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120 NASCAR Trivia Questions & Answers

Start your engines because this trivia lap has legends, speedways, strategy, and more checkered flags than a souvenir shop.

These 120 NASCAR questions cover the sport from its beach-road beginnings through the completed 2025 Cup season.

NASCAR Basics

Q: What does NASCAR stand for?
A: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

Q: What is NASCAR's top national series called?
A: The NASCAR Cup Series.

Q: What series sits directly below the Cup Series nationally?
A: The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Q: What national series races pickup-style trucks?
A: The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Q: What flag starts or restarts a race?
A: The green flag.

Q: What flag signals danger and slows the field?
A: The yellow flag.

Q: What flag stops the race?
A: The red flag.

Q: What flag marks the final lap?
A: The white flag.

Q: What flag greets the winner?
A: The checkered flag.

Q: What is a pit stop?
A: A service stop for tires, fuel, repairs, or adjustments.

Q: What is the pit road speed limit designed to improve?
A: Safety.

Q: What does the pole position mean?
A: First place on the starting grid.

Q: What is drafting?
A: Following closely to reduce aerodynamic drag.

Q: What is a lap?
A: One complete circuit of the track.

Q: What does DNF mean?
A: Did not finish.

From Beaches to Big Leagues

Q: Who founded NASCAR?
A: Bill France Sr.

Q: Where was the 1947 meeting that conceived NASCAR held?
A: The Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach.

Q: In which Florida city was NASCAR formed?
A: Daytona Beach.

Q: In what year did NASCAR run its first race?
A: 1948.

Q: Who won NASCAR's first race in 1948?
A: Red Byron.

Q: Where was that first race held?
A: The Daytona beach-road course.

Q: What was the Cup Series predecessor called in 1949?
A: The Strictly Stock Division.

Q: When was the first Strictly Stock race held?
A: June 19, 1949.

Q: Where was the first Strictly Stock race held?
A: Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway.

Q: Who won that 1949 race after Glenn Dunaway was disqualified?
A: Jim Roper.

Q: Who was the first Strictly Stock champion?
A: Red Byron.

Q: What name replaced Strictly Stock for 1950?
A: Grand National.

Q: What 1971 sponsorship created the Winston Cup name?
A: R.J. Reynolds' Winston brand.

Q: Who succeeded Bill France Sr. as NASCAR president?
A: Bill France Jr.

Q: What institution opened in Charlotte in 2010?
A: The NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Empty banked NASCAR-style speedway glowing at sunrise

Legendary Tracks

Q: What 2.5-mile Florida oval hosts the Daytona 500?
A: Daytona International Speedway.

Q: What Alabama track is NASCAR's longest oval?
A: Talladega Superspeedway.

Q: What is Talladega's length?
A: 2.66 miles.

Q: What track is nicknamed The Paperclip?
A: Martinsville Speedway.

Q: What Virginia track is the oldest currently used in the Cup Series?
A: Martinsville Speedway.

Q: What track is nicknamed The Lady in Black?
A: Darlington Raceway.

Q: What track is called The Track Too Tough to Tame?
A: Darlington Raceway.

Q: What Tennessee short track is called The Last Great Colosseum?
A: Bristol Motor Speedway.

Q: What Delaware track is nicknamed the Monster Mile?
A: Dover Motor Speedway.

Q: What Pennsylvania track is called the Tricky Triangle?
A: Pocono Raceway.

Q: What track hosts NASCAR at Indianapolis?
A: Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Q: What New York road course is commonly called The Glen?
A: Watkins Glen International.

Q: What California road course sits in wine country?
A: Sonoma Raceway.

Q: What Arizona track hosted the Cup championship race from 2020 through 2025?
A: Phoenix Raceway.

Q: What track hosted NASCAR's first Cup street race in 2023?
A: The Chicago Street Course.

Crown-Jewel Races

Q: What race is nicknamed The Great American Race?
A: The Daytona 500.

Q: Who won the first Daytona 500 in 1959?
A: Lee Petty.

Q: Why did officials take three days to confirm the first Daytona 500 winner?
A: The finish was extremely close.

Q: How many scheduled laps make up the Daytona 500?
A: 200.

Q: How many miles is the Daytona 500?
A: 500 miles.

Q: Who earned his first Daytona 500 victory in 1998?
A: Dale Earnhardt.

Q: Who won seven Daytona 500s, the event record through 2026?
A: Richard Petty.

Q: What Memorial Day weekend race is NASCAR's longest?
A: The Coca-Cola 600.

Q: At what track is the Coca-Cola 600 held?
A: Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Q: What Darlington race is one of NASCAR's oldest major events?
A: The Southern 500.

Q: What Indianapolis race is commonly called the Brickyard 400?
A: NASCAR's Cup race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Q: Why is Indianapolis Motor Speedway nicknamed the Brickyard?
A: Its racing surface was once paved with bricks.

Q: Who won the inaugural Brickyard 400 in 1994?
A: Jeff Gordon.

Q: What trophy goes to the Daytona 500 winner?
A: The Harley J. Earl Trophy.

Q: What clock does the Martinsville winner traditionally receive?
A: A grandfather clock.

