Piston Cup Racing Series

Template:Upcoming

2016-present logo

The Piston Cup Racing Series (known as the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup from 2010-2013) is a racing series championship that has hosted championships for decades, across several generations of racers and champions. The Piston Cup series is known to date back to at least 1940's, where the Slide Powers and others competed in dirt tracks. In modern times, however, racers compete in large stadiums, with carefully maintained racetracks and immense space for spectators.

Season history

Late 1940s

The Piston Cup was created at 1940s, that years races held at dirt tracks. Only known competitor of that time is Slide Powers.

1951-1953 seasons

Hudson's flip move.

The 1951, 1952, and 1953 Piston Cup seasons were won by the Fabulous Hudson Hornet, during his prime. Hudson acquired three Piston Cup trophies, despite his philosophy that they are "just empty cups".

At that years Hudson had a rival, Gus O'Line. At one race they raced bumper to bumper, but at last lap Gus' semi-axis dislocated and he did not finished, that race was won by Hornet. After that race, Hud fixed Gus' semi-axel and O'Line said, that Hornet should be doctor, but Hudson did not believe him. During one race at the Thomasville Speedway, the Hudson Hornet quickly made his way to first place passing Louise Nash, Junior Moon and River Scott, but was pushed against the wall by Leroy Heming. But with quick thinking Hudson performed a flip maneuver over him and crossed the finish line.

Hudson achieved thirteen victories in 1951, twenty-seven victories in 1952, and twenty-two victories in 1953.

1954 season

Hudson's crash.

Hudson's prime ended when he received serious damage from an accident. According to comics, that crash caused by his rival, Sammy, that sideswiped him out, and Doc hit racer 57, somersaulted and landed on wheels, while Sammy won that race and became a champion. However, in Cars 3, while powersliding at Fireball Beach, Doc lost control and rolled several times, receiving serious damage, and after that, he was hospitalized.

His injuries rendered him unable to compete for the rest of the season. While Doc made a healthy recovery, when he returned wishing to race again, he was shunned in favor of newer and younger race cars, leading him to settle as a doctor in the small town of Radiator Springs, and choosing to hide his past.

Prior to his accident, the Fabulous Hudson Hornet acquired sixteen victories in 1954.

Late 1970s - Early 1980s

During the late 1970s, Kraig Shiftright won two Piston Cups. Klint Shiftright also debuted, and won three Piston Cups in the early 1980s.

1990

In the 1990 Piston Cup season, Haul Inngas won the Piston Cup according to his character bio.

2004 season

McQueen's first race

According to And Now a Word from Our Sponsor, that year Lightning McQueen and his hauler Mack debuted in the Smell Swell team, but later he was replaced by a rookie, named Sammy Smelter. Fired, McQueen and Mack met Rusty and Dusty Rust-eze, that searched a racer for the season, and Lightning, with Mack, joined the team. Comics tell a different story, that McQueen debuted in races to join the . At the first race, McQueen knocked Racer 99 and Racer 66 to overtake them, Racer 66 rolled over, McQueen overtook them and won. At the next race, McQueen accidentally hit the wall and spun, but after his pit stop, he was able to continue racing. After that race, McQueen teamed up with Mack. McQueen searched a sponsorship very long, until Smelter, who in this story was not a rookie and raced for Rust-eze, was involved in a serious accident and retired. After that, McQueen and Mack joined the team.

2005 season

Lightning McQueen, Strip Weathers, and Chick Hicks

The 2005 season saw seven-time Piston Cup champion Strip Weathers, constant runner-up Chick Hicks, and popular new rookie Lightning McQueen as the leading competitors. Known, that McQueen first time won at Glen Ellyn. The final race of the season, called the Dinoco 400, was held at the Motor Speedway of the South. The three leading racers all had a score of 5,013 points, meaning whichever of the three placed first would take home the Piston Cup and the coveted Dinoco sponsorship.

Towards the start of the race, a large accident was caused by Chick Hicks with the intention of separating himself from the gaining McQueen. The accident involved every racer except for Weathers, Hicks, and McQueen, as the ladder skillfully managed to make his way through the crash without taking any damage. The other racers received damage however, such as Chuck Armstrong, who was taken out of the race by a tow truck.

The first three-way tie in Piston Cup history.

