in nascar , a significant amount of time and money is spent building and testing vehicles prior to any race . this fact gives drivers on teams with the most money an advantage over drivers on teams with fewer resources . in order to reduce the cost of building and testing vehicles as well as prevent one team from having better vehicles than another team , the team auto racing format randomly assigns vehicles from a pool of standardized vehicles to each team prior to a race . this also means that each team is assigned a limited number of vehicles to use in a race . teams then apply their team colors , logos , and designs to the assigned vehicles . after the vehicles are assigned , only limited mechanical adjustments to the vehicles are permitted . while qualifying is not necessary given that it is already known which teams will be racing , teams do conduct one or more practice sessions with the vehicles prior to a race . as a result of the use of pools of standardized vehicles , the team auto racing format places an emphasis on driver skills in combination with team strategy as opposed to vehicle design , construction , and testing . having said this , given that vehicle specifications will vary somewhat by track , a home team will have an inherent advantage stemming from familiarity with the specific vehicle design and setup used at its home track . in the preferred embodiment , two teams , a home team and a visiting team , race over up to three timed race segments , and the first team to win two of the three segments wins the race . a team wins a race segment by a number of means including having a vehicle that completes the most laps by the expiration of the race segment or having a vehicle that is the first to reach a set lap threshold . in the preferred embodiment , each race segment is approximately 30 minutes in duration with breaks between each race segment . such planned breaks in combination with stoppages for wrecks makes it more feasible to avoid running commercials during a broadcast at the same time that vehicles are racing . also , in the preferred embodiment the racing clock is paused for events such as a wreck . race segments of approximately 30 minutes , when combined with the appropriate size fuel tanks and proper tires based on track conditions , also eliminate the necessity to pit during a race segment . also , re - start positions are not based on minute differences in time spent on pit road . instead , upon race stoppage vehicles are given an allotted period of time to make a pit stop , if desired , and then assume the re - start position . vehicles that do not exit pit road and get into re - start positions within a certain period of time face a penalty . combining race segment duration , vehicle design , and re - start rules virtually eliminates fuel strategy as a factor in determining the outcome of a race and greatly reduces the importance of pit crew performance as compared with nascar racing . in order to leverage the specific characteristics of each track to make the racing as exciting as possible , each track has the authority to set certain rules such as the specific means of winning a race segment , whether or not race segments are timed , the time for a race segment ( if applicable ), the number of race segments , the number of teams racing , the number of vehicles racing per team , the vehicle starting and re - starting alignments , the use or not of a pace vehicle or vehicles , the vehicle and driver substitution rules , and the minimum required speed . for example , some tracks may decide to start and re - start all of the vehicles together following a pace vehicle as is done in nascar , some tracks may decide to start and re - start teams in separate groups with each group following a pace vehicle , and some tracks may decide to start and re - start teams on opposite sides of the track from a stopped position . tracks may also make the starting alignment and the re - starting alignment different . regarding vehicle and driver substitution , some tracks may allow for substitutions at any time while other tracks may allow for substitutions only between race segments . regarding minimum speeds , a shorter track will tend to have a lower minimum speed than a longer track . a longer track is also better suited for more teams and / or more vehicles per team . if longer tracks decide to increase the number of vehicles racing per team , drivers not officially part of a team may be brought in for such races . thus , certain drivers may be associated with tracks , not teams . also , when more than two teams race on a track , there is not necessarily a home team . the team auto racing format places a focus on vehicles working together as a true team in order to win . during a race , certain vehicles on a given team may serve as blockers trying to slow the progress of vehicles from other teams while other vehicles on a given team may act to clear out the path ahead in order to keep certain vehicles on a given team relatively free from any damage . unlike most other automotive racing formats wherein obvious blocking of faster approaching vehicles by slower vehicles is frowned upon , such blocking is expected given that every pass can be important . the lead vehicle on a given team also becomes a target of the other team and each team needs to help protect its lead vehicle from being taken out by the other team . if a lead vehicle is taken out by the other team , this results in a new lead vehicle and a potential re - shuffling of the roles on a given team . in general , the team auto racing format results in complex and varied racing strategies that apply throughout the entire race . the team auto racing format also results in increased contact compared with other forms of automotive racing . in order to prevent a race from devolving into a demolition derby , vehicles are required to travel in the same direction around a track and maintain a minimum speed in order to qualify as a race participant . if a vehicle is not at the minimum speed , it will not receive credit for such lap . it will also be penalized for blocking or otherwise engaging other vehicles while below the minimum speed . similar to a penalty in hockey , such a vehicle will serve a time out penalty on pit road . likewise , a vehicle that fails to maintain a minimum speed after receiving one or more warnings must exit the given race segment . in order to monitor that a minimum speed is maintained , vehicles are outfitted with lights that indicate to the drivers when a vehicle is running above or below the minimum required speed . given that each team has only a limited number of allotted vehicles for a race , this fact makes teams and drivers cautious about making contact with other vehicles . for example , a team may wreck so many of its vehicles in the initial stages of a race that it does not have enough vehicles for the final stages of a race putting it at a disadvantage to the other team or teams . thus , concerns about being able to win the race with a limited number of team vehicles will serve to counteract the incentives to engage in contact . a key component of enabling the team auto racing format is the use of vehicles that are sturdy enough to withstand a certain degree of contact during racing while also protecting drivers in the event of a significant crash . nascar has demonstrated that such vehicles can be built . the area of greatest vulnerability on a nascar vehicle is the tire . it is often wear on a tire &# 39 ; s sidewall stemming from contact between vehicles that causes a tire to fail in turn causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle resulting in a crash . in the preferred embodiment , the vehicles used in the team auto racing format have coverings over the wheel wells that prevent tires from coming into direct contact with other vehicles or the track wall . for example , reinforced bars running across the exterior of the wheel well prevent direct tire contract with other vehicles or the track wall while also allowing material such as rubber to escape during racing so as to prevent the build - up of unwanted material that could lead to steering problems or tire failure . the fact that race segments are of such a length that the vehicles are able to run a complete race segment without necessarily needing to stop for fuel or tires helps to enable the use of wheel well coverings that protect the tires . the team auto racing format is also possible to conduct during inclement weather events such as rain without decreasing fan enjoyment . in order to race in rain , the type of tires used can be changed and the minimum speed lowered . while the speeds are reduced , the action is not reduced . in contrast , the nascar racing format is apparently not flexible enough to accommodate rain . the team auto racing format also accommodates the possibility of fans riding along during races or even fans driving a vehicle ( upon meeting certain driving ability thresholds ). in the case of a fan ride - a - long during a race segment , if both teams have the same number of fan ride - a - longs neither team is necessarily disadvantaged . likewise , if each team has a substitute fan driver , neither team is necessarily disadvantaged . of course , such possibilities are contingent upon fan willingness to assume the risks assumed by professional drivers .
a method of automotive racing wherein at least two teams of vehicles race each other to determine the winning team to create an unparalleled , action - packed experience for fans of automotive racing . such a racing format also allows for the successful creation of a racing league that offers fans home teams and a true playoff system with a championship race .