![[NASCAR Sprint Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nscs.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
Last modified: 2019-08-01 by rick wyatt
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This page addresses the flags of NASCAR's various subordinate or
affiliated racing series, including historical flags. Each flag is addressed
individually by its file name below. But first, an overview of NASCAR's
racing structure.
The National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing
(NASCAR) is the sanctioning body that oversees the most prominent forms of
professional stock car racing in the United States. Unlike other major
professional sports leagues in the US, NASCAR does not own or control any of
its participating teams. Whereas football teams in the NFL and baseball
teams in MLB are considered franchises of the overall organization placed
under the directorship, so to speak, of an "owner" who is still responsible
to the overall body, NASCAR teams are considered to be independent companies
that have contracted with NASCAR to participate in races sanctioned by
NASCAR and agreeing to follow the rules laid down by the sanctioning body.
Teams that cannot or will not follow those rules, or who cannot afford to
participate in the sport, are not sold to a new ownership group as one might
find in the NFL or MLB. NASCAR teams are free to come and go from the sport
as they please, though leaving the NASCAR fold, at this point, entails
certain financial risks to the team. Still, NASCAR provides only the venues
for the races and the rules to race under.
NASCAR has developed a
number of racing series in order to accommodate the various types of
automobiles that the body sanctions as well to better manage the amount of
money required by teams to participate in racing. NASCAR currently has three
national-level racing series: the Sprint Cup Series (previously the NEXTEL
Cup Series and Winston Cup Series), the Xfinity Series (previously the
Nationwide Series, Busch Series, and Busch Grand National Series), and the
Camping World Truck Series (previously the Craftsman Truck Series). Each
series is intended to be viewed as a stand-alone racing series in its own
right; the reality, however, is that nearly all NASCAR teams and fans view
the series as a progressive ladder for up-and-coming drivers to prove
themselves before reaching the pinnacle in the Sprint Cup Series. In
addition to the three national series, NASCAR sanctions two regional touring
series for late-model stock cars - the K&N Pro Series East and West - that
are considered to be development series for drivers looking to break into
the national series.
Randy
Young, 15 February 2015
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
This is the flag currently used by the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. This flag
has been in use for at least the past five years, though I believe it has likely
been in use since Sprint took over as the title sponsor for the series in 2008.
The flag features the black and yellow series logo centered on a yellow field.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Sprint Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nscs_race.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
The 36 races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season are split into three
parts. The first 16 races of the season are considered the "Regular Season;" the
next 10 races are referred to collectively as The Race to the Chase; and the
final 10 races are the Chase for the Sprint Cup, ending with one driver winning
the Sprint Cup and the Championship. Both the Race to the Chase and the Chase
for the Sprint Cup have their own unique flags in the series. The flag for the
Race to the Chase features the Race to the Chase logo centered on a yellow
field.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Sprint Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nscs_chase.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
One of the two flags seen during the Chase for the Sprint Cup, this one
features the official Chase for the Sprint Cup logo centered on a black field. I
saw this one during the first two races of the Chase, but did not see it at the
last couple venues during the Chase.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Sprint Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nscs_chase2.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
The other flag seen during the Chase for the Sprint Cup, I saw this one
during the final races of the season only, so I don't know if there was a flag
change on NASCAR's part as the Chase progressed, or if it was an alternate flag
from the beginning. This flag features the Chase for the Sprint Cup logo
centered on a yellow field, with a black triangle at the hoist pointing toward
the logo.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Nextel Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nncs_b.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
Mobile phone service provider NEXTEL took over sponsorship of NASCAR's top
series in 2004, renaming it the NEXTEL Cup Series. NEXTEL remained the primary
series sponsor until Sprint bought out NEXTEL and took over sponsorship in 2008.
