Mention NASCAR to a casual fan, and chances are they’ll tell you about the basics. Stock cars covered in decals, black and white checkered racing flags and Dale Earnhardt are familiar even to non-fans of the autosport.

Above casuals, there’s another level of NASCAR fandom. These dedicated devotees grew up watching NASCAR with family or friends, have a knowledge of the sport's rules and its greatest racers. They even have a familiarity with some of the statistics. This is what they’ve gleaned from online forums in their spare time or from a broadcast’s commentators.

These fans know about the Daytona 500 and when it takes place in the year. They might even tune in to watch the Coca-Cola 600 or the Bojangles’ Southern 500 some years—races the general population has never even heard of.

Then there’re a group of loyal NASCAR fans that rise above the rest when it comes to their enthusiasm. They’re familiar with even the more obscure facts surrounding the sport. It takes little effort for them to name when asked, which racer has the most career wins, or the only NASCAR Cup Series driver who won five championships in a row. As CNN notes, Richard Petty got the most career wins and Jimmie Johnson managed to win championships each year from 2006 to 2010.

The following covers interesting and surprising facts many don’t know about NASCAR. It may even stump some of the hardcore diehards who profess to know everything about the sport, while giving a basic crash course to the beginners just getting hooked.

25 The NASCAR In The Arena

Throughout history, large amphitheaters and stadiums have existed to accommodate crowds of spectators. NASCAR is no different. There’s something that sets NASCAR stadiums apart from other sports though: the number of people they can hold.

According to My Drift Fun, NASCAR stadiums are able to seat as many as 170,000 guests to watch the auto sport live. That’s a lot compared to other sports. AT&T Stadium in Texas is one of the NFL’s biggest venues and holds about 100,000, as per TexasBob.

24 No Driver’s License Required

This next statistic has the potential to raise eyebrows. According to My Drift Fun, NASCAR drivers who compete aren’t checked if they have their driver’s licenses before the race.

Although they do go through a physical and drug test to ensure they’re fit to drive, a license check isn’t part of the preliminary process. It’s bizarre when one considers how dangerous and fast a NASCAR race is. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine a racer getting to the professional level without a license.

23 What’s In A Name?

NASCAR Premier Series has made a few changes over the years. According to Factinate, since it came about in 1949, the name has changed more than once. Today it’s known as “The Monster Energy Series.” What preceded it back in 2008-2016 was the “Sprint Cup Series.” Before that, it was the “Nextel Cup Series,” then the “Winston Cup Series,” the “Grand National Series” and—what started it all—went by the name of the "Strictly Stock Series.”

Let’s hope they stick with “The Monster Energy Series” for a long time to come.

22 Bathroom Break

Athletes have to make sacrifices if they want to stand out among the best. Michael Jordan famously played with the flu in a critical playoff game, going on to score what Sole Collector notes was 38 points.

Many could argue NASCAR drivers have to do the same as they’re stuck in a car for several hours straight. My Drift Fun reports that drivers won’t hesitate to relieve themselves while sitting in the front seat during a race. It just goes to show how far racers will go to win.

21 Don’t Sweat It

Driving a NASCAR stock car may look like fun, but it takes a toll. As a spectator, it’s easy to take for granted what drivers have to endure over the course of their strenuous races. My Drift Fun reports that a NASCAR driver can lose as much as 5-10 pounds during a race from sweat alone.

They go on to note that if a driver continues to lose sweat without replenishing fluids, it can start affecting their ability to react in time on the track.

20 Hair Dryers And NASCAR Go Hand In Hand

An iconic part about NASCAR is the vinyl decals and stickers that adorn the stock cars. They practically cover every square footage of these racing vehicles. While the automotive sport itself is full of grit and high-stakes, the actual application of decals will make one look at stock cars differently.

According to My Drift Fun, people use a hair dryer to apply the stickers to the car’s surface. It makes one wonder how they ever discovered that a hair dryer does wonders to a vinyl decal.

19 Take The Checkered Flag

Ask someone what colors they think of when they picture a flag on a race track, and more than likely it’s black and white. The black and white checkered flag is a staple element of NASCAR racing.

That tells drivers that the race has reached its conclusion. What many don’t realize is that the sport uses several flag colors. CNN notes several including green, yellow, red and white. The color white, for example, tells drivers they only have one lap left.

18 Not For The Faint-Hearted

A NASCAR driver has more in common with other athletes than one would think from looking at the auto sport on the surface. Even more, few would think to compare drivers with runners. The following is proof that such a comparison, however, is fair to make.

According to My Drift Fun, a driver averages a heart rate of 120-150 beats every minute. When one considers they’re keeping it up for 3 hours or more during a race, it’s commensurate to that of a marathon runner.

