series_data: NASCAR Series Data

Description

Historical race results from NASCAR's three major national series, sourced with permission from DriverAverages.com. Data is hosted on Cloudflare R2 and accessed via load_series().

Arguments

Cup Series (1949--present)

The NASCAR Cup Series is the sport's premier division. Originally called the Strictly Stock Series in its inaugural 1949 season, it has been known by several names tied to title sponsors: Grand National (1950--1970), Winston Cup (1971--2003), Nextel Cup (2004--2007), Sprint Cup (2008--2016), Monster Energy Cup (2017--2019), and the NASCAR Cup Series (2020--present).

cup <- load_series("cup")

Xfinity / O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (1982--present)

NASCAR's second-tier national series, often considered a proving ground for drivers aspiring to reach the Cup Series. It debuted in 1982 as the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series and has carried the names of several title sponsors: Busch Series (1984--2007), Nationwide Series (2008--2014), Xfinity Series (2015--2025), and the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series (2026--present).

nxs <- load_series("nxs")

The series identifier is "nxs", NASCAR's own sponsor-neutral abbreviation. This avoids tying the code to any single title sponsor.

Truck Series (1995--present)

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series features modified pickup trucks racing on a mix of ovals, short tracks, road courses, and dirt tracks. It launched in 1995 as the SuperTruck Series and has been sponsored under the names Craftsman Truck (1995--2008), Camping World Truck (2009--2022), and Craftsman Truck again (2023--present).

truck <- load_series("truck")

Variables

All three series share the same column structure:

Season: Integer. Year the race took place.
Race: Integer. Race number within the season.
Track: Character. Name of the track or venue.
Name: Character. Official race name (includes sponsor).
Length: Numeric. Track length in miles.
Surface: Character. Track surface type (e.g., "Paved", "Dirt").
Finish: Integer. Official finishing position.
Start: Integer. Starting grid position.
Car: Character. Car number.
Driver: Character. Driver's full name.
Team: Character. Team or car owner name.
Make: Character. Vehicle manufacturer (e.g., "Chevrolet", "Ford", "Toyota").
Pts: Integer. Championship points earned.
Laps: Integer. Total laps completed.
Led: Integer. Number of laps led.
Status: Character. Race completion status (e.g., "Running", "Crash", "Engine").
S1: Numeric. Stage 1 points (2017--present, NA for earlier seasons).
S2: Numeric. Stage 2 points (2017--present, NA for earlier seasons).
S3: Numeric. Stage 3 points. Cup Series only, 2024--present (NA for NXS, Truck, and pre-2024 Cup).
Rating: Numeric. Driver/loop rating for the race (NA where unavailable).
Win: Integer. Win indicator (1 = won, 0 = did not win).

Data Source

All data is sourced with permission from DriverAverages.com and updated weekly via an automated pipeline. See load_series() for access details and clear_cache() for cache management.