atlanta and Richmond, but he was only seventh in the points standings at the season's halfway point. At Darlington, Stewart
5076-456: A rough Bud Shootout on February 12, Stewart expressed concern to the media about the possibility of aggressive driving resulting in the serious injury or death of a driver. It came during a week in which the racing world remembered the fifth anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death. Just a few days later, during the Daytona 500 , Stewart was involved in several incidents with Jeff Gordon , Kyle Busch , and Matt Kenseth , whom he chased halfway across
5264-589: A row) in the boxier Plymouth Belvedere. The 1969 season featured the Torino Cobra or Torino "Talladega" which had enough aerodynamic body improvements that it gave it a higher speed than the 1968 Torino, with no other changes. The Cobra, featuring extended nose and reshaped rockers, was renamed Talladega part way through the 1969 season when the Boss 429 replaced the 427. Starting in 1963 up till this point, Ford had won six straight Manufacturer Championships, and by
5452-467: A scary start for the 2001 season: during the Daytona 500 , he was involved in an 18-car crash on lap 173. The crash began on the back straightaway and also collected Bobby Labonte and his brother Terry , Rusty Wallace , Steve Park , Jason Leffler , Jerry Nadeau , Buckshot Jones , Andy Houston , Ward Burton , Mark Martin , Kenny Wallace , Jeff Gordon , Elliott Sadler , Dale Jarrett , Jeff Burton , John Andretti , and Robby Gordon . Stewart took
5640-449: A second Cup championship. Stewart got collected in a multi-car crash, which started when Robby Gordon repaid Greg Biffle some retaliation, and Stewart t-boned Biffle. Stewart had to make repairs and lost three laps. He finished two laps down, causing him to lose his shot at his second championship. Gordon did not get off the hook however and was penalized with a $ 15,000 fine and a 50-point deduction for his actions. After losing his bid for
5828-588: A shoulder injury due to two heavy crashes in both the Busch and Cup races at Charlotte during the Memorial Day Weekend races (Stewart's Busch car hit the Turn 4 wall so hard it even knocked the rear end off the car). During the Dover race, he was substituted by Ricky Rudd and, in later weeks, had to drive in pain. Additionally, he has once again been involved in several on-track controversies. Following
Tony Stewart - Misplaced Pages Continue
6016-495: A single cam-in-block . But even without the cammer, the Ford FE 427 won in 1965. In 1966 Chrysler sold enough of the 426 Hemis to make it available again, and they put it in their new Dodge Charger which had a low-drag rear window that was radically sloped. It was called a "fast-back", and because of this David Pearson was the series champion that year with Richard Petty dominating 1967, winning 27 of 48 races (including 10 in
6204-399: A single race, and considered a 24-hour contest, in the fashion of Le Mans , or a one-thousand-mile (1,600 km) event. They decided on 500 miles (800 km), the estimated distance a race car could run before dark descended on the track, and a spectacular purse of $ 25,000, equivalent to 82.93 pounds (37.62 kg) of pure gold . The combination allowed the track to rapidly acquire
6392-459: A speed record for stock cars in a 2007-season Dodge Charger built to NASCAR specifications by achieving a maximum speed of 244.9 mph (394.1 km/h) at Bonneville Speedway . For the 2015 NASCAR Cup Series , power output of the competing cars ranged from 750 to 800 hp (560 to 600 kW). In the 1920s, moonshine runners during the Prohibition era would often have to outrun
6580-570: A way that they hoped would make the cars safer and more equal, so the race series would be more a test of the drivers, rather than a test of car technology. In addition, R.J. Reynolds (the tobacco conglomerate) took over as the major sponsor of NASCAR racing (changing the name to the "Winston Cup") and they made a significantly larger financial contribution than previous sponsors. Richard Petty's personal sponsorship with STP also set new, higher standards for financial rewards to driving teams. The sudden infusion of noticeably larger amounts of money changed
6768-405: Is a rounded rectangle, with four distinct turns of identical dimensions, connected by four straightaways (two long straightaways and two "short chutes"). Traditionally , the field consists of 33 starters, aligned in a starting grid of eleven rows of three cars apiece. Drivers race 200 laps, counter-clockwise around the circuit, for a distance of 500 miles (800 km). Since its inception in 1911 ,
6956-598: Is considered part of the Triple Crown of Motorsport along with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix , with which it typically shares a date. The inaugural race was held in 1911 and was won by Ray Harroun . The event celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2011 , and the 100th running was held in 2016 . The event was put on hiatus twice, from 1917 to 1918 due to World War I and from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II . In two different periods,
7144-415: Is contested by "Indy cars" , a formula of professional -level, single-seat, open cockpit , open-wheel , purpose-built race cars. As of 2020 , all entrants utilize 2.2 L V6 , twin- turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–750 horsepower (410–560 kW). Chevrolet and Honda are the current engine manufacturers involved in the sport. Dallara is at present the sole chassis supplier to
7332-431: Is focused on safety aspects and is done on the pit lane qualifying queue. It is relatively brief, due to the time constraints of the qualifying procedure. The post-qualifying inspection is much more stringent and lengthy, taking place in the garage area. It is to detect deviations from the performance guidelines set forth by the league, and cars can and have been fined or outright disqualified if they fail inspection. During
7520-475: Is not uncommon for some drivers (particularly former Indy 500 winners) to quit full-time driving during the season, but race solely at Indy for numerous years afterward before entering full retirement. Technical specifications for the Indianapolis 500 are currently written by IndyCar . Rules are generally the same as every other IndyCar race. In the past, particularly during the era in which USAC sanctioned
7708-403: Is obvious the run will not be fast enough to qualify and it is getting late in the day.) If an attempt is waved off after the run starts, the attempt counts and the previous time is still forfeited unless race officials waved off the attempt because of weather. Weather can and often does affect qualifying and can result in last-minute format changes. From 1911 to 1955, the race was organized under
Tony Stewart - Misplaced Pages Continue
7896-484: Is referred to as " homologation ", which other racing series has since adapted for their own rulesets. In NASCAR's early years, the cars were so "stock" that it was commonplace for the drivers to drive themselves to the competitions in the car that they were going to run in the race. While automobile engine technology had remained fairly stagnant in World War II, advanced aircraft piston engine development had provided
8084-537: Is still the only driver to have won championships under both the Chase and non-Chase formats. During the 2005 season, Stewart won a total of $ 13,578,168, including $ 6,173,633 for winning the championship, the largest season total in NASCAR history. Stewart's 2006 season had up and down notes. He had competitive cars and scored early wins at Daytona and Martinsville . However, he also had strings of bad luck. He also suffered
8272-608: Is the only driver in history to win a championship in both IndyCar and NASCAR. Stewart became known for his hot temper and for his sarcasm with the media. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (now known as the NASCAR Cup Series) during the 2016 season, driving the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for his team, Stewart-Haas Racing , under crew chief Mike Bugarewicz . From 1999 to 2008, he drove
8460-607: Is the second tier series in the United States. It serves as the primary feeder series to the Cup Series, similar to Formula Two for Formula One , and Indy Lights for Indy Car . Races are commonly held as a support race to Cup Series events. Many current Cup Series drivers formerly competed in the Series before moving on to competing full-time in the Cup Series. The Xfinity series typically features multiple Cup Series competitors competing alongside full time Xfinity drivers. There
8648-504: Is the team racing format. Typically teams racing consists of two teams of four cars each that work together to win the race. Teams normally protect their "runners" while attempting to eliminate the opposing team, the races can be decided by a points format or first across the finish line. The class most resembling the North American form of stock car racing are known as Saloon cars. Super Saloons are similar to dirt late models with
