Although the word NASCAR stands for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, this title and the term "stock car" can be quite misleading to those unfamiliar with the sport. When NASCAR first started in the late 1940s, the drivers would go to the local dealership, purchase a new car, strip it down to get it race ready, and then take it to a NASCAR sanctioned event to compete. These were actual "stock" cars with the drivers often driving them to the race to compete and then, if the car was still in drivable condition after the race was over, using the same race car to drive home, and possibly pick up the kids from school on Monday or make a grocery run one day during the rest of the week.

Today, however, the term "stock car" is simply a holdover from those earlier days. Is there anything about a current NASCAR race car that could be considered "stock?" With the exception of a few nuts, bolts and some screws, the answer would have to be no.

The modern race car competing on the NASCAR circuit today is basically completely handmade and comes with a price tag of upwards of $125,000 to build. This includes at least $70,000 for the body, chassis and frame, $40,000 or more for each engine, and more than $15,000 in labor costs. Needless to say, you won't be finding any of these hot rods for sale in your local dealer's showroom or on his lot.

Let's take a look at the basic components of today's "stock car."

The frames of each car are usually prefabricated and each team purchases them from a frame supplier. The frame is designed and built for the safety of the driver as well as to hold up to the constant forces that racing produces.

The body of the car is largely handmade in each team's shop out of flat sheet metal and takes about ten working days to produce. The only exceptions to this are the roof, hood and decklid which are usually purchased from a factory supplier. While the body may resemble somewhat the make and model of car you have in your driveway, there is really nothing stock about it. Each piece is hand shaped on an English wheel to exact NASCAR specifications. Each team must use NASCAR approved templates to measure all body parts to make sure they don't exceed the specified tolerances that NASCAR has decreed to be appropriate. In addition, not all cars are built to the same specifications. Some cars are designed specifically for super-speedway use while others are designed for optimal performance on the short tracks.

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