Unfamiliar with NASCAR? 9 News can help

SPARTA, Ky. - Kentucky Speedway is holding its first ever Sprint Cup race this weekend. To help you get ready for the big event, 9 News is giving you a crash course in NASCAR 101.

All the racing terminology can be confusing for those new to the sport. First of all, you need to know that NASCAR is a generic term for the sport as a whole, same as MLB or NFL. It's also an acronym. It stands for National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing.

Sprint Cup is the top tier of NASCAR- think of it as baseball's Major Leagues, like the league the Reds play in. You'll see the top drivers in the sport, week after week. It used to be called Winston Cup. Same league, different sponsor. The Sprint Cup's race in Sparta is Saturday night, under the lights: The Quaker State 400.

On the other hand, the Nationwide Series is like baseball's AAA. Some top drivers drop down to drive this series, and some up-and-comers move up to get experience. Kentucky Speedway has had these races for years, and they've done really well. It used to be called the Busch series. Same league, different sponsor.

The Camping World truck series is NASCAR's version of Single-A baseball. Newer, less experienced drivers drive modified trucks. Some fans still call it the Craftsman Trucks Series but .. say it with me ... Same league, different sponsor.

Now for some NASCAR tidbits. The guys in the car are called drivers, not racers. And you might wonder how a bunch of guys driving left is fun to watch. But unlike maybe any other sport, it's the sights, the sounds and the smells that make a race in person so much more fun.

Saturday night's race is the Quaker State 400. That's 400 miles, not 400 laps. Drivers will go 267 laps around the 1.5 mile tri-oval.

Whether you're watching the race on TV this weekend, or heading down to Sparta to see it in person, we hope this NASCAR 101 crash course will help you enjoy Kentucky Speedway's first ever Sprint Cup race.