Subsequently, Lightning McQueen arrogantly refused pit stops, which allowed him to gain an entire lap advantage on the other racers, which continued into the final lap of the race. However, as McQueen rounded the final turn, his tires blew out, leaving him crawling to the finish line. The other racers caught up to him, and McQueen, Hicks, and Weathers all crossed the finish line at the same time, making it the first three-way tie in Piston Cup history. A tie-breaker race between the three was set to be held at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

However, during Lightning's journey there, he fell out of his trailer and ended up in the small town of Radiator Springs, where he accidentally ripped up the road and was sentenced to community service. Once Lightning served his time, he was taken to the race, where he found it difficult to concentrate due to missing the friends he made while there. However, Lightning was joyful when he discovered that Hudson and the other townspeople had come to serve as his pit crew.

McQueen assists Weathers to the finish line.

Lightning, who had learned new abilities from his friends, utilized them during the race, which allowed him to hold up well against his two competitors, eventually taking the lead. Hicks, frustrated with constantly placing behind Weathers, performed a PIT maneuver on him, causing the seven-time champion to spin out of control and take heavy damage. McQueen, noticing similarities between Weathers' and Hudson's accidents, stopped just before the finish line and reversed up to Weathers, and helped him to the finish line, believing the old-timer should finish his last race. Despite being the victor, Hicks was booed for his actions, while McQueen was congratulated for his good sportsmanship. The Piston Cup logo was changed that year.

2006 season

A confrontation between Lightning McQueen, Doc Hudson, and Chick Hicks.

Weathers' retirement saw the rivalry between Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks grow larger than ever before, with the media putting an emphasis on it. The 2006 season consisted of five races, taking place at five different stadiums; Palm Mile Speedway, Motor Speedway of the South, Sun Valley International Raceway, Smasherville Speedway, and Los Angeles International Speedway. After losing to McQueen in the first three races, Chick hired the Delinquent Road Hazards to steal Lightning's racing gear from Mack's trailer while he was traveling the Interstate. However, McQueen and Sheriff caught them, and they revealed their alliance with Hicks. At Smasherville Speedway, McQueen confronted Hicks, and the two agreed to have a four-race event, with races in Radiator Springs, Tailfin Pass, ankud Ornament Valley, followed by the final race at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

McQueen wins the 2006 Piston Cup season.

The event was covered by Darrell Cartrip and the Racing Sports Network, and broadcasted live on television. Lightning won the three events in Carburetor County, and proceeded to defeat Hicks and win the Piston Cup trophy at the Los Angeles International Speedway. McQueen placed his trophy next to Doc's three Piston Cups on the windowsill of his clinic.

2007-2015 seasons

Hudson Hornet Piston Cup trophy

McQueen won the Piston Cup series in 2009. The 2010-2013 season were won by unknown race cars, though it known McQueen had become a four-time piston cup champion at the time, so he may have won the 2008 and 2010 seasons. . After Doc Hudson's death in 2009, the Piston Cup was renamed the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup, in his honor, and McQueen's team was left without a crew chief. Immediately, following the 2010 season, McQueen was invited to compete in the World Grand Prix. From 2013 to 2015, the Hudson Hornet Piston Cup was renamed back to "Piston Cup", and the logo changed as well. Also, in 2015, Brick Yardley won twice. Somewhere in those years certain racers, seen in 2005, retired, leaving McQueen one of the oldest racers who were still competing in the series.

2016 season

Bobby Swift, Cal Weathers and Lightning McQueen.

The season starts out with McQueen, Bobby Swift and Cal Weathers winning races and having a good time.

At the Dinoco Light 350 in the Motor Speedway of the South, Lightning won the race. In the next race at Rocker Arms International, McQueen and Cal both went for first place at last lap with Cal being the winner. The Georgia Motor Speedway race was won by McQueen.

Jackson Storm

At the Dinoco 400 at Copper Canyon Speedway, McQueen was in the lead with Bobby second and Cal third, but all three were beaten by rookie Jackson Storm. Storm also won the next races at the Motor Speedway of the South, Grandol Oil Co. Raceway, BnL Raceway and Rustbelt Raceway. After the last one, Cal Weathers retired from the sport, racing by the tip of his uncle, and many other veteran racers leave the sport too, leaving only a handful remaining.

Before the race at Los Angeles International Speedway, Bobby Swift retired too. After the race's start, McQueen started to overtake others and even catch Storm on last laps. When they both came in to pit, McQueen's pit stop was faster than Storm's, and Lightning took the lead. Jackson quickly caught up with Lightning and took the lead. Following Storm's words of McQueen possibly retiring, McQueen slowed down and was overtaken by Daniel Swervez and Chase Racelott, losing two positions.

