NASCAR Cup Series Standings, Schedule, Championship 2021, Results

History of Cup Series

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is the authorizing body for stock-vehicle racing in North America. It was established in 1948 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

The NASCAR Cup Series is the pinnacle of the racing arrangement in the NASCAR classification. The arrangement started in 1949 and was called the Strictly Stock Division. The series was subsequently known as the Grand National Division from 1950 to 1970.

The NASCAR Series started renting its naming rights to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1971; it was alluded to as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series (1971–2003). In 2003, NASCAR made the arrangement with Nextel, giving birth to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series (2004–2007).

Sprint obtained Nextel in 2005 and 2008 saw the arrangement renamed as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Sprint remained the sponsor of the NASCAR Cup from 2008 to 2016.

It was reported in December 2016 that Monster Energy would be the sponsor; therefore, the arrangement was renamed the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from 2017 to 2019.

Sponsorships

NASCAR changed the guidelines in 2019, they dismissed Monster's proposal to expand the naming rights post the 2019 season. NASCAR, therefore, declared its transition to another sponsorship model with the 2020 season.

They decided to adopt a similar plan of other professional sports leagues. They essentially consider it the NASCAR Cup Series. The patrons of the arrangement were given another name - Premier Partners. The four Premier Partners are Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO, and Xfinity.

Top Drivers

The best driver throughout the NASCAR Cup Series history has undoubtedly been Richard Petty. Petty dominated 200 NASCAR races over the course of his stint in a stock car and gathered seven NASCAR Cup Championships, the two records.

The first to win the NASCAR Cup Championship seven times, he was a gifted driver and has many records to his name.

Richard was one of the first inductees into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010. The legend has been quite active as a team owner (Richard Petty Motorsports) in the Cup Series and even owns the Petty's Garage in North Carolina.

Jimmie Johnson is another NASCAR Cup driver with seven titles to his name. He was the principal driver to win the title in five sequential seasons (2006–10). Jimmie drove the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports up until the 2020 season. He has now switched to the IndyCar series.

Johnson has won seven titles and 83 vocation race wins. Johnson is likewise a double-cross champ of the Daytona 500, winning in 2006 and 2013.

Dale Earnhardt, another NASCAR great, was the prevailing driver in the NASCAR arrangement during the 1980s and '90s. Earnhardt won an aggregate of 76 NASCAR Cup Series races throughout his tenure.

He even won the coveted Daytona 500 race in 1998. He is viewed as probably the best driver in NASCAR history. He additionally won seven NASCAR Winston Cup titles, one of the three drivers to hold this record alongside the likes of Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson.

His forceful driving style earned him the monikers "Ironhead", "The Intimidator", and "The Man in Black". He even got the title "Mr. Restrictor Plate" after his dominant performance at the restrictor-plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega.

Jeff Gordon ruled the game during the 1990s and mid-2000s. His forceful driving style and a talent for exposure advocated stock-vehicle hustling in the United States.

He is now a commentator with FOX NASCAR. The four-time Cup Series Champion also holds a top position in the Hendrick Motorsports team. Jeff was the youngest driver to win a NASCAR title, having finished the 1995 season at the age of 24.

Gordon has finished three professional Grand Slams. He has won an aggregate of sixteen Crown Jewel races. This includes three Daytona 500s, four Talladega 500s, three Coca-Cola 600s, and six Southern 500s, two of which are untouched records.

With 93 career wins, he is third on the list of the highest number of NASCAR Cup Series wins. He is viewed as one of the most compelling drivers in NASCAR history. Gordon is one of the 50 Greatest Drivers of NASCAR.

Best NASCAR Cup Series Moments

Top NASCAR Venues

One of the most notable races on the planet is the Daytona 500. Daytona International Speedway has hosted races since it opened in 1959. The speedway supplanted the old beach and street courses of the mid-1900s. Daytona holds more races than any other circuit in the USA. The NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway is called "The World's Greatest Race."

The one track that is synonyms with speed in the NASCAR Cup Series is Talladega Superspeedway. It is the first 200 MPH track which was opened in 1969. Talladega is the site of the quickest qualifying lap and the quickest 500-mile race. The most unnerving accidents in motorsports history have occurred at Talladega. In addition, the National Motorsports Hall of Fame is situated at Talladega.

The home of NASCAR is in Charlotte, North Carolina. The headquarters of almost every team is situated there. Even a handful of drivers call Charlotte home. Each year, drivers get the chance to race at Charlotte three times.

Points System

A NASCAR driver can procure up to 40 points when they finish first, one point when they finish 40th, and these points are accumulated over the course of a series. This decides the driver's standings. It also calculates the owner's standings.

Drivers can also acquire points with their exhibitions in Stage 1 and Stage 2. Drivers from first to the tenth position after the finish of Stage 1 as well as Stage 2 get additional points. It starts with 10 points for the 1st position and down to one point for the tenth spot.

Points earned in those two phases are then added to the accumulated points after the Final Stage.

Points are aggregated over every one of the 36 races, and they are reset for the 16 drivers for the playoff races after the regular-season finale. The regular season consists of 26 races of the full series.

Playoffs Races

The playoffs consist of 10 races and are separated into four portions. The initial three phases are of three races each, and the last phase is the finale race. This year, the last race of the period is at the Phoenix Raceway, where the last four drivers, the 'Championship 4,' battle for the NASCAR Cup Series title.

Drivers who won a race during the pre-season or the drivers above the cutoff line of points qualify for the postseason races.

2020 Season

Kevin Harvick has absolutely dominated the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series. He won seven regular-season races and is the favorite to win the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series.

Denny Hamlin was the next in line. He won six regular-season races and started the 2020 COVID hit NASCAR Cup Season by winning the Daytona 500 race.

The 2020 Cup Series season was Jimmie Johnson's last stint in NASCAR. The 7-time Champion announced his plans of racing in the IndyCar Championship towards the end of the 2020 NASCAR season. He missed out on a playoff berth when he was bested by his teammate William Byron.

Chase Elliott won the 2020 Cup Series Championship following the Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway. William Byron and Cole Custer won their first race in the Cup Series. By temperance of his success, Custer took the Rookie of the Year respects.

Ford won the Manufacturers' Championship following the Xfinity 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

2021 Season

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series will be the 73rd season for the stock car hustling in the United States and the 50th season for the Modern-Era Cup Series. The season will begin at the Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash non-points occasion.

It will be the primary year the race is run on the street course, and the second NASCAR race run on the track's street course design. The race will be trailed by the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500.