NASCAR racing is often referred to as "stock car" racing, because NASCAR race cars are stock cars, although not as much in recent years as they were in their roots. A "stock" car is a vehicle that is based on a typical consumer car that you might find in any driveway in North America. Stock car racings roots are actually in bootlegging liquor during prohibition, where people would outrun the police while delivering homemade whiskey in they regular sedans. In an effort to not get caught, they would often "upgrade" they cars to increase speed. At its essence, this is what a stock car is - a souped up version of a sedan. In the early years of NASCAR, some drivers would literally race the family car, and anything was eligible so long as the body of the car conformed to, and could be put on any car purchased by regular people.

In later years, NASCAR began placing restrictions on the cars and bodies to reduce the amount of changes a team could make to a car to give them an unfair advantage over the rest of the field. Also, the model of the car from each manufacturer must be an approved body. It is in this manufacturer body that the stock component of a NASCAR car remains. The hood, truck lid, and roof of each race car are standard parts for that model of car. For example, the current models being used include the Ford Fusion, Chevorlet Impala SS, and the Dodge Avenger. This means that if you were to take the roof from one of these cars, it should fit any car of the same model on a showroom car.

A typical NASCAR race car weighs over 3,500 pounds, has a wheelbase of 110 inches and can reach over 200 mph. Fuel capacity can vary form track to track, but it is typically in the range of 15-17 gallons. In 2007, NASCAR introduced the use of 110 octane unleaded fuel, after using leaded fuel prior to that. NASCAR race cars also continue to use carburetors rather than the fuel injection systems that are found on new consumer vehicles. One of the main reasons for this is that it keeps the parts on the car mechanical, reducing the cost compared to those of leagues like F1 where the cars are almost entirely electronic.

Each team builds their own engines based on an engine package and parts from their manufacturer. All race car engines are 358 cu in, 8 cylinder engines that typically run about 750 horsepower.

Other features prominent on a NASCAR race car are safety features like additional roll bars and other enhancements to increase the structural integrity

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