8836-586: Is traditionally held over Memorial Day weekend, usually the last weekend of May. It is contested as part of the IndyCar Series , the top level of American open-wheel car racing , a formula colloquially known as "Indy car racing". The track itself is nicknamed the "Brickyard", as the racing surface was first paved in brick in the fall of 1909. One yard of brick remains exposed at the start/finish line. The event, billed as The Greatest Spectacle in Racing ,
9024-414: Is upwards of 250,000, and infield patrons raise the total race-day attendance to a range of approximately 300,000–350,000. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex was built in 1909 as a gravel-and-tar track and hosted a smattering of small events, including ones for motorcycles . The first long-distance event, in "fearful conditions", was the 100-lap Prest-O-Lite Trophy in 1909, won by Bob Burman in
9212-495: Is widely recognized as the first postwar modern overhead valve (OHV) engine to become available to the public. The Oldsmobile was an immediate success in 1949 and 1950, and all the automobile manufacturers could not help noticing the higher sales of the Oldsmobile 88 to the buying public. The motto of the day became "win on Sunday, sell on Monday." However, in spite of the fact that several competing engines were more advanced,
9400-510: The BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars , the smaller BriSCA Formula 2 Stock Cars , previously known as "The Juniors" or "Junior Stock Cars", are also very popular. these cars are powered by the 2 litre Ford 'Pinto' engine. There are also many other formulas running on the oval tracks throughout a season that starts around March/Easter and continues to October/November. In the 2008 World Final, held at Ipswich, Andy Smith raced to victory becoming
9588-617: The Hut Hundred and 4 Crown Nationals were the highlights of the year. With the advent of the Indy Racing League (IRL), which intended to provide opportunities for grassroots racers, Stewart found his way into Indy car racing; after unsuccessful negotiations with A. J. Foyt Racing , he signed early in 1996 for Team Menard as a last-minute addition for the abridged three-race initial season. In his Indy car debut at Walt Disney World Speedway , Stewart led 37 laps and finished
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#17327914326909776-571: The NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series , originated from local late model races in the east coast of the U.S. This division was later called the "Busch Series", the "Nationwide Series", and currently the "Xfinity Series" as its title sponsor changed. Late model racing has a very big following throughout the country. Many of the biggest late model races have very large purses, some equivalent to some NASCAR Truck and Xfinity Series races, that attract drivers from all over
9964-618: The NASCAR weekend permanently in 2021 ), and the support races on the road course moved to its own September weekend. As races were cancelled because of local restrictions, the Speedway added two more road course races in October as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge meeting, where attendance was capped to 10,000 per event. In 2024, the race was delayed for over four hours due to heavy rain and thunderstorms in
10152-642: The Pennzoil 150 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's road course, but plans were called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic . After competing part-time during the 1996 NASCAR Busch Series season with the team, Stewart had planned to move up to the Winston Cup Series in 1997 driving for Ranier-Walsh Racing; however the deal fell through when Stewart decided he was not yet ready for the move. Stewart started his NASCAR Cup career in 1999 with
10340-558: The Peugeot Grand Prix engine which had been serviced in his shop by Fred Offenhauser in 1914, installing it in Jimmy Murphy 's Duesenberg and allowing him to win the 1922 edition of the race. Miller then created his own automobiles, which shared the 'Miller' designation, which, in turn, were powered by supercharged versions of his 2.0- and 1.5-liter (122 and 91 in ) engine single-seaters, winning four more races for
10528-683: The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit (where the cars ran as a support category to the Gold Coast IndyCar Grand Prix ), Oran Park in Sydney , and the famous Mount Panorama Circuit . The term 'stock cars' in the UK refers to a specialized form of racing that bears little resemblance to any road car. Stock car racing was brought to Britain in 1954. Taking place on existing greyhound or speedway tracks,
10716-657: The United States Auto Club (USAC) series with the help of one of his karting sponsors and friend Mark Dismore . Stewart was the USAC Rookie of the Year in 1991, USAC National Midget Series Champion in 1994 and 1995, and USAC Silver Crown Series champion in 1995. In 1995, Stewart became the first driver to win USAC's version of the Triple Crown , earning championships in all three of USAC's major divisions, National Midget, Sprint, and Silver Crown. His winning
10904-628: The chase playoff format , and is the only driver to win the title under three different sponsorships ( Winston in 2002 , Nextel in 2005 , and Sprint in 2011 ). He is also the first driver in the Cup Series to win the championship by a tiebreaker. On May 22, 2019, Stewart was voted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame , and on January 31, 2020, was inducted alongside the 11th Hall of Fame class. On November 21, 2021, he married NHRA Top Fuel Drag Racer Leah Pruett . He will replace Pruett in Top Fuel for
11092-428: The green–white–checker finish in case of a late-race yellow. The race can be (and has at times) finished under caution. However, officials may call for a late-race red flag (in lieu of a lengthy yellow) to provide an opportunity for a green-flag finish, an option that was used in 2014 , 2019 , 2022 , and 2023 . The circuit lacks lights, therefore lateness can become a factor in the cases of lengthy delays. The event
11280-514: The previous year's Daytona 500 , in which Stewart's close friend Kevin Harvick passed Mark Martin to win it. On lap 109 of the UAW-Dodge 400 , Stewart's car cut a tire and slammed hard into the turn 3 retaining wall. Although he climbed out under his own power, Stewart was transported by ambulance to the infield care center. Stewart had complained about a sore foot from a wreck that occurred
11468-411: The rear-view mirror . Harroun (with relief from Cyrus Patschke ) was declared the winner, although Ralph Mulford protested the official result. Eighty thousand spectators were in attendance, and an annual tradition had been established. Many considered Harroun to be a hazard during the race, as he was the only driver in the race driving without a riding mechanic , who checked the oil pressure and let
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#173279143269011656-416: The "International Sweepstakes" dropped. Since 1981, the race has been formally advertised in this fashion, complete with a unique annual logo with the ordinal almost always included. Around that same time, in the wake of the 1979 entry controversy, and the formation of CART , the race changed to an invitational event, rather than an Open , rendering the " sweepstakes " description inappropriate. For nearly
11844-604: The "top 3" series. In addition to the top three series, NASCAR also sanctions many regional and local series. NASCAR also sanctions three international series that race in Canada , Mexico , and Europe . The most prominent championship in stock car racing is the NASCAR Cup Series . It is the most popular racing series in the United States, drawing over 6 million spectators in 1997, an average live audience of over 190,000 people for each race. The most famous event in
12032-484: The 100th race. Harold Hefner (Allison), Tom Harrison (Fisher), Jeff Angel (Wheeler), and Matthew Allen (Newby). In 2020, the race was delayed for the first time from its usual Memorial Day running to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic . There was no audience in attendance, so as to comply with pandemic guidelines. The road course race was moved to the NASCAR weekend in July (which led to an IndyCar road course race added to
12220-523: The 1970s. Soon after the death of Tony Hulman in 1977, and the loss of several key USAC officials in a 1978 plane crash, several key team owners banded together and formed CART in late 1978 to sanction the sport of Indy car racing . The Indianapolis 500 itself, however, remained under the sanctioning control of USAC. It became the lone top-level race the body still sanctioned, as it ultimately dropped all other Indy car races (as well as their stock car division ) to concentrate on sprints and midgets . For
12408-407: The 1980s, as was Dutchman Arie Luyendyk . In 1993, reigning Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell shocked the racing world by leaving Formula One for CART . While he came in only third in the 500 , he won the 1993 CART championship . Foreign-born drivers became a regular fixture of Indianapolis in the years to follow. Despite the increase in foreign drivers commonly being associated with
