If drafting, dirty air, and quarter panels are frequent topics of conversation among you and your friends, it's official, you're a NASCAR fan. And like all true NASCAR fans, you've probably realized that watching races on television is nothing compared to the sensations of actually being there to watch a race firsthand. The thunderous roar of the engines, the smell of the exhaust, and the buzz of the crowd is something you can only experience trackside.

NASCAR's popularity continues to increase, as evidenced by TV ratings of aired races. TNT's 2005 showings of the Pennsylvania 500 and the New England 300 garnered the highest auto racing ratings in TNT's 21-year coverage of the sport. In terms of the number of attendees, NASCAR rules the charts; an overwhelming 17 out of the 20 most highly attended sports events are NASCAR races.

NASCAR enthusiasts are some of the most fanatic sports fans of any major sport, and they shell out to prove it (which is why NASCAR sponsorship is so lucrative). Thousands of fans follow the NASCAR circuit in their motor homes, traveling from city to city, watching their favorite drivers from the sidelines. This can make getting tickets to NASCAR races difficult, and also very expensive. But there are alternatives that can help you get better tickets at better prices.

Tickets to high-profile NASCAR events like the Nextel Cup series and the Daytona 500 are often easiest to find online. The Nextel Cup is a series of races that are roughly equivalent to the playoffs in baseball, football, or basketball. Drivers accumulate point totals based on their finishing placements, and a champion is crowned at the end of the series. The Daytona 500 is NASCAR's most prestigious race, in the town where NASCAR itself is headquartered.

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