McQueen's crash.

McQueen tried to catch Storm and the others, but he lost control and was sent into a roll which left him unable to compete. Lightning was hospitalized, while Storm proceeded to win the race and become the 2016 Piston Cup champion.

2017 season

Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm

Four months later, McQueen and Cruz Ramirez were practicing and getting McQueen into shape with the goal of beating Storm at the Florida 500 at the Florida International Super Speedway. Lightning missed all qualification sessions, and because of this, he would start dead last. The first time after Doc's death, McQueen had a crew chief, Smokey, former crew chief of Doc. After the race's start, McQueen quickly began overtaking others and made steady progress through the ranks.

In the middle of the race, the new owner of Rust-eze, Sterling, said to Cruz that she should train racers instead of watching the race. Lightning heard that on the team radio and remembered that Cruz dreamed to be a racer. McQueen forgot about the race and did not notice a big accident in front of him. He nearly crashed and continued the race. When all racers were called back to the pits, McQueen said that Cruz Ramirez should come back.

Cruz as Racer number 51

McQueen asked Guido to change her tires, Fillmore to refuel and Ramone to repaint her. After that, he had a surprised Cruz take his place. Later, Lightning became her crew chief. Using tactics she learned while practicing with Lightning, Ramirez was able to overcome other racers, and even caught up with Jackson Storm. He attempted to distract her from winning and went as far as pushing her against the wall when she tried to pass him. Cruz preformed a flip over Storm, as Doc Hudson done in the 1950s, and won the race. Officially, McQueen won the race too, because Lightning and Cruz raced with the same numbers. After the race, she signed with Dinoco, with McQueen as her crew chief, and chose number 51 as a tribute to the Hudson Hornet. Cruz continued to win races in the rest of the season.

When the 2017 season was almost done, a pre-approved letter from Piston Cup saying that Cruz was able to race.

2018 season

After the 2017 season of the Piston Cup Cruz won 12 piston cups in a single row, however during her 13th piston cup race Jackson Storm beat her up in the race which allowed Jackson to win his first cup in the new year season.

Other seasons

In The World of Cars Online, players could become a Piston Cup champion by competing in a series of races, which were held at the Tailgator Speedway, Big Heartland Speedway, Backfire Canyon Speedway, Petroleum City Super Speedway, Motor Speedway of the South, and Los Angeles International Speedway.

Races

Old Piston Cup logo.

The Piston Cup races are big events sponsored by lots of trademarks and covered by the Racing Sports Network (RSN), which creates live televised broadcasts, in addition to providing other media coverage. Modern races take place at huge racing stadiums, which traditionally have oval-shaped tracks, although the shape may slightly vary from track to track, such as at the Los Angeles International Speedway.

A Piston Cup championship consists of various races where the competitors earn points in relation to their placement in the final rankings of the event. At the end of the season, the car with the most points wins the championship, and receives a Piston Cup trophy, as well as sponsorship from Dinoco, a fuel brand closely associated with the Piston Cup series.

Races can vary from seven to 500 laps. Each competitor has a team of pitties, a crew chief and a hauler, which are sponsored, and may help the racer by giving advice via headsets, and by providing fuel and tire changes during pit stops.

Speedways

Image	Name	Description
	Backfire Canyon Speedway	A desert-themed track with several turns, including a series of turns in an "S" shape.
	Big Heartland Speedway	A standard race track with a grassy infield and several turns.
	BnL Raceway	A standard race track.
	Copper Canyon	A standard race track.
	Florida International Super Speedway	A next-generation race track located in Florida
	Georgia Motor Speedway	A standard track supported by Mood Springs.
	Grandol Oil Co. Raceway	A standard race track supported by Grandol Oil Co..
	Heartland Motor Speedway	A standard race track.
	Los Angeles International Speedway	A large stadium located in Los Angeles, California. The track has two straightaways of the different lengths; the first perfectly straight, with the second having a slight curve.
	Motor Speedway of the South	A large, ovular stadium located in Motor City. Piston Cup events held here often take place when the sky is dark, and because of this, the track is surrounded by lights.
	Palm Mile Speedway	An ovular stadium themed around palm trees, which can be found in the infield, as well as around the exterior of the track. There are also several white buildings found behind the pit row.
	Petroleum City Super Speedway	A race track with various sharp turns. The track is unique in that it has intentional obstacles, in the form of petrol puddles that racers must avoid, or suffer a decrease in speed.
	Rocker Arms International	A standard race track.
	Rustbelt Raceway	A standard race track.
	Smasherville Speedway	A long, ovular track with banked turns. During night races, the track is well-lit, and the infield consists of a pit row area, as well as some foundations in the center.
	Sun Valley International Raceway	A desert-themed track recognizable by the large rock foundation that forms an arch over the final turn, with competitors driving under it.
	Tailgator Speedway	A polished race track with standard straights and turns.
	Thomasville Speedway	A now-abandoned stadium with a dirt track.