17 A Weight Off One’s Mind

Weight plays a critical role in a NASCAR race. Every car needs to be a certain weight in order to qualify. As the site Rockingham Speedway notes, a car weighs about 3,450 pounds. The car isn’t the only thing that needs to meet a certain weight though, but the driver also.

According to the same source, a driver has to weight 200 pounds. If a driver weighs less than that, they add extra weight (or take it away in the case they weigh more than 200 pounds).

16 A Different Era

When people think of NASCAR, they can’t help but picture those iconic stock cars racing around the track. Drivers didn’t always race in stock cars though. It will surprise many to find out what they drove instead.

According to the site Factinate, early vehicles ended up being whatever drivers brought onto the track. Many of these cars came on the track modified, far from what the Ford and Cadillac factories originally churned out. It gave a sense of uniqueness to the sport in its early days.

15 Need For Speed

Even someone who doesn’t watch NASCAR can tell stock cars go fast around a track. Though it may shock them just how fast they really go. According to the site My Drift Fun, when a NASCAR stock car goes its fastest, they nearly cover the distance of a football field in one second.

That means it hits a top speed of about 200 mph. Cars tend to average, as the same source notes, speeds of about 180 mph. Many will find it hard to believe they go that fast.

14 Tired Of Tires

Stock cars in a NASCAR race require lots of attention and maintenance. They can end up going through more parts and fluid than the average car. For example, the amount of tires a stock car goes through is more than a conventional car.

According to The Florida-Times Union—in referring to the Daytona 500—a race team can end up going through 15 sets or more of tires. That’s a lot of tires for one race. It makes sense when one considers all the wear and tear stock car tires go through.

13 Ridin’ Dirty

NASCAR wasn’t always a sport that filled up huge stadiums. In its earlier days, the venues were less spectacular than they are by today’s standards. According to Rockingham Speedway, the first NASCAR race took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Back then, the race took place on a dirt track that was only 3/4-mile long.

That’s less than tracks like Daytona or Talladega, which can span many times more than the first one. Even a major sport like NASCAR had a modest kickoff.

12 The First Woman

The sport of NASCAR has women drivers today thanks to Janet Guthrie. The site Rockingham Speedway reports that Guthrie was the first woman to race in a Winston Cup. She even went on to qualify for two major NASCAR races in 1977: the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500.

Thanks to her, drivers today like Danica Patrick, and even Jennifer Jo Cobb—who competes in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series—can follow their dreams. Guthrie broke ground that sets the stage for women drivers going forward.

11 A Kingly Invention

Even casuals have heard of Richard Petty. Bearing the nickname “The King,” he’s easily recognizable for wearing his signature cowboy hats. As My Drift Fun reports, he managed to win 7 stock car championships and the Daytona 7 times over the course of his illustrious career.

What many don’t realize though is that he played a major part in a signature design of stock cars. He’s behind the window netting cars have, which is to keep drivers from flying out of windows.

10 In The Hot Seat

Photos exist of flames bursting out of the exhaust pipe of stock cars in NASCAR races. It isn’t hard to believe considering how fast they go. Not only that, but the car itself tends to get very hot.

My Drift Fun reports that the interior temperature of a stock car can easily go over 100 degrees. That’s nothing compared to the vehicle’s floorboards, which can become as hot as 170 degrees. This is all due to the force of gravity drivers experience during turns.

9 Second Beats First

It may sound odd, but racers who place lower than first can end up getting more money in the end. Take Jeff Gordon, for example. According to The Florida-Times Union, he managed to get $186,276 in a race even though he got second place in 2009.

Kurt Busch managed to get first and made $164,175. The reason behind it is due to the number of sponsors on Jeff Gordon’s car. It makes sense considering his celebrity was higher, which may have been the reason behind his sponsors.

8 Daytona Payday

NASCAR drivers put their lives at risk; they deserve to earn heaps of money for it. Like in prizefighting, competitors can earn lots of money from a single event. The purse for even some of the biggest NASCAR races may surprise those who aren’t as much in the know.

The Florida-Times Union reports that the Daytona 500 purse can be as much as $18 million or more. That’s either a lot or very little depending on how one looks at it, especially with a chunk of that money going to the team.

7 Squeaky Wheels Get The Oil

When one considers all the stress a stock car goes through in a short amount of time, it’s no wonder they require so much care and attention. The need to properly maintain the vehicle accelerates much quicker than an average car on the road.

That means the number of fluids it consumes is a lot more as well. My Drift Fun reports that a typical stock car can use as much as three times more motor oil than average drivers require.

6 Push It To The Limit

It’s common to see pit crews working fast on a stock car. They work to get the car up to speed again during pit stops before resuming the race. Many don’t realize all the work that goes on behind the scenes though.

According to My Drift Fun, a group of technicians can make minor tweaks to a car in order to get more performance out of it. They even note that lots of money may go into just getting a few more horsepower out of a car.