While the NFL caps each season with its biggest event, the Super Bowl, NASCAR kicks off each of its campaigns with its biggest event, the Daytona 500. The 500-mile race at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, is commonly referred to as “NASCAR’s Super Bowl” because it’s simply the most popular and prestigious heat in the sport.
The Daytona 500, which typically takes place during Presidents Day weekend, is the crown jewel of the NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel races. What are the crown jewels? Here’s everything to know about the most premier stops on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
What are NASCAR crown jewel races?
Golf and tennis each have tournaments that are referred to as majors. They carry more weight than the average event. Winning one of the four major championships boosts a player’s career more than winning any other tournament.
In NASCAR, the four crown jewels are the four major races of top-tier stock car auto racing. While the list of races considered crown jewels has changed throughout NASCAR’s history, there are four races today that carry a level of importance above the others.
What are the four crown jewel races in NASCAR?
The NASCAR Cup Series crown jewel races are the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, Southern 500 and Brickyard 400.
Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 has opened the NASCAR season every February since 1982. The race includes 200 laps over three stages on a track length of 2.5 miles, equaling a total of 500 miles. No driver has won the race more than Richard Petty. “The King” owns a Cup Series-record seven Daytona 500 victories. Cale Yarborough ranks second with four.
Coca-Cola 600
Considered one of the toughest races in NASCAR, the Coca-Cola 600 covers 600 miles over 400 laps on a 1.5-mile oval track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The track first opened in 1960, with Joe Lee Johnson winning the track’s first Cup Series race. Darrell Waltrip‘s five career Coca-Cola 600 victories are the most all time.
Southern 500
The first Southern 500 was run in 1950. It’s the oldest 500-mile race on the NASCAR Cup Series slate. Held at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, the race runs for 367 laps along a 1.366-mile asphalt track. Jeff Gordon won the Southern 500 six times, more than any other driver.
Brickyard 400
The latest addition to the list of NASCAR’s crown jewels, the Brickyard 400 takes place along the famous bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The race became a Cup Series fixture in 1994. Jeff Gordon grabbed the checkered flag after the 160 laps in Indianapolis a record five times.
Which driver has the most career crown jewel race wins?
Jeff Gordon has the most career crown jewel race victories with 17. Gordon won the Southern 500 six times, Brickyard 400 five times and the Coca-Cola 600 and Daytona 500 three times apiece.
How many drivers have achieved the NASCAR grand slam (won all four crown jewel races in the same season)?
No Cup Series driver has won all four modern crown jewel races in a single season. Jeff Gordon won three (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500) of the four in 1997.
How many drivers have achieved the NASCAR career grand slam (won all four crown jewel races in a career)?
Four drivers — Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson — have won all four of NASCAR’s current crown jewel races over their careers.
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