List of racers

See also: List of racers by driver number

Former

Number	Image	Name	Sponsor(s)	Years	Championships
		Slide Powers		Late 1940s
		Kurt Shiftright		1950s
		Gus O'Line		1950s
		Unknown		1950s
		Unknown		1950s
		Unknown		1950s
		Kraig Shiftright		Late 1970s	Unknown two years
		Klint Shiftright		Late 1970s-?	Unknown three years
		Darrel Draggered		Pre-2005
		Dash Rallyman		Pre-2005
		Buck Schooner		Pre-2005
		Mike Joyride		1960s
		Unknown		2004
00		Jimmy Cables	Intersection	?-2016
01		Sammy Smelter	Smell Swell or Rust-eze	2004
1		Unknown	Tony's Frozen Corn Dogs	Before 2004-?
3		Unknown	Tropic Fruits	Before 2004-?
4		Unknown	Toothpaste	Before 2004-?
4		Rusty Cornfuel	Tow Cap	Before 2005-?
4		Jack DePost	Tow Cap	?-2016
5		Unknown	Varoom	Before 2004-?
5		Lane Locke	SynerG	?-2016
6		Unknown	Comedy Night of Joy	Before 2004-?
6		Unknown	Transberry Juice	?-2016
7		Unknown	Iron Gary's	Before 2004-?
8		Levi Mitchan	Kirby Farm Implement & Supply Co. Junior's Body Repair Bowling Green	1950s
8		Unknown	Mike's Bar and Grill	Before 2004-?
8		Dale Earnhardt, Junior	Budweiser	2000-?
9		Unknown	Vitamin City	Before 2004-?
10		Unknown		1950s-?
11		Junior Moon		1950s
11		Mario Andretti		1950s-1960s
11		Chip Gearings	Combustr	?-2016
12		Unknown	Fireball Beach Fire Department	1950s
12		Unknown	Candy Land	Before 2004-?
13		Unknown	Nitroade	Before 2004-?
14		Unknown	Morris Rims	Before 2004-?
15		Unknown	Easy Idle	?-2016
17		Robinson	Southern Gold	1950s
17		Darrell Cartrip	DWstore.com	1970s
19		Bobby Swift	Octane Gain	?-2016
21		Speedy Comet	Blinkr	?-2016
22		Unknown	Hawk Church	Before 2004-?
23		Sammy		1950s	1954
24		Brick Yardley	Vitoline	2007-2016
25		Unknown		1950s-?
26		Unknown	Arrow	1950's
28		Aiken Axler	Nitroade	2003-?
28		Phil Tankson	Nitroade	?-2016
29		Unknown		1950s-?
31		Terry Kargas	TripleDent	?-2016
33		Chuck Armstrong	Mood Springs	Before 2005-?
33 (XBox 360 version of Cars) 34 (other versions of Cars)		Banks	Mood Springs	Before 2006-?
33 (other versions of Cars) 56 (XBox 360 version of Cars)		McCoy	Fiber Fuel	Before 2006-?
33		Dud Throttleman	Mood Springs	?-2016
34		River Scott		1950s
34 (XBox 360 version of Cars) 56 (Other versions of Cars)		Buck	Trunk Fresh	Before 2006-?
34		Dirkson D'Agostino	Trunk Fresh	1990s-2016
35		Kevin Racingtire	Shifty Drug	Before 2005-?
36		Eugene Carbureski	Tank Coat	1980s-?
36		Reb Meeker	Tank Coat	?-2017
37		Unknown		2004
39		Ryan Shields	View Zeen	Before 2005-?
39		Buck Bearingly	View Zeen	?-2017
41		Unknown		1950's
42		Cal Weathers	Dinoco	2005-2016
43		Strip Weathers	Dinoco	1970s-2005	1997-2004
46		Unknown		2004
46		Pace Car		Before 2013-?
48		T.G. Castlenut	Re-Volting	?-2016
51		Hudson Hornet		1951-1954	1951-1953
51		Ruby Oaks	Easy Idle	Before 2005-?
51 (formerly 61)		Aikens	Vitoline	Before 2006-?
52	File:Vitoline spun.jpg	Unknown	Vitoline	Before 2004-?
52		Claude Scruggs	Leak Less	1980s-?
52		Brian Spark	Leak Less	?-2017
52		Joltsen	Nitroade	Before 2006-?
54		Johnny Blamer	Faux Wheel Drive	1995-?
54		Tommy Highbanks	Faux Wheel Drive	?-2016