Between 2004 and 2008, the flag of the NEXTEL Cup Series featured the black and
yellow series logo centered on a black field.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Nextel Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nncs_y.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
An alternative flag for the NEXTEL Cup Series featured the series logo
centered on a yellow field.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Winston Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nwcs.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
From 1971 through 2003, NASCAR's top racing series was sponsored by the R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company as the Winston Cup Series, naming the championship
trophy and the series after the company's Winston brand of cigarettes. The flag
of the Winston Cup Series from 1992 through the end of their sponsorship in 2003
featured the series' black and white logo on a red field, echoing the black,
white, and red colors of RJR and Winston cigarettes.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Winston Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@nwcs80s.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
During the 1980s, and through 1991, the flag of the Winston Cup Series
featured the red, white, and gold logo of that era centered on the white stripe
of a red-white-red tri-bar flag.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
At the end of the 2014 season, Nationwide Insurance left NASCAR as the
sponsor of sport's second-tier national stock car touring series and was
replaced by Comcast's cable television and Internet brand, Xfinity. The series
was renamed the Xfinity Series beginning in 2015 and a new logo was was created
using Xfinity's red and black color scheme and the general oval racetrack shape
that NASCAR's series logos have been modeled after.
Randy Young, 20
February 2017
![[NASCAR Xfinity Series flag]](../images/u/us@nns_bk.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
I haven't yet seen the flag for the new Xfinity Series, but the previous
incarnation of the series, sponsored by Nationwide, had two flags during its
tenure. The last version of the flag, debuted around 2012, featured the
then-current series logo centered on a black field.
Randy Young, 15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Xfinity Series flag]](../images/u/us@nasns.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
The original version of the Nationwide Series flag, debuted with the change
in series sponsorship in 2008, featured the original series logo centered on a
light blue field.
Randy Young, 15 February 2015
![[NASCAR Xfinity Series flag]](../images/u/us@nxs.gif)
image by Randy Young, 20 February 2017
The Xfinity Series flag can be seen flying at the race tracks during the
Xfinity Series race weekends. During yesterday's television coverage of Daytona
500 qualifying I finally saw an example of the Xfinity Series flag. The flag
features the series logo centered on a red field. There are probably also
variants with the logo on a white or black field, but I have yet to actually see
any of those examples.
Randy Young, 20 February 2017
![[NASCAR Nationwide Series flag]](../images/u/us@nbs.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
Before it was the Nationwide Series, the racing series was sponsored by
Anheuser-Busch, first as the Busch Grand National Series from 1986 to 2003, and
then as the Busch Series from 2004 until the sponsorship ended in 2007. During
that final iteration, as the Busch Series, the flag featured the series logo
centered on a blue field.
Randy Young, 15 February 2015
![[Camping World Truck Series flag]](../images/u/us@ncwts.gif)
image by Randy Young, 15 February 2015
NASCAR's truck series has been sponsored by Camping World since 2008,
replacing the original title sponsor, Craftsman. The flag of the Camping World
Truck Series features the series logo centered on a royal blue field.
Randy Young,
15 February 2015
![[Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series flag]](../images/u/us@mencs.gif)
image by Randy Young, 16 February 2018
In 2017, energy drink company Monster Energy took over sponsorship of
NASCAR's top-tier racing series, which had formerly been known as the Sprint Cup
Series, the NEXTEL Cup Series, and before that the Winston Cup Series. In
assuming sponsorship duties, the series was renamed the Monster Energy NASCAR
Cup Series, and a new logo and new flags were introduced.
The flag of the
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series features the series logo centered on a black
field. The logo itself consists of the Monster Energy logo of a fluorescent
green, jagged capital "M" shape, with the word "MONSTER" in silver capital
letters to the right, stylized to have an ancient runic association. Below
"MONSTER" is the word "ENERGY" in fluorescent green, sans serif, capital
lettering. Below all of that, and still to the right of the jagged "M" symbol is
the NASCAR logo with the addition of the words "CUP SERIES" in lettering to
match the word "NASCAR." This flag can be seen flying at all Monster Energy
NASCAR Cup Series events, and are for sale online from various retailers.
Randy Young, 16 February 2018
