NASCAR A-Z

Alex Ferguson on all that is good - and bad - about NASCAR.

Ahead of Sunday's Daytona 500, Alex Ferguson on all that is good - and bad - about NASCAR. Attrition. If NASCAR's anything, it's a war of attrition. As goes the saying: "You can't win a race in the first lap, but you can lose it". Because most NASCAR races are 500 miles long, the onus is for drivers not to smash each other up on Lap 1. Doesn't stop them doing just that time and time again though..... Beer. NASCAR fans drink rather a lot of it at tracks across America. It helps when organisers allow you to bring your own booze in! Adult beverage suppliers also give their names to drivers Kasey Kahne (Budweiser), Kurt Busch (Miller), David Stremme (Coors Light), Robby Gordon (Jim Beam) and Clint Bowyer (Jack Daniels). Crashes. From the monster ones at Daytona and Talladega to the prang that only sees one car wreck itself into the wall, NASCAR's crashes are some of the most famous in sport...and loved by NASCAR fans the world over. Crash lovers love to hit up the half-mile tracks, which is basically one high-speed fender bender. Also in the 'C' category: Cheating which NASCAR drivers and crew chiefs sometimes get caught doing, and the 'Car of Tomorrow', which will now be the standard car in all NASCAR Sprint Car races because it's the safer option. Daytona. The Daytona 500 - which is going to covered by Sky Sports on Sunday - is NASCAR's Super Bowl. The last 100 laps are always the most fun, when the jostling for position becomes less gentlemanly. And with 20 laps to go it's madness, as it becomes 'do or die' time. After all, NASCAR drivers know they can die happy if they win a Daytona 500...Kevin Harvick sure will after his 2007 victory...which came by a third of a car. The Daytona track also hosts the Pepsi 400 in July. Earnhardt, Dale. Dale Earnhardt, or "The Intimidator" as he's best known, was one of NASCAR's legends, bumping and bashing any of his rivals en route to victory. He won seven championships before his untimely death at Daytona in 2001. His memory is carried on by his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, NASCAR's biggest star. Having said that, he's yet to emulate his father and win a Championship. The locals are getting restless.... Franchitti, Dario. It wouldn't be right to have an A-Z on NASCAR without Scottish rookie - and former Indy 500 winner - Dario Franchitti, would it? While many people on this side of the pond will be expecting miracles from Franchitti in his first few races, NASCAR insiders are not. A top 20 finish in the standings would be a blinding success. Finishing in the top 12? A miracle. Gordon, Jeff. Gordon, who drives the Dupont Chevrolet #24 car, is one of racing's modern greats, winning 82 races in total and four NASCAR Championships. He would have won a fifth title last year had it not been for the Chase. He's liked and hated by NASCAR fans the country-over, but one thing's for certain: the man can still drive. Harvick, Kevin. The winner of the Daytona 500 made the headlines in 2007 for two reasons. The first was on the track by winning the greatest of all Great American Races last year when he beat Mark Martin to the finishing line at Daytona by just one third of a car's length, and two is because he got into a fracas with NASCAR resident bête noire Juan Pablo Montoya at Watkins Glen in front of the TV cameras. The spectators (and TV audience) loved it. NASCAR didn't. Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Like winning the Daytona 500, winning The Brickyard 400 is also seen as one of the crowning jewels in a NASCAR driver's career. If a NASCAR driver wins at The Brickyard, then it is custom for the driver to kiss the yard of bricks at the start/finish line. Johnson, Jimmie. If he carries on in his current vein of form, Jimmie Johnson will be rivalling his co-owner and teammate Jeff Gordon as one of NASCAR's all-time greats. In his short career he's already won two championships (2006 and 2007) for Hendrick Motorsports, and he's the 'go to guy' come Chase-time. Kurt, Kyle Busch. The two Busch brothers are two of the best NASCAR has seen in years. Kurt had an exceptional regular-season ending to get himself a Chase place last year, and Kyle Busch was equally good. While Kurt drives for Penske Racing in his Miller #2 car, Kyle drives his M&M's #18 ride for Joe Gibbs. Expect big things from the pair of them in 2008. Loose. If a car is too 'loose', it means a condition created when the back end of the vehicle wants to overtake the front end when it is either entering or exiting a turn. When drivers get in a prang, you'll hear the words "We got a little too loose there", as the excuse. Money. If it's cash you want, then be a NASCAR driver - they get a lot of it for winning. Jeff Gordon's all-time earnings are a tidy $93.2 million for 16 years of driving, including $10 million last year alone. And apart from winnings, sponsors give drivers a whole lot of revenue, too - hence why they are always thanking them during, after and before races. Nextel Cup. Now the 'Sprint Cup' after the takeover of Nextel by fellow phone powerhouse Sprint, this is NASCAR's Championship. Now won after a gruelling 12 race car playoff called 'The Chase'. Jimmie Johnson's won the first two Chase Championships. One, Big. 'The Big One' is a monster crash, usually taking out ten cars and happening at top speed. This has been described by NASCAR drivers as perhaps one of their scariest moments in all racing. Petty, Richard. Richard Petty was called 'The King' because of his legendary knack of getting his car into Victory Lane. He did it 200 times, as well as taking home seven championships. No-one has come close in modern racing - and probably never will do. Quintuple. Jeff Gordon has won the NASCAR Championship four times. He'll be looking to 'do the Quintuple' this year and win for an unprecedented fifth time in the modern era. Restrictor Plate. The first race Skysports.com viewers will witness is the Daytona 500, where all the cars - if its accident free - will bunch together throughout the race. That's because of the restrictor plate, a device installed at the intake of an engine to limit its power. Makes for some cracking drama, though. Speed. Think that only Formula One cars travel quickly? Try the big race at Daytona, where drivers will be whistling around at nearly 150 mph. Talladega. This ripsnorter of a race is as well known for its party atmosphere than its three hours of pedal-to-the-metal racing. One of the biggest restrictor plate races in the land, it's been home to some of NASCAR's best-ever finishes. Understeer, or 'tight'. If a car is too 'tight' for NASCAR drivers, it means that it's having trouble going round corners. A little too tight? The driver's playing a game of Harvey Wallbanger. And on tracks like Daytona, he could well take 20 other cars with him! Victory Lane. It's there because there are no podiums in NASCAR. Winner takes all, simple as that. The all-time attendee in Victory Lane is Richard Petty, who's been there 200 times. Waltrips. Darrell Waltrip is a legend, going to Victory Lane 84 times, as well as taking home three NASCAR Championships. Now an analyst with Sky Sports' sister company Fox, Waltrip's "Boogity, Boogity, Boogity" trademark phrase marks the start to every race...so much so that 160,000 fans at Bristol Motorspeedway spelt it out in colour before the start of the Food City 500. His brother Michael isn't bad either, having won the Daytona 500 and three other races in his career. He also owns his own team, Michael Waltrip Racing, which will be on the front row at Daytona this year.X-Rated. Some of the language that comes out of NASCAR drivers' mouth during and after races. The NASCAR guys don't like it, fining drivers tens of thousands for the 'f' word. The 'H' bomb will also get you a fine...and don't think about letting out a 'c' word, too. Yarborough, Cale. Again, one of NASCAR's legends, winning three Championships and 83 races. Yarborough was also famous for getting in a fight with Bobby and Donnie Allison in the Daytona 500. It's funny how 'The Great American Race' causes tempers to flare. Zippadelli, Greg. One of the best crew chiefs in the land, 'Zippy' won it all with Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005. Quietly-spoken yet a master of the track (see his 32 wins with Stewart for evidence), Zippadelli is one of NASCAR's ambassadors - on and off the track.