54		Clarkson	Tow Cap	Before 2006-?
55		Unknown		2004
56		Brush Curber	Fiber Fuel	1990s-?
57		Unknown		1950s
57		Unknown	Corrosion Seal	Before 2004-?
58		Billy Oilchanger	Octane Gain	1990s-?
58 (Xbox 360 version of Cars) 63 (other versions of Cars)		Henderson	Octane Gain	Before 2006-?
58 (other versions of Cars) 63 (Xbox 360 version of Cars)		Medford	Transberry Juice	Before 2006-?
60		Unknown	Formula Gas MAX	Before 2004-?
61		James Cleanair	Vitoline	1980s-2007
63		Lee Revkins	Transberry Juice	Before 2005-?
64		Winford Bradford Rutherford	RPM	1990s-?
64 (Xbox 360 version of Cars) 84 (other versions of Cars)		Riley	RPM	Before 2006-?
64		Bruce Miller	RPM	?-2016
64 (other versions of Cars) 74 (Xbox 360 version of Cars)		Zeb	Sidewall Shine	Before 2006-?
65		Unknown	Trunk Fresh	Before 2004-?
65		Unknown	Oreo	Before 2004-?
66		Unknown		2004
67		Unknown	Carbon Cyber	?-2016
68		Manny Flywheel	N20 Cola	Before 2005-?
68		Parker Brakeston	N2O Cola	?-2016
70		Unknown	Papa Rivera's	Before 2004-?
70		Floyd Mulvihill	Gasprin	2005-2016
72		Unknown		2004
73		Misti Motorkrass	Rev-N-Go	1980s-?
73		Unknown	Rev-N-Go	?-2017
74		Slider Petrolski	Sidewall Shine	1990s-?
74 (other versions of Cars) 79 (Xbox 360 version of Cars)		Turner	Retread	Before 2006-?
76		Crusty Rotor	Vinyl Toupee	1986-?
76		Unknown	Vinyl Toupee	?-2017
77		Unknown	Goldy Locks Spa	Before 2004-?
79 (other versions of Cars) 84 (Xbox 360 version of Cars)		Bashman	Re-Volting	Before 2006-?
79		Haul Inngas	Retread	1990s-?	Early 1990s
79		Unknown	Sweet Gas	Before 2004-?
80		Sage VanDerSpin	Gask-its	2004-?
80		Rex Revler	Gask-its	?-2016
81		Unknown	Tummy's Cases	Before 2004-?
82		Guzzler	Lucky's Bar & Grill The Radical Car Club Motor Oil  Clint's Bait & Tackle	1950s
82		Darren Leadfoot	Shiny Wax	Before 2005-2017
82		Unknown		2004
84		Davey Apex	Re-Volting	1990s-?
84		Mac iCar	Apple, Inc.	Before 2005-?
84		Unknown	Apple, Inc.	?-2016
85		Unknown	JLP	Before 2004-?
86		Unknown	Jumbo Pretzels	Before 2004-?
86		Chick Hicks	HtB	2004-?	2005
90		Unknown		1950's
90		Ponchy Wipeout	Bumper Save	Before 2005-2017
91		Unknown		1950's
92		Murray Clutchburn	Sputter Stop	1985-2017
93		Ernie Gearson	Spare Mint	1980s-2016
94		Louise Nash		1950s
95		Lightning McQueen	Smell Swell (former) Rust-eze	2004-2017, 2018-present	2006-2009, 2014-2015
99		Unknown		2004
101		Greg Candyman	Tach-O-Mint	1980s-?
101 (Xbox 360 version of Cars) 117 (other versions of Cars)		Guenther	Tach-O-Mint	Before 2006-?
101 (other versions of Cars) 117 (Xbox 360 version of Cars)		Lee, Junior	Lil' Torquey Pistons	Before 2006-?
102		Unknown	Perrier	Before 2004-?
117		Ralph Carlow	Lil' Torquey Pistons	Before 2005-2017
121		Kevin Shiftright	Clutch Aid	Before 2005-?
121 (other versions of Cars) 123 (Xbox version of Cars)		Suregrip	Clutch Aid	Before 2006-?
121 (other versions of Cars) 123 (Xbox version of Cars)		Masterson	No Stall	Before 2006-?
123		Todd Marcus	No Stall	Before 2005-2016
191		Cortland	Faux Wheel Drive	Before 2006-?
282		Hollister	Leak Less	Before 2006-?
300		Leroy Heming	Re-Volting Faraday Valley Dealers	1950s

