The Crown Jewels have been one of the biggest feats for drivers to achieve. These four races on the current schedule hold more prestige and honor than other tracks. Throughout the history of NASCAR, these tracks have been adjusted a little. Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500 have been part of the Crown Jewels since the start. NASCAR has recently recognized the Brickyard 400 as a Crown Jewel.
In the early 1980s, NASCAR introduced a Grand Slam with a cash prize called the Winston Million. It consisted of four races: Daytona 500, Winston 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500. Any driver who won all four races during a season was given $1 Million as a cash prize. Bill Elliot was the first driver who won a million dollars in the Program’s inaugural year. Up until the last year of the program, nobody was able to win the cash prize again. Jeff Gordon won the cash prize in 1997, with which the program concluded its run in NASCAR.
4 crown jewels in NASCAR
The four Crown Jewels in NASCAR are the most popular races on the NASCAR Schedule. These races are:
Daytona 500: Daytona 500 is the season opener in NASCAR and has been referred to as the most prestigious race. It is held at Daytona International Speedway, Florida, USA. It is scheduled to have 200 laps over three stages and has a track length of 2.5 miles or 4 km. Richard Petty has won the race 7 times and has the most wins on the track.
Coca-Cola 600: Considered one of the toughest races in NASCAR, the Coca-Cola 600 has 400 scheduled laps and 600 miles to be covered during the race. The race is held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, North Carolina, USA. Dale Waltrip has the most wins on the track.
Southern 500: Southern 500 has been the oldest circuit on the NASCAR schedule. It has a race distance of 501 miles and is made up of 367 laps. Jeff Gordon has the most wins at the track. Located in South Carolina, USA, the race is known as Cook Out Southern 500 due to its corporate sponsorship.
Brickyard 400: The latest addition to the Crown Jewels in NASCAR, Brickyard 400 is held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indiana, USA. The race was added to NASCAR IN 1994 and has 160 laps spanning 3 stages. Jeff Gordon has the most wins at the circuit (5 wins).
Read more About Three levels of NASCAR
FAQ's On 4 crown jewels in NASCAR
A. Talladega is not considered part of the Crown Jewels in the modern era.
A. The Triple Crown in motorsport is an unofficial title for a driver who wins the Indianapolis 500, 24 hours Le Mans, and Monaco Grand Prix.
A. In the modern era, the Daytona 500, Brickyard 400, Coca-Cola 600, and Southern 500.
A. Richard Petty has won the Daytona 500 7 times.