12596-409: The 2008 BriSCA F1 Stock Car World Champion for the second time in his career, taking the crown from brother Stuart Smith Jnr. 2009 also saw Andy Smith win again this time at Kings Lynns Norfolk Arena. 2010 saw Andy Smith win for a 3rd consecutive time at Coventry, the same venue as his 1st win in 2006. The 2011 World Championship took place at Northampton on September 10 with 2 Paul Harrison the winner of
12784-606: The 2024 season as Pruett steps aside to start a family with Stewart. Tony Stewart got his first competitive go kart in Westport, Indiana in 1979. In 1980, he won his first championship. He grew up racing go karts and was successful very early, winning a World Karting Association championship in 1987. He moved up to the United Midget Racing Association (UMRA) where he raced TQ (three quarter) midgets until 1991 when he again moved up this time to
12972-468: The 33-car field lining up three-wide for the start, the annual singing of the chorus of " Back Home Again in Indiana ", and the victory lane bottle of milk. Also unique is that qualifying requires the driver to complete four, rather than one, timed laps, and the time trials are conducted on a separate weekend. The official attendance is not disclosed by Speedway management, but the permanent seating capacity
13160-462: The CART era, three of the first six Indianapolis 500 winners were non-American drivers. In 2009, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway began a three-year-long "Centennial Era" to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of the track (1909), and the 100th anniversary of the first Indy 500 (1911). As a gesture to the nostalgic Centennial Era celebration (2009–2011), tickets for the 2009 race donned
13348-540: The Chase we wouldn't have that ability". Stewart won three races in the 2006 Chase ( Kansas , Atlanta , and Texas ). The season was not unkind to Stewart, however. He was a participant in the 30th season of IROC and won 2 of the 4 races (Texas, and the Daytona road course) on his way to capturing the series championship. He won a million dollars for the effort but made an offer to return his prize money if IROC would hold one of its events at his Eldora Speedway. This offer
13536-597: The Coca-Cola 600, Stewart finished sixth, after having to come into the pit for fuel. On July 15, 2007, Stewart led a race-high 108 laps and recorded his 30th career NEXTEL Cup win at the USG Sheetrock 400 at Joliet . On July 29, 2007, after leading a race-high 65 of 160 laps, Stewart won the Brickyard 400 again, just 45 minutes from where he grew up. This was his second win in the race at his favorite track. It
13724-545: The Cup championship. Stewart also began to get some bad press for his on-track incidents. The best known of these came at Watkins Glen when he and Jeff Gordon tangled and crashed. Stewart made his displeasure toward Gordon known in an obscenity-laden tirade. Stewart won the Turkey Night Grand Prix midget car event at Irwindale, California , which he called, “one of his greatest wins ever." Stewart got off to
13912-633: The Cup level, Stewart continued racing in the Busch Series on a part-time basis. On August 16, 2005, Stewart was fined $ 5,000 and placed on probation until December 31 for hitting Brian Vickers after the completion of the Busch Series Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen. He was driving a Busch car owned by Kevin Harvick Incorporated at the time. In 2013, Stewart renewed his RCR deal to drive the No. 33 Oreos/Ritz Chevrolet. He won
14100-474: The Ford Talladega, Mercury Spoiler II, Charger 500, Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird to a maximum engine displacement of 305 cu in (5.0 L) for 1971. Almost all teams switched to non-aero bodystyles. NASCAR eventually adopted a restrictor plate to limit top speeds for the 7.0L engine as teams switched to small-block 358 cu in (5.9 L) engines. NASCAR edited the rules in
14288-598: The Formula One drivers who did drive at the speedway was five-time world champion Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio , though he failed to qualify for the 1958 race. It was not until the Indianapolis 500 was removed from the World Championship calendar that European entries made their return. In 1963, technical innovator Colin Chapman brought his Team Lotus to Indianapolis for the first time, attracted by
14476-524: The Gatorade 125. In the Daytona 500 , he and Dale Earnhardt Jr. both dominated the race, leading 156 laps overall (98 for Stewart). Stewart was in contention to win it, only to lose the lead to Earnhardt Jr. with 20 laps to go. That would be Stewart's best finish in the Daytona 500. At Infineon, Stewart was involved in an altercation with rookie driver Brian Vickers . On lap 88 of 110, Stewart got spun out by Vickers as retaliation for an earlier collision in
14664-731: The Gold Roof. The 2012 World Championship held at Skegness was won by 217 Lee Fairhurst. The 2013 World Championship will be held at King's Lynn on Saturday 21 September. Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500 , formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race , and commonly shortened to Indy 500 , is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana , United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis . The event
14852-490: The IRL title. He also raced in several midget events, finishing thirteenth and eleventh in the 1997 and 1998 USAC national points, and winning the Copper Classic both years. Between his time in USAC and the IRL, Stewart earned the nickname of "Smoke", first for slipping the right rear tire during dirt races and then for blowing his engine often during his 1997 championship run. As he had done the previous year, he raced
15040-543: The Indianapolis 500 for nearly two decades, made a brief return just before World War II , with the competitive Maserati 8CTF allowing Wilbur Shaw to become the first driver to win consecutively at Indianapolis, in 1939 and 1940. With the 500 having been a part of the World Drivers' Championship between 1950 and 1960, Ferrari made a discreet appearance at the 1952 event with Alberto Ascari , but European entries were few and far between during those days. Among
15228-558: The Indy 500 (but CART sanctioned the other Indy car races), rules at Indy slightly differed at times. The result, for example, would be a particular chassis or engine configuration being legal at Indy, but not so at the CART-sanctioned events. This was rather commonplace in the 1980s and early 1990s, when "stock-block" engines (namely the V-6 Buick) were allotted an increased level of turbocharger boost by USAC at Indy, compared to
15416-525: The Nextel Cup 10-race playoff). Following his win in the Pepsi 400, Stewart began climbing the fence separating the fans from the race track after each victory, borrowing IndyCar Series driver Hélio Castroneves ' trademark move. After winning the 2009 All-Star race, Stewart was quoted as saying "I'm too damn fat to be climbing fences," and recently purchased $ 17,000 worth of exercise equipment to remedy
15604-415: The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing car, under crew chief Greg Zipadelli with The Home Depot as the primary sponsor. While driving for car owner Joe Gibbs , Stewart won two Cup Series championships in 2002 and 2005. In 2011, Stewart became the first owner-driver since Alan Kulwicki to win the Cup Series championship. Stewart is the only driver to win the Cup Series championship under the old points system and
15792-525: The UK and New Zealand there is a racing formula called stock cars, but the cars are markedly different from any road car. In Australia there was a formula that was quite similar to NASCAR called AUSCAR . The Racecar-Euro Series began in 2009 and was sanctioned by NASCAR as a touring series in 2012, currently operating as the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series . "True" stock car racing, which consists of only street vehicles that can be bought by
15980-549: The United States after World War II, this type of racing was early-on characterized by its participants' modification of passenger cars in pursuit of higher speeds, hence the name. In many regions, particularly on the east coast, modified racing is considered the highest class of stock cars in local racing. NASCAR officially sanctions the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour which is the oldest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR. The SMART Modified Tour , at one point
16168-465: The United States' participation in the two World Wars (1917–1918, 1942–1945), the advertised Centennial Era occurred during the 93rd to 95th runnings. To avoid confusion between the 100th anniversary, and the actual number of times the race has been run, references to the ordinal during the Centennial Era were curtailed. In the 2014 meeting, the road course became part of the race meeting for
16356-418: The aerodynamic and low-slung Hudson Hornet managed to win in 1951, 1952, and 1953 with a 308 cu in (5.0 L) inline six-cylinder that used an old-style flathead engine , proving there was more to winning than just a more powerful engine. At the time, it typically took three years for a new design of car body or engine to end up in production and be available for NASCAR racing. Most cars sold to