Current

Number	Image	Name	Sponsor(s)	Years	Championships
00		Flip Dover	Intersection	2016-present
2.0		Jackson Storm	IGNTR	2016-present	2016 & 2018
4		J.D. McPillar	Tow Cap	2016-present
5		Unknown	SynerG	2016-present
6		Bubba Wheelhouse	Transberry Juice	2016-present
11		Unknown	Combustr	2016-present
15		Harvey Rodcap	Easy Idle	2016- present
19		Daniel Swervez	Octane Gain	2016- present
21		Ryan Laney	Blinkr	2016-present
24		Chase Racelott	Vitoline	2016-present
28		Tim Treadless	Nitroade	2016-present
31		Cam Spinner	TripleDent	2016-present
33		Ed Truncan	Mood Springs	2016-present
34	File:34Racer.png	Steve LaPage	Trunk Fresh	2016-present
36		Rich Mixon	Tank Coat	2017-present
39		Unknown	View Zeen	2017-present
48		Aaron Clocker	Re-Volting	2016-present
51 (formerly 95)		Cruz Ramirez	Rust-eze (former) Dinoco	2017-present	2017-2018
52		Unknown	Leak Less	2017-present
54		Herb Curbler	Faux Wheel Drive	2016-present
64		Barry DePedal	RPM	2016-present
67		Unknown	Carbon Cyber	2016-present
68		H.J. Hollis	N2O Cola	2016-present
70		Unknown	Gasprin	2016-present
73		Unknown	Rev-N-Go	2017-present
76		Unknown	Vinyl Toupee	2017-present
80		Unknown	Gask-its	2016-present
82		Unknown	Shiny Wax	2017-present
84		Unknown	Apple, Inc.	2016-present
90		Paul Conrev	Bumper Save	2017-present
92		Unknown	Sputter Stop	2017-present
93		Unknown	Spare Mint	2016-present
117		Unknown	Lil' Torquey Pistons	2017-present
121		Unknown	Clutch Aid	2017-present
123		Unknown	No Stall	2016-present

List of champions

• 1951-1953: Doc Hudson
• 1954: Sammy
• Late 1970s: Kraig Shiftright
• Early 1980s: Klint Shiftright
• Early 1990s: Haul Inngas
• Unknown Years: Darrell Cartrip
• 7 unknown years: Strip Weathers
• 2005: Chick Hicks
• 2006, 2009-2014: Lightning McQueen
• 2016: Jackson Storm
• 2017: Cruz Ramirez

Logo history

1951-???? logo.

2005-2010, 2013-2016 logo.

2005 alternative logo.

2010-2013 logo.

2016-present logo.

Trivia

• The Piston Cup is based on the real world Winston Cup, awarded to NASCAR champions from 1971 to 2003. In 2004, however, NASCAR severed relations with Winston and the award became the Nextel Cup, quickly changing to the Sprint Cup after Sprint bought out Nextel. Incidentally, the Hudson Hornet competed in the Grand National era of 1950 to 1970. Title sponsorship with Sprint ended after 2016, merging with Monster Energy to create a new title, the "Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series", starting in 2017. Before 1950, in 1949 there was "Strictly stock".
• In real life, contemporary NASCAR vehicles would not be able to compete against vehicles of the Grand National era. This is because modern NASCAR vehicles are spec, racing-built sedans with sophisticated racing technology whereas Grand National era cars are modified production cars. Today's NASCAR sedans would greatly outperform the stock cars of the Grand National era. Also, NASCAR safety technology has dramatically evolved since the Grand National era and thus drivers of such vehicles would be at a greater safety risk than those driving today's NASCAR sedans.