Silver racing trophy beside a checkered flag and helmet at dusk

Champions and Record Setters

Q: Which three drivers share the record of seven Cup championships?
A: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson.

Q: Who won a record 200 Cup races?
A: Richard Petty.

Q: Who won five consecutive Cup championships from 2006 through 2010?
A: Jimmie Johnson.

Q: Who won four Cup championships in the 1990s?
A: Jeff Gordon.

Q: Who was known as The Intimidator?
A: Dale Earnhardt.

Q: Who was known as The King?
A: Richard Petty.

Q: Who won the 1979 Daytona 500 after Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed?
A: Richard Petty.

Q: Who became the first Black driver to win a Cup race in 1963?
A: Wendell Scott.

Q: Who became the first woman to win a NASCAR national-series pole in 2013?
A: Danica Patrick.

Q: Who won the 2016 Cup championship?
A: Jimmie Johnson.

Q: Who won the 2021 Cup championship?
A: Kyle Larson.

Q: Who won the 2022 Cup championship?
A: Joey Logano.

Q: Who won the 2023 Cup championship?
A: Ryan Blaney.

Q: Who won the 2024 Cup championship?
A: Joey Logano.

Q: Who won the 2025 Cup championship?
A: Kyle Larson.

Drivers, Teams, and Numbers

Q: Which car number is most associated with Dale Earnhardt?
A: No. 3.

Q: Which number did Richard Petty famously drive?
A: No. 43.

Q: Which number is associated with Jeff Gordon's Cup career?
A: No. 24.

Q: Which team did Rick Hendrick found?
A: Hendrick Motorsports.

Q: Which team did Roger Penske found?
A: Team Penske.

Q: Which coach founded Joe Gibbs Racing?
A: Joe Gibbs.

Q: Which team is famous for the No. 21 car?
A: Wood Brothers Racing.

Q: Which driver co-founded RFK Racing with Jack Roush?
A: Brad Keselowski.

Q: Which manufacturer fields the Mustang in NASCAR?
A: Ford.

Q: Which manufacturer raced the Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series?
A: Chevrolet.

Q: Which manufacturer fields the Camry in NASCAR?
A: Toyota.

Q: Who was nicknamed The Silver Fox?
A: David Pearson.

Q: Who was nicknamed Awesome Bill from Dawsonville?
A: Bill Elliott.

Q: Which Alabama Gang star won the 1983 Cup championship?
A: Bobby Allison.

Q: Who won consecutive Daytona 500s in 1983 and 1984?
A: Cale Yarborough.

Stock-car racing tire and pit tools arranged in a garage

Cars and Racecraft

Q: What powers a NASCAR Cup car?
A: A V8 engine.

Q: Which wheels receive engine power in a Cup car?
A: The rear wheels.

Q: What is loose handling?
A: The rear tires lose grip before the front tires.

Q: What is tight handling?
A: The front tires lose grip before the rear tires.

Q: What adjustment changes a tire's air pressure?
A: A tire-pressure adjustment.

Q: What does camber describe?
A: A tire's inward or outward tilt from vertical.

Q: What does wedge describe?
A: The car's cross-weight balance.

Q: What is dirty air?
A: Turbulent air behind another car.

Q: What is side drafting?
A: Using airflow beside another car to affect both vehicles.

Q: What is bump drafting?
A: Pushing the car ahead while both remain aligned.

Q: What is a restrictor plate historically used to do?
A: Limit engine airflow and speed.

Q: What tapered component now limits airflow at some tracks?
A: A tapered spacer.

Q: What safety device supports a driver's head and neck?
A: A head-and-neck restraint.

Q: What structure surrounds the driver for crash protection?
A: The roll cage.

Q: What generation of Cup car debuted in 2022?
A: The Next Gen car.

Three unbranded stock cars drafting through a banked oval turn

Strategy and Scoring

Q: What is a stage in a NASCAR race?
A: A segment that awards points at its finish.

Q: How many stages do most Cup points races have?
A: Three.

Q: What is the free pass?
A: A rule returning one eligible lapped car to the lead lap under caution.

Q: What is a wave-around?
A: Allowing eligible lapped cars past the pace car before a restart.

Q: What is an undercut in pit strategy?
A: Pitting earlier to gain time on fresher tires.

Q: What is fuel mileage racing?
A: Stretching fuel to reduce pit stops or reach the finish.

Q: Why might a driver take two tires instead of four?
A: To gain track position with a shorter stop.

Q: What does staying out during a caution preserve?
A: Track position.

Q: What is a green-white-checkered finish?
A: An overtime attempt to finish under green.

Q: Can NASCAR overtime require more than one attempt?
A: Yes.

Q: What is the playoff elimination structure commonly called?
A: The NASCAR Playoffs.

Q: How many drivers began the Cup playoffs in the format used through 2025?
A: 16.

Q: How many drivers reached the Championship 4?
A: Four.

Q: How was the champion determined at the 2025 finale?
A: By the best finish among the Championship 4.

Q: Did Kyle Larson need to win the 2025 finale to claim the title?
A: No.

Checkered Flag Collected

You raced through all 120 questions with championship pace. Go ahead and celebrate like Victory Lane is yours.