16544-401: The area. The race was originally advertised as the "International 500-Mile Sweepstakes Race" from 1911 to 1916. However, from its inception, the race has been widely known as the Indianapolis 500 or, more simply "the 500", as for many years, it was the only noteworthy auto race of such distance. In 1919, the race was referred to as the "Liberty Sweepstakes" following WWI . From 1920 to 1980,
16732-684: The auspices of the AAA Contest Board . Following the 1955 Le Mans disaster , AAA dissolved the Contest Board to concentrate on its membership program aimed at the general motoring public. Speedway owner Tony Hulman founded USAC in 1956, which took over sanctioning of the race and the sport of Championship racing . From 1950 to 1960, the Indianapolis 500 also counted toward the FIA 's World Championship of Drivers (now synonymous with Formula One ), although few drivers participated in
16920-469: The authorities. To do so, they had to upgrade their vehicles—while leaving them looking ordinary, so as not to attract attention. Eventually, runners started getting together with fellow runners and making runs together. They would challenge one another and eventually progressed to organized events in the early 1930s. The main problem racing faced was the lack of a unified set of rules among the different tracks. When Bill France Sr. saw this problem, he set up
17108-504: The car relegated him to a 28th-place finish. Stewart spent most of his rookie season wowing people, as his car was often in the Top 5. He won a pair of pole positions at short tracks , and set a series record for wins by a rookie with three—Richmond, Phoenix, and Homestead—surpassing Davey Allison 's record set in 1987 (Stewart's record would hold until 2002, when Jimmie Johnson tied the feat by winning three times; although Carl Edwards won four times in 2005, his first full Cup season, he
17296-526: The cars conform to standard model specs has changed over the years and varies from country to country. Today most American stock cars may superficially resemble standard American family sedans but are in fact silhouette cars: purpose-built racing machines built to a strict set of regulations governing the car design ensuring that the chassis , suspension , engine, etc. are architecturally identical to those in stock production vehicles. For example, NASCAR Cup Series race vehicles now require fuel injection . In
17484-480: The cars were mostly 'stock' cars from the 1930s with locked rear axle differentials and added armour. After the first couple of years 'specials' began to appear eventually making the 'stock' car name something of a misnomer. Since the early days of stock car racing in Britain the sport has developed into many different classes, from the destructive 'Banger' categories to the very sophisticated National Hot Rods. However,
17672-570: The championship title, Stewart finished sixth in the Nextel Cup point standings. In November 2004, Stewart became the owner of one of the most legendary short tracks in America, Eldora Speedway . Located in New Weston, Ohio , Eldora is a half-mile dirt track known to many as "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954." Stewart began racing there in 1991 and continues racing in special events alongside other Sprint Cup drivers and dirt track legends. 2005
17860-546: The competitors, sponsorship dollars on offer as well as major television time, the Australian Superspeedway series shut down after 2001. The majority of the NASCAR and AUSCAR racing in Australia took place at the 1.801 km (1.119 mi), high-banked (24°) Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne . The Thunderdome, which was opened in 1987 and was built by multi-millionaire tyre retailer Bob Jane at
18048-710: The country including Cup, Xfinity, and Truck drivers. Despite NASCAR officially sanctioning the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series as a national championship, series such as the CARS Tour , ASA , UARA, and the ACT draw the biggest attention and sanction most of the biggest races in the country. NASCAR is currently the largest stock car racing governing body in the world. While NASCAR sanctions multiple series, it has three national championship touring series that are commonly referred to as
18236-491: The crews. More lengthy repairs are allowed, and since 1998 teams are permitted to return to the garage area to make repairs. However, there are limitations to the extent of repair work allowed and the practicality of such work. Teams are not allowed to change engines, and since 1933 a rule has been in place where teams are not allowed to add oil . In addition, the officials designate a certain lap after which off-track cars being serviced/repaired are no longer permitted to return to
18424-638: The day before the Nationwide Series race at Las Vegas . Stewart was later announced that he was okay and ripped on Goodyear for not bringing any quality tires. Stock car racing Top-level stock cars exceed 200 mph (322 km/h) at speedway tracks and on superspeedway tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway . Contemporary NASCAR-spec top-level cars produce maximum power outputs of 860–900 hp from their naturally aspirated V8 engines. In October 2007 American race car driver Russ Wicks set
18612-428: The discount. After his victory in Indianapolis, The Home Depot presented fans who presented the advertisement of his Allstate 400 win with a discount on purchasing bricks. He mentioned in a press release from his sponsor, "I plan to keep winning races and helping to drive down the cost of home improvement for The Home Depot customers." On November 20, 2005, Stewart won his second Cup Championship, joining Jeff Gordon as
18800-409: The distance has been completed, the race must be resumed and achieve at least the 101-lap distance in order to be official. A primary limiting factor is available daylight, as the track does not have lighting. If the race is halted and cannot be resumed before sunset, the resumption will be scheduled for the next possible day. The Indianapolis 500, as well as other IndyCar Series races, does not utilize
18988-548: The driver know when traffic was coming. In 1912, the purse was raised to $ 50,000, the field was limited to 33 (where it remains), and a riding mechanic was made mandatory. This second event was won by Joe Dawson in a National , after Ralph DePalma 's Mercedes broke. Although the first race was won by an American driver at the wheel of an American car, European makers such as the Italian Fiat or French Peugeot companies soon developed their vehicles to try to win
19176-481: The end of the 1969 season Ford would make it seven in a row. Richard Petty was tired of winning races but losing the championship, so after a private viewing of Ford's new Talladega and Boss 429 engine, he signed a lucrative deal with Ford. Prior to its first race at the Daytona 500, David Pearson's 427 powered Ford Torino Cobra set a new NASCAR record by being the first to exceed 190 mph (310 km/h) when he qualified at 190.029 mph (305.822 km/h). When
19364-416: The end of the race and settled for 5th place. He finally got his first career win at Pikes Peak , where he led all but seven laps of a 200 lap race. He became the leading contender for the series championship after a bad slump knocked points leader Davey Hamilton out of first place. Despite an average end to his season, finishing 7th, 14th, and 11th, and five DNFs, Stewart did just enough to beat Hamilton for
19552-525: The engine up to 1929 (two of them, 1926 and 1928, in Miller chassis). The engines powered another seven winners until 1938 (two of them, 1930 and 1932, in Miller chassis), then ran at first with stock-type motors before later being adjusted to the international 3.0-liter formula. After purchasing the Speedway in 1927, Eddie Rickenbacker prohibited supercharging and increased the displacement limit to 366 cu in (6,000 cc), while also re-introducing
19740-516: The engine. Power output is usually in the range of 500–550 horsepower (373–410 kilowatts ). Tire width is usually limited to 8 in (200 mm). Some entry level classes are called "street stock", and are similar to what is often called " banger racing " in England. Modified stock cars resemble a hybrid of open wheel cars and stock cars. The rear wheels are covered by fenders but the front wheels and engine are left exposed. First popular in
19928-471: The entire nature of the sport. The 1973 oil crisis meant that large displacement special edition homologation cars of all makes were suddenly sitting unsold. Through the balance of the 1970s until 1991, the factory stock sheetmetal over a racing frame meant the cars looked very much like their street version counterparts. Then in 1992, with a highly modified body, and more aerodynamics, stock cars were quickly allowed to differ greatly from anything available to
20116-409: The event did not recognize this sponsorship and instead had Firestone Tires as its presenting sponsorship. The Borg-Warner Trophy , introduced in 1936, proclaims the event as the "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race", with no reference at all to the name "International Sweepstakes". The Indianapolis 500 is held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , a 2.5-mile (4 km) oval circuit . The track
