HomeSportsNASCAR:  The Meaning of the Acronym: NASCAR

For New Fans, the NASCAR Acronym Is...

If you are a new fan of NASCAR or have no real knowledge of the sport, you probably have no idea that the name is actually a NASCAR acronym. After you learn this, it all makes perfect sense because all of the other sports have associations or leagues with acronyms for their popular, common names but initially you probably just assumed it was the name of a car or never thought twice about its origin. Regardless of your previous misconceptions about the name, if you would like to become a fan of the sport or at least not appear clueless should NASCAR come up in a social conversation, the first thing you should know is that the NASCAR acronym stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.

NASCAR Acronym First Step to Understanding

Now that all of you new NASCAR fans know what the NASCAR acronym stands for, why not continue to build your knowledge of the sport? Although it is not complicated once you know a few of the terms and rules, an initial glance at a race can easily confound a first-time watcher. To get you started, here are some of the more common terms that you may hear during race commentary.

A car or driver referred to as “DNF” is any car that did not finish the race or was not still competing when the race ended. Reasons for a DNF could be car problems, a collision, etc. “Black Flag” can be used as a noun or a verb and refers to a driver who has broken a rule or is a danger to other drivers. It is similar to a penalty flag. The “pole position” is the starting position reserved for the number one starter. The selection for this position is determined by the qualifying round: the fastest driver in qualifying earns the pole position. For more definitions and explanations of key NASCAR terms, check out the NASCAR website, online glossaries, or NASCAR books.

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