Whay are NASCAR races 500 miles (generally). Why 500?

Question

My wife asked me that and I didn't know.

Answer 1

I think it's just a good benchmark distance for the longetivity of the cars and the fans attention span.

In other words, within the same time frame to complete a race as, say, a Baseball or NFL game etc.

The second reason is simply marketing. It sounds better to say "500" than it does "250". Especially when competing with other series that have a "500" like the IRL.

Nascar races are "billed" 3 different way's.

1. Mile's--Daytona 500 is in miles. It's a 2.5 mile track and there doing 200mph the whole race.



2. Lap's--Martinsville is a small 1/2 mile track so the races there are in laps. 500 laps(250 miles) at Martinsville takes the same time as 500 miles at Daytona because they only average about 120mph.

3. Kilometer's-- Phoenix is a 1 mile track so the races there are in Kilometers. The track owners want a 500 there but the track is too short for a 500 mile and too long for a 500 lap so they came up with 500 Kilometers which is around 350 miles(give or take) and fits right into the target time to complete a race.

Answer 2

It has evolved since the beginning of NASCAR.  Big Bill France wanted to create a show that would compete with the Indy 500, so back in the day, all the BIG races were 500 miles.  Daytona 500. Southern 500, Talledega 500, plus the longest race, the World 600.

In modern racing there is no other racing circuit that goes the distance NASCAR drivers and teams go each and every weekend.  The distance is something that sets NASCAR apart.

Answer 3

I understand the Daytona 500, it should be 500 miles. But these cookie cutter tracks having 500 mile races is B-O-R-I-N-G. They should be cut to 350 miles. Plus, add more short tracks.

Answer 4

There actually aren't THAT many that are 500 miles.  Several of the races that are called the __________500 are actually 500 laps, not miles.  I would say that there are more 400 mile races than any other distance.

3 STR8 N 08!!!

Answer 5

ENDURANCE