20304-433: The event, which they did from 1912 to 1919. The 1913 event saw a change to a 450-cubic-inch (7,400 cc) maximum engine size. After World War I , the native drivers and manufacturers regained their dominance of the race, and engineer Harry Miller set himself up as the most competitive of the post-war builders. His technical developments allowed him to be indirectly connected to a history of success that would last into
20492-519: The first time. The GMR Grand Prix road course event, and the three upper tiers of Road to Indy , participated in road course events at the Speedway during the first week of activities. Six years later, in 2016 , the race celebrated its 100th running with about 350,000 in attendance. Four local actors were hired to portray the Founding Four of James Allison, Carl Fisher, Frank Wheeler, and Arthur Newby during multiple Centennial Era events and
20680-410: The front most of the season. Statistically, he had a worse season than 2000, but he finished 2nd to Gordon in the final points standings. For the second time, Stewart ran the " Memorial Day Double ", in spite of a 17-minute rain delay at Indianapolis . He finished sixth in the Indianapolis 500 and third in the Coca-Cola 600 , running all 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of the two races. The 2001 season
20868-411: The general public, is sometimes now called "street stock", "pure stock", "hobby stock", "showroom stock", or "U-car" racing. In 1972, SCCA started its first showroom stock racing series, with a price ceiling on the cars of $ 3,000. Some modern showroom stock racing allows safety modifications done on showroom stock cars. Super stock classes are similar to street stock, but allow for more modifications to
21056-505: The incident. One of Stewart's pit-crew members jumped out of the way of Busch's car to avoid being hit, while Busch was parked for the contact made on pit road. Busch would later be fined $ 100k for his actions by NASCAR, while Stewart got off with a pre-race warning from NASCAR before the following race at Pocono. At the All-Star Race at Charlotte , he finished 5th behind Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Jeff Burton. At
21244-474: The large monetary prizes, far bigger than the usual at a European event. Racing a mid-engined car, Scotsman Jim Clark was second in his first attempt in 1963, dominated in 1964 until suffering suspension failure on lap 47, and completely dominated the race in 1965, a victory which also interrupted the success of the Offy, and giving the 4.2-liter Ford V8 its first success at the race. The following year, 1966, saw another British win, this time Graham Hill in
21432-438: The lead lap and eventually rallied to finish 7th and get back in the top 10 in the point standings. After initially refusing to take responsibility for the incident he apologized the next day. Stewart missed the cut to qualify for the 2006 Chase for the Nextel Cup by 16 points, becoming the first defending champion to miss the Chase the following year. He finished poorly at Richmond after wrecking his primary car in practice, and
21620-475: The main differences being the bodies closer resemble production cars, use iron engines up to 7.1 litres (434 cu in) with no rear offset and run much larger sprint car tyres on the rear. Stock car racing in the NASCAR mould (AUSCAR) had a following in Australia during the mid-late 1980s and through the 1990s, but with the advent of the Supercars Championship , which took up the bulk of
21808-558: The majority of entries at the Brickyard in the following years, but European technology had taken over. Starting in 1978, most chassis and engines were European, with the only American-based chassis to win during the CART era being the Wildcat and Galmer (which was technically built in Bicester , England) in 1982 and 1992, respectively. Ford and Chevrolet engines were built in the UK by Cosworth and Ilmor , respectively. As of 2023,
21996-541: The majority of the races, Dodge was forced to develop a better car of their own. Using the Charger 500 as a basis, they added a pointed nose. This nose was almost a carbon copy of the nose on the 1962 Ford Mustang I prototype. This radical body shape required a wing to remain stable at speeds over 180 mph (290 km/h). They named it the Dodge Daytona after the race they hoped to win. Even though it never won
22184-599: The mid-1970s. For musical entertainment before the start of the race, the Purdue All-American Marching Band has been the host band of the race since 1919. In 1946, American operatic tenor and car enthusiast James Melton started the tradition of singing " Back Home Again in Indiana " with the Purdue Band before the race when asked to do so on the spur of the moment by Speedway president Tony Hulman . This tradition has continued through
22372-414: The moniker "93rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes". It is the first time since 1980 that the "Sweepstakes" title has been used. In May 2009, the ordinal (93rd) was used very sparingly, and for the first time since 1981, was not identified on the annual logo. Instead, in most instances in print, television, and radio, the race was referred to as the "2009 Indianapolis 500". Since the race was not held during
22560-465: The month wears on, a "T car" may be split off into a separate entry, and reassigned a new number, or be sold to another team. All cars must pass a rigorous technical inspection before receiving a sticker signifying that the car is eligible to practice. Various criteria include minimum weight, dimensions, and approved parts, particularly safety equipment. Before and after qualification attempts, cars must pass another inspection. The pre-qualifying inspection
22748-518: The most recent active Formula One driver to have entered the 500 is Fernando Alonso , who drove in the 2017 race. Alonso was the first Formula One driver to enter the 500 since Teo Fabi in 1984 . After foreign cars became the norm, foreign drivers began competing in the Indianapolis 500 regularly, choosing the United States as their primary base for their motor racing activities. Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi , Italian Teo Fabi , and Colombian Roberto Guerrero were able to obtain good outings in
22936-572: The most victories is Castroneves. Rick Mears holds the record for most career pole positions with six. The most successful car owner is Roger Penske , owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Team Penske , which has 20 total wins and 18 poles. Penske also has five wins at the IndyCar Grand Prix , held on the combined road course . The event is steeped in tradition , in pre-race ceremonies, post-race celebrations, and race procedure. The most noteworthy and most popular traditions are
23124-428: The name 'stock car' is usually reserved for that racing class which traces its roots back to these early days in the 1950s, BriSCA F1 Stock Cars , which were previously known as "The Seniors" or "Senior Stock Cars". Despite the physical demands of this full-contact sport, many competitors have been racing for 20 and even 30 years. For the first 10 years of the sport, stock cars were either adapted from road cars, or bore
23312-590: The new Stewart-Kenseth rivalry as must-see TV. The so-called rivalry was short-lived as Kenseth and Stewart participated as friends in a joint promotional tour for DeWalt and The Home Depot; Kenseth also appeared in September at Stewart's Eldora Speedway in the NEXTEL PRELUDE with NASCAR drivers, as well as the ARCA Truck Series event there. On July 1, Stewart dominated the Pepsi 400 but after
23500-501: The only active, full-time drivers at the time to have won multiple championships. Jimmie Johnson afterward did so from 2006 to 2010. In victory circle, Stewart had said that he loved winning his 2005 championship better than his 2002 one because his 2005 season was more well-behaved than 2002. At an age of 34, this made Stewart one of the youngest drivers to win multiple championships (with Johnson joining this category as he won his five straight titles while in his early 30s) and to date, he
23688-417: The opening Nationwide Series event at Daytona , overtaking Regan Smith on the last lap, but his win was overshadowed by worry because Smith had been turned and in the resulting crash, Kyle Larson had flown into the catch fence, completely slicing off the front part of his car and injuring 28 spectators in the grandstands (2 critically). The next day in the Daytona 500 , Stewart's day ended on lap 35 when he
23876-457: The other manufacturers had openly circumvented the ban. In 1963 GM gave in and openly abandoned compliance, and Chevrolet was allowed to produce the ZO6 427, but it did not immediately enjoy success. Then, in 1964 the new Chrysler 426 Hemi engine so dominated the series in a Plymouth Belvedere "Sport Fury" , the homologation rules were changed so that 1,000 of any engine and car had to be sold to
