NASCAR Racing Strategies

What is 'bumping your way forward' in NASCAR?

Bumping your way forward, as a strategy, could be construed as being illegal. Basically, you're trying to bump people out of your way, so that you can get towards the front. You might get away with it sometimes, but I also think that you've put yourself in jeopardy as to maybe getting black flagged.

What is the 'lucky dog rule' in NASCAR?

The lucky dog rule in NASCAR, I think is pretty cool from the standpoint that if there is all of a sudden a full course yellow, with NASCAR they don't do any local yellows. It is either everybody is under a yellow flag or nobody is. When they go full course yellow what would happen prior to the lucky dog was that if you were one lap down, but you saw the leader right in front of your, or two cars in front of you and you knew if you got by that leader before you got to the start finish line where they would begin the yellow flag, then you would get your lap back. Well that created problems because people would get in these fierce races trying to get that lap back. So what they said is no more racing to get your lap back, what we are going to do is when we go full course yellow, if you are the first one that is a lap down you get your lap back. You get to pass the pace car and go around and get in the back of the line. So now you are not one lap down anymore.

What is a 'spotter' in NASCAR?

A spotter in NASCAR is part of your crew that is up in the rafters, they are up in a very visual place where they can see all of the track, or maybe other areas where they can just see part of the track that is very critical for you. They radio you in, as maybe somebody just spun, and they are spinning down to the inside of the track, the low side of the track. So your spotter will say, "Go high, Go high, Go high," because, all of a sudden there is a spinning car, and there will be a lot of tire smoke so you can not see what is in front of you.

What is 'blocking' in NASCAR?

Blocking in NASCAR racing is where you're trying to keep the person behind you, behind you. And you're going to do whatever it takes to keep that person behind you. Now, where blocking comes into play is if you're in front and somebody is following you, and they decide they want to pass you, and they go over to your driver's right and start to pass you - you get one free move. So when you move over in front of that driver, it's not necessarily considered blocking, but then if they decide that "you're in my way", and they move over to the left to go around you, when you move back in front of that driver the second time, it is considered blocking. So you get one free move, but the next one will cost you.

Is blocking legal in NASCAR?

Technically you're not suppose to block. In other words, if somebody is coming up behind you and they're going to past you on the outside, in most organizations you get one free move. If you move up in front of them before they come up to you, that's okay, but if they decide "Now I'm going to move down and try to past that person on the inside", if you go back and block them, the first move you get is free. The second one is considered blocking and that's illegal, and you could get blocked flagged.

What is the penalty for blocking?

In most organizations you can get black flagged and brought in the pit line for a stop, and all of sudden go a lap behind. It's not worth it. You have got to take your chances sometimes, and sometimes you get away with it. That's what flag men do in road racing - they'll call it in.

What is 'battling for position'?

Battling for position is basically, you could be battling for first position, you could be battling for twelfth position, you could be battling for last position or second for last position. So you are in a racing situation where you are trying to get past the person or persons ahead of you. So you are battling with them, you are trying to pass them from the outside and you are trying to pass them from the inside. You are trying to outbreak them, you are trying to accelerate faster than they can, and that's basically battling for position and you are trying to obviously get the best position you can.

How is 'drafting' used as a racing strategy?

Well drafting as a racing strategy, that's interesting because sometimes when you're in a very close race on a fairly fast track, sometimes you don't want to be in first place going into the last turn of the last lap. You may want to get into second place because you know you can pick up a draft either going into that last turn or coming out of that last turn so that by the time you get down to the start-finish line you have just passed that person by drafting by them. So, that's part of race strategies.

What is a pole winner or a pole sitter in NASCAR?

A pole winner or the pole sitter qualifies first. They have the fastest time around the track. They are normally positioned on the front row on the inside of the first turn.