NASCAR Questions Answered: 10 Things Fans Google
This is a Happy Hour Racing feature - the plain-English answers to the stuff every fan has wondered about, whether you have watched for 30 years or 30 minutes.
The Short Version
These are the NASCAR questions fans Google the most, answered straight. How drivers go to the bathroom, whether the cars have air conditioning, how fast they really go, and how much drivers make. No fluff, no jargon. Just the answers you can repeat to the person next to you on the couch.
The Driver
How do NASCAR drivers go to the bathroom?
A Cup race runs three to four hours with no stop for it. Drivers hydrate hard before the green flag and sweat most of it out in a cockpit that can top 130 degrees. Most say they simply do not need to go. If they really have to, there is no special system. They go in the seat. The diaper story is a myth. Most drivers do not wear one.
Do NASCAR cars have air conditioning?
No. A Cup car has no air conditioning. The cockpit sits right next to the engine and the exhaust, and it can reach 120 to 140 degrees on a hot day. Drivers stay cool with a hose in the helmet that blows filtered air, and many wear a cool suit lined with tubes of chilled water. That heat is a big reason drivers train like endurance athletes.
How much do NASCAR drivers make?
It varies a lot. Star drivers make well into the millions once you add salary, a cut of race winnings, and sponsor and licensing money. A top name can clear eight figures in a big year. Drivers lower in the standings or on smaller teams make far less, sometimes a few hundred thousand. Real salaries are private, so treat any single number you read as an estimate.
The Car
How fast do NASCAR cars go?
It depends on the track. At the two biggest ovals, Daytona and Talladega, the cars run close to 200 mph in a pack. At most other tracks they run 150 to 190 mph. NASCAR uses a part called a tapered spacer to hold speeds down at the fastest tracks, because much past 200 the cars can get light and lift off the ground.
How much does a NASCAR car weigh?
A current Next Gen Cup car weighs about 3,400 pounds with the driver and fuel, and around 3,200 pounds empty. That is heavier than most street cars its size. All that weight, with no power steering help like your car has, is part of why three hours behind the wheel wears a driver out.
What fuel do NASCAR cars use?
NASCAR runs Sunoco Green E15, a 98 octane racing fuel that is 15 percent ethanol. The gas mileage is rough by street standards, roughly 2 to 5 miles per gallon. The cars do not have a fuel gauge. Teams do the math on how many laps a tank will last, and that is where all the late-race fuel mileage drama comes from.
The Race
Why do NASCAR winners drink milk?
They do not. You are thinking of the Indianapolis 500, which is an IndyCar race, and that winner drinks milk in victory lane. NASCAR has no milk tradition. When NASCAR races at that same Indianapolis track for the Brickyard 400, the winner kisses the yard of bricks instead. We broke down that tradition and the whole race in our Brickyard 400 guide.
How long is a NASCAR race?
Most Cup races run 300 to 600 miles and take about three to four hours. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte is the longest at 600 miles. The number in a race name usually tells you the distance, like the Brickyard 400 at 400 miles or the Daytona 500 at 500 miles.
What are NASCAR stages?
Since 2017 every Cup race is split into stages, usually three. Each stage ends with a short caution break and hands out points to the top 10 at that moment. Stages give drivers a reason to race hard early instead of riding around, and they shape when teams choose to pit.
Why do NASCAR cars only turn left?
On an oval, the track only bends one way, to the left, so the whole race is left turns. It keeps the car balanced for high speed. NASCAR does also race on road courses, where cars turn both left and right. So left-only is an oval thing, not a rule of the sport.
The Bottom Line
NASCAR looks simple from the couch, but there is a lot going on inside the car and on pit road. Now you have the answers to the questions fans ask the most. Bookmark this one and settle the next debate at your watch party.
New to the sport or picking a driver to ride with? Here is some in-stock gear for the names fans search the most:
- Denny Hamlin 2026 schedule shirt
- Kyle Larson 2026 schedule shirt
- Chase Elliott NAPA shirt
- Browse the newest gear in the store
- Join the win-shirt fan club
We answer the questions and stock the gear in one place. Bookmark the Happy Hour Racing blog for more.