24064-439: The other races of that series. Italian driver Alberto Ascari was the only European-based driver to race in the 500 during its World Championship years. His appearance in 1952 in a Ferrari was also the only time a Ferrari has ever appeared in the race. Juan Manuel Fangio practiced at the track in 1958 but declined an offer to race. Control issues of monetary prizes and squabbles over technical regulations caused conflict in
24252-452: The points lead at Talledega. At the end of the season, Stewart held off Mark Martin to win his first Winston Cup championship. This was Stewart's last season driving a Pontiac. As the defending champion, Stewart managed to have a relatively incident-free 2003 season. Joe Gibbs Racing changed manufacturers, so he and Labonte were now driving Chevrolets instead of Pontiacs . Stewart had his worst Cup season at this point up until 2006, but it
24440-437: The pole position. After leading 44 laps, his race ended before the halfway point due to a malfunctioning pop-off valve, which dropped him to 8th in the final point standings. When Stewart was not racing IndyCars, he raced stock cars, which he had signed to do beforehand. In 1996, he made his NASCAR Busch Series debut, driving for car owner Harry Rainer. In nine races, he had a best finish of 16th place. Stewart had more success in
24628-468: The problem. It also led to sponsor The Home Depot cashing in on Stewart's success with some promotions reminiscent of Stewart's Eldora Speedway drivers. After his second full climb of the fence in Loudon, N.H., they ran a discount on ladders and fencing at the stores with a campaign named, "Hey Tony, we've got ladders", where anyone who presented the advertisement in national newspapers in their stores earned
24816-784: The public did not have a wide variety of engine choices, and the majority of the buying public at the time was not interested in the large displacement special edition engine options that would soon become popular. However, the end of the Korean War in 1953 started an economic boom, and then car buyers immediately began demanding more powerful engines. Also in 1953, NASCAR recommended that the drivers add roll bars, but did not require them. In 1957, several notable events happened. The Automobile Manufacturers Association banned manufacturers from using race wins in their advertising and giving direct support to race teams. The desire from fans and manufacturers alike for higher performance cars within
25004-417: The public for homologation purposes, the race car rules were further modified, primarily in the interest of safety. This is because race drivers and their cars during this era were subjected to forces unheard of in street use, and require a far higher level of protection than is normally afforded by truly "stock" automobile bodies. In 1963 Ford sold enough of their aerodynamic "sport-roof" edition Galaxies to
25192-472: The public so it would qualify as stock, and with the heavy-duty FE block bored and stroked to the new limit of 427, the top five finishers were all Fords. Chrysler had bored their 413 to create the "Max Wedge" 426, but it still could not compete with the Fords. General Motors' headquarters had genuinely tried to adhere to the 1957 ban, but their Chevrolet division had also constantly tried to work around it, because
25380-486: The public to qualify as a stock part, instead of just 500. This made the 426 Hemi unavailable for the 1965 season. In 1965 Ford adapted two single-overhead-cams to their FE 427 V8 to allow it to run at a higher RPM (called the Ford 427 Cammer ). Ford started to sell "cammers" to the public to homologate it (mostly to dealer-sponsored privateer drag racers), but NASCAR changed the rules to specify that all NASCAR engines must use
25568-442: The public to qualify, hoping to delay the use of aero-bodies until tires could improve. For the 1970 season Dodge raced the 1969 model Daytona, but Plymouth managed to build over 1,920 Plymouth Superbirds , which were similarly equipped to the Daytona. Petty came back to Plymouth in the plus 200 mph (320 km/h) Superbird, and Bobby Isaac won the season championship in a Daytona. NASCAR restricted all "aero-cars" including
25756-560: The public. It also marks the beginning of the Generation 4 car . Modern racing "stock" cars are stock in name only, using a body template that is vaguely modeled after currently available automobiles. The chassis, running gear, and other equipment have almost nothing to do with anything in ordinary automobiles. NASCAR and the auto manufacturers have become aware of this, and for 2013 each brand ( Chevrolet , Dodge , Ford , and Toyota ) have redesigned their racing sheetmetal to more resemble
25944-487: The purpose-built V-8 quad-cam engines. While the "stock block" engines were technically legal in CART competition, they were not given the increased boost advantage, which effectively rendered them uncompetitive, and precluded their use by teams. The most famous manifestation of the USAC rules disparity was the Ilmor -built Mercedes-Benz 500I engine fielded by Roger Penske in 1994 . Teams may enter up to two machines under
26132-481: The race at Watkins Glen International and nearly withdrew from it due to food poisoning, stomach cramps, a headache, and a sinus infection. He ultimately relented and ran the race, dominating and holding off Canadian road ringer Ron Fellows for the win. He qualified fourth for the first-ever Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup . However, an incident at the first race of The Chase at Loudon ended his hopes of
26320-466: The race has always been scheduled on or around Memorial Day . Since 1974 , the race has been specifically scheduled for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. The Sunday of Memorial Day weekend is widely considered one of the most important days on the motorsports calendar, as it is the day of the Indianapolis 500, the Coca-Cola 600 , and (usually) the Monaco Grand Prix . Practice and time trials are held in
26508-429: The race is not held in wet conditions. In the event of a rain delay , the race will be postponed until rain showers cease, and the track is sufficiently dried. If rain falls during the race itself, officials will halt the race (red flag) and await safe conditions. The officials can end the race and declare the results official if more than half of the scheduled distance (i.e., 101 laps) has been completed. If less than half
26696-418: The race officially reverted to the "International Sweepstakes" moniker, as printed on the tickets and other paraphernalia, with slight variations over the years. Following WWII , the race was commonly recognized as "The 500", "The 500-Mile Race", "Indianapolis 500-Mile Race", "Indianapolis 500", or the simple form "Indy 500". Usually the ordinal (e.g. "50th") preceded it. Often the race was also advertised on
26884-515: The race started Donnie Allison's Torino lead the majority of the race (84 laps). Towards the end of the race the Torino of LeeRoy Yarbrough chased down the Dodge of Charlie Glotzbach , who had an 11-second lead. It was the first Daytona 500 won on a last lap pass. Things got worse for Dodge when NASCAR, a few months later, finally allowed Ford to run its hemi-headed Boss 429 engine. With Ford winning
27072-493: The race was part of FIA World Championships ; between 1925 and 1928 , the World Manufacturers' Championship and between 1950 and 1960 , the World Drivers' Championship . Josef Newgarden , the winner in 2023 – 2024 , is the reigning champion. The most successful drivers are A. J. Foyt , Al Unser Sr. , Rick Mears and Hélio Castroneves , each of whom has won the race four times. The active driver with
27260-425: The race, work on the car is permitted, but it is usually limited to routine pit stop work (changing tires and refueling) and minor adjustments (wing angles, etc.) Pit stop activity is rigorously rehearsed by the crews and in modern times, routine pits stops are regularly completed in under ten seconds. Other more involved work, such as replacing damaged bodywork (wings, nose cones, etc.), can also be completed quickly by
27448-451: The race. Throughout the years, the race has used several different qualifying procedures. The current four-lap (ten-mile) qualifying distance was first introduced in 1920 and has been used every year since 1939. Presently, qualifying occurs on over two days. On Day 1, positions 13–30 (or 13–33 if there are only 33 entries) have their position set with all other positions set on Day 2. Following Fast Friday practice, all cars are entered into
27636-504: The race. Stewart replied by confronting Vickers after the race and throwing a punch through Vickers' window. Stewart was fined $ 50,000, stripped of 25 driver & owner points, and put on probation for the rest of 2004. The season was highlighted with Stewart's first win coming at Chicagoland . This win was not without controversy as on a mid-race restart, he turned Kasey Kahne into the wall, which eventually led to an altercation between his and Kahne's pit crews. Stewart felt very sick during
27824-544: The race. This was similar to 2004 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. used an obscenity in a post-race interview at Talladega and was knocked out of the points lead as a result of the penalty. On August 12, 2007, he won the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen after Jeff Gordon spun his car around after wheel hopping in turn 1 with two laps to go. Carl Edwards briefly challenged Stewart on the final lap, but spun out into
28012-399: The radio as the "Annual Memorial Day race", or similar variations. By the late 20th century, the term "Indy 500" had slowly emerged as the most common and most popularly used moniker. As such, since 2016, the official race logo has used the contemporary and colloquial term "Indy 500". For the 1981 race , the name "65th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race" was officially adopted, with all references as
28200-558: The recognizable bodywork of road cars. By the 1970s, chassis and bodywork had evolved into very specialized forms. In 2001 the ASCAR Racing Series was formed and ran until 2008, the series was a "NASCAR" style racing series that was predominantly run at Rockingham Motor Speedway as well as briefly on the continent. The first season was won by John Mickel . Other notable champions were Nicolas Minassian and Ben Collins who also played as The Stig on Top Gear . The field
28388-575: The regular stock car racing scene because of their all-star grids. Cars are built to an extremely rigid design and feature strong steel guards around almost the entire car. "Stockcars" are divided into three classes: Superstocks, Stock cars, Ministocks (Ministocks predominantly being a non-contact youth class). Superstocks are the top class and are typically powered by V8 engines up to 4.1 litres (248 cu in) which can produce over 370 kilowatts (500 hp). The majority of races are of an individual nature however, unique to New Zealand stock car racing
28576-519: The restrictions of homologation meant that carmakers began producing limited production "special edition" cars based on high production base models. It also became apparent that manufacturers were willing to produce increasingly larger engines to remain competitive (Ford had developed a 483 they hoped to race). For the 1963 season NASCAR engines were restricted to using a maximum displacement of 7.0 liters (427 cu.in.) and using only two valves per cylinder. Also, even with heavy duty special editions sold to
28764-489: The riding mechanic. In 1935, Miller's former employees, Fred Offenhauser and Leo Goossen , had already achieved their first win with the soon-to-become famous 4-cylinder Offenhauser or "Offy" engine. This motor was forever connected with the Brickyard's history with a to-date record total of 27 wins, in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form, and winning a likewise record-holding 18 consecutive years between 1947 and 1964. Meanwhile, European manufacturers, gone from
28952-513: The same race, he had an incident with a Winston-Salem Journal reporter in which he kicked away a tape recorder. He confronted that same official during the Talladega race after he refused to wear a mandated head-and-neck restraint. Stewart was not allowed to practice until he wore one, and only managed to do so after his crew chief Greg Zipadelli intervened. Stewart's fines and periods of probation resulting from these incidents have earned him
29140-429: The scheduled 1,100, as he finished 4 laps down at Indianapolis. Stewart showed no signs of a sophomore slump in the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series , winning a series-high six races (Martinsville, New Hampshire, Michigan, Homestead, and both Dover races). However, he fell to 6th place in the standings because of a handful of DNFs and an increase in the number of competitive drivers, among them his teammate Labonte, who won
29328-490: The series is the Daytona 500 , an annual 500-mile (800 km) race at the Daytona International Speedway . The series' second-biggest event is arguably The Brickyard 400 , an annual 400-mile (640 km) race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway , the legendary home of the Indianapolis 500 , an open-wheeled race. However, the event was excluded from the 2021 schedule in favor of a race on
29516-522: The series. Firestone , which has a deep history in the sport, dating back to the first 500, is currently the exclusive tire provider. The traditional 33-car starting field at Indianapolis is larger than the fields at the other IndyCar races. The field at Indy typically consists of all of the full-time IndyCar Series entries (roughly 20–22 cars), along with roughly 10–15 part-time or "Indy-only" entries. The "Indy-only" entries, also known as "One-offs", may be an extra car added to an existing full-time team, or
29704-408: The street models of their cars. A stock car, in the original sense of the term, is an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing. This term is used to differentiate such a car from a " race car ", a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes. The degree to which
29892-431: The track to run into the grass. "He has no room to complain," Stewart said of his brush with Kenseth. "He started it, and I finished it". On May 20, during NASCAR's All Star Race, Stewart and Kenseth wrecked again. Each driver claimed it was the other one's fault with Stewart saying, "if (Kenseth) thinks it's my fault and I (caused the wreck) he's screwed up in his head." Following the wreck, several media outlets proclaimed
30080-432: The track with 3.2 million bricks; he also added a 33-inch (0.84 m) concrete wall around the track's circumference. During the 1910 Decoration Day weekend, the first events on the newly paved circuit drew 60,000 spectators; Ray Harroun won the 200-mile (320 km) Wheeler-Schebler Trophy in a Marmon . The crowds grew progressively smaller for the rest of the season, however, so the track owners chose to focus on
30268-408: The track's road course. Together the Cup Series and Xfinity Series drew 8 million spectators in 1997, compared to 4 million for both American open-wheel series ( CART and IRL ), which merged in 2008 under the IRL banner. In 2002, 17 of the 20 US top sporting events in terms of attendance were stock car races. Only football drew more television viewers that year. The NASCAR Xfinity Series
30456-468: The trio's performance, however. They had dominated the race until the last two hours when the suspension cracked. With 15 minutes left in the race and Stewart driving, one of the rear wheels came off, finally ending their run. In addition to placing fourth overall, the trio placed third in the Daytona Prototype class. Stewart started on a higher note in the 2004 season as he finished second in
30644-579: The two weeks leading up to the race, while miscellaneous preliminary testing is held as early as April. The race is the most prestigious event of the IndyCar calendar, and one of the oldest and most important automobile races. It has been reported to be the largest single-day sporting event in the world. Likewise, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway itself is regarded as the world's largest sporting facility in terms of capacity. The total purse exceeded $ 13 million in 2011 , with over $ 2.5 million awarded to
30832-418: The wall, knocking out Busch, but with Stewart staying in the race. Initially, it was thought that Stewart intentionally crashed Busch due to hard feelings over their accident at Daytona that year. Under the caution, Stewart was on pit road and his crew was surveying the massive damage he received from the crash; when an enraged Busch pulled alongside and gave Stewart a profane gesture to express his feelings over
31020-400: The winner, making it one of the richest cash prize funds in sports. Similar to NASCAR 's Daytona 500 , the Indianapolis 500 is typically held early in the IndyCar Series season. That is unique to most sports where major events are usually at the end of the respective season. Currently, the Indy 500 is the sixth event of the 17-race IndyCar schedule. From the 1970s to the 1990s, Indianapolis
31208-504: The worst of it, as his car turned backward after being hit by Ward Burton, pushed over Robby Gordon, then flipped twice in midair, hooked Bobby Labonte's hood, and came to a stop in the infield. Stewart was transported to Halifax Medical Center after complaints of discomfort in his shoulder. Stewart's crash was greatly overshadowed by Dale Earnhardt 's fatal crash on the last lap . Stewart recovered to win three more races at Richmond, Infineon, and Bristol and, as he had done before, he ran near
31396-407: The years, notably by actor and singer Jim Nabors from 1972 until 2014. Nabors announced in 2014, citing health-related reasons, that the 2014 Indy 500 would be the last at which he would sing the song. In 2015, the a cappella group Straight No Chaser sang the song before the race, and in the two races held after Nabors' retirement (and before he became the regular singer), the singing of the song
31584-526: Was announced that Stewart would be on the cover of the official NASCAR video game NASCAR 08 , published by Electronic Arts . This would be the third time this honor was given to Stewart ( 2001 & 2003 ). In his first Car of Tomorrow race with the Impala SS , Stewart was dominant at Bristol , leading 257 of 504 laps ( green-white-checker finish ), before he experienced a fuel pump problem. In his third Car of Tomorrow race at Phoenix , Stewart lead
31772-503: Was at the center of a media storm. On lap 31 of the Pennsylvania 500 , Stewart was accidentally squeezed against the wall by Clint Bowyer . Stewart responded by waving his hand in anger, then purposely hitting Bowyer's car. This contact sent Bowyer spinning down the front stretch where he collided with Carl Edwards . Stewart was promptly held one lap by NASCAR for rough driving. He did however pass leader Ryan Newman to get back on
31960-484: Was beaten on a last-lap pass by Matt Kenseth . Stewart finished a solid 2nd place in 2 (of 31) starts, ahead of six drivers with more starts, and had an average finish that was comparable to some of the series' top 10 finishers. Gibbs had enough confidence in Stewart that he was moved up to a Cup ride for the 1999 season. With that move, Stewart ended his three-year career as a full-time IRL driver. After transitioning to
32148-474: Was caught up in an early crash with Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne ; this would allow him to finish 41st. He rebounded slightly with an 8th-place finish at Phoenix and an 11th-place finish in Las Vegas. At Bristol, Stewart blew his tire on lap 3 and cut a brake line; he came back out over 20 laps down, unable to contend for the victory. In 2020, Stewart planned to make his return to the now-Xfinity Series for
32336-421: Was displaced in the top ten by Kasey Kahne . As a result, he finished the 2006 season 11th in points, his worst thus far in his career, as he had completed each of his seven previous seasons in the top ten in points. Commenting on not being in the 2006 Chase, he says: "It lets us have the ability to take chances and try things ... that we've been wanting to try but just haven't had the luxury to do it. If we were in
32524-554: Was done on a rotating basis, with the Spring 2014 winner of The Voice Josh Kaufman performing in 2016. However, the Speedway has returned to a standard singer with Jim Cornelison doing it since 2017. Following the European trends, engine sizes were limited to 183 cu in (3,000 cc) during 1920–1922, 122 cu in (2,000 cc) for 1923–1925, and 91 cu in (1,490 cc) in 1926–1929. The 1920 race
32712-582: Was fined $ 50,000 by NASCAR and penalized with a 25-point deduction. However, despite the controversy, he went on to win the very next week at Watkins Glen. Strangely enough, this race also ended in controversy, when it was revealed that he had jumped the restart and, despite the infraction, officials upheld Stewart's win. This win proved to be a turning point in Stewart's season; he went on a hot streak following Watkins Glen, and despite not winning any more races that season his consistent top 10 finishes, combined with his rivals running into trouble, allowed him to claim
32900-412: Was his third win in the race. He also won his qualifying race for the Daytona 500. On lap 152 of the Daytona 500, the rear of Stewart's car slid up the track and, when he tried to cut down the track, he smacked the front of Kurt Busch 's car knocking both of them out of the race. Stewart and the Busch brothers ( Kurt and Kyle ) were the three leaders for the majority of the race. On March 22, 2007, it
33088-524: Was inspired by off-road truck racing. Unlike the other two national touring NASCAR series, the Truck Series race pickup truck styled bodies, though it is still considered a stock car series because of its similarity. Much like the Xfinity Series, the Truck Series often features Cup Series drivers competing for parts of the season. The Automobile Racing Club of America was founded in 1953 as
33276-455: Was involved in a multi-car wreck in which Jimmy Spencer 's car t-boned Stewart's car. While Stewart was sent to the hospital following the crash, he was able to start the next race at Bristol. Due to the injuries sustained at Darlington, he was relieved during the race by Todd Bodine . The second half of his season was plagued by an altercation with a photographer after the Brickyard 400 . He
33464-495: Was not entertained as IROC folded in 2007. In addition, Stewart's three wins in the Chase races gave him five total for the season, tying him with Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick for second-most in Nextel Cup behind Kasey Kahne's six. Stewart started the 2007 season by winning his second Chili Bowl Nationals midget car feature. Stewart started off the Daytona Speedweeks with a win in the 2007 Budweiser Shootout . It
33652-487: Was not regarded as a rookie by NASCAR standards because he had run more than ten Nextel Cup races in 2004). He finished his first Cup season with 3 wins, 12 top fives, 21 top tens, 2 poles, only 1 DNF, 1,226 laps led, a 10.26 average finish, and a 4th-place finish in the point standings, making it the highest points finish by a rookie in the modern era (which held until 2006 when his future teammate Denny Hamlin finished 3rd) and only bested by James Hylton , who finished 2nd as
33840-436: Was not without controversy though; Stewart made the winning pass by accidentally bending the rear of Kevin Harvick 's car, causing Harvick to fall back quickly to seventh place by the time the checkers waved. Stewart apologized for the contact in victory lane and during the victory lane interview, Stewart was penalized 25 points and fined $ 25,000 for violating NASCAR's policy on the use of obscene language during interviews during
34028-514: Was not without controversy. Jeff Gordon pulled a " bump and run " on Stewart to gain a better finishing position at Bristol and Stewart retaliated in a post-race incident by spinning Gordon out on pit road. Stewart was fined and placed on NASCAR probation . He got into much bigger trouble in the Pepsi 400 at Daytona , where he confronted a Winston Cup official after ignoring a black flag , which he had received for an illegal pass on Dave Blaney . In
34216-473: Was often the second or third race of the season, and as late as the 1950s, it was sometimes the first championship event of the year. Due to the high prestige of the Indianapolis 500—rivaling or even surpassing the season championship—it is not uncommon for some teams and drivers to focus heavily on preparing for that race during the early part of the season, and not focus fully on the championship battle until after Indy. Due to safety issues such as aquaplaning ,
34404-511: Was one of Stewart's most successful years in the Nextel Cup Series as he won his second Cup title. He won five races at Infineon, Daytona, New Hampshire, Watkins Glen (which gave him a sweep of the road course races for the year and a record 3 straight road course wins) and Indianapolis, his hometown track (in a race that Stewart said he would give up his championship to win, and took with it the No. 1 seed heading into NASCAR's Chase for
34592-569: Was some controversy as Cup Series drivers tended to be more successful than full-time Xfinity drivers. Cup drivers are not eligible to score points in the Xfinity series, and are limited to the number of races they are allowed to race in the Series. Starting in 1995, the NASCAR Truck Series is the third highest ranking stock car series in the United States. The series was the brainchild of then-NASCAR West Coast executive Ken Clapp, who
34780-425: Was still good enough for seventh in the points standings. He only won two races that season at Pocono and Charlotte but he led more laps than he did last year and was highly competitive in the final races of the season. In January 2004, Stewart teamed with Andy Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a Boss Motorsports Chevrolet to take fourth in the 24 Hours of Daytona sports car endurance race. The result does not show
34968-574: Was the NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour , is another prominent modified tour. In many areas of the country late models are usually the highest class of stock cars in local racing. Rules for construction of a late model car vary from region to region and even race track to race track. The most common variations (on paved tracks) include super late models (SLMs), pro Late models (PLMs), late model stock cars (LMSCs), and limited late models (LLMs). A late model may be
35156-473: Was usually populated by professional or semi-professional stock car drivers, however notable drivers who were famous from other areas of motorsport either took part in single races or for one complete season, they included Colin McRae , Jason Plato , Matt Neal , Darren Manning , Max Papis , John Cleland and former NASCAR drivers Brandon Whitt and Randy Tolsma . The modern BriSCA Formula 1 Stock Cars are
35344-467: Was won by Gaston Chevrolet in a Frontenac , prepared by his brothers, powered by the first eight-cylinder engine to win the 500. For 1923, riding mechanics were no longer required. A supercharged car, ID, first won the race in 1924. In 1925, Pete DePaolo was the first to win at an average over 100 mph (160 km/h), with a speed of 101.13 mph (162.75 km/h). In the early 1920s, Miller built his 3.0-liter (183 in ) engine, inspired by
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