Ok guys I'm not a big Nascar fan but I was trying to follow along a little and i'm a bit confused. Can you help me out with some questions?

a. What is a restrictor plate and what does it do/mean?

b. Ok theres the Nextel Cup series and Busch series. Whats the difference? I thought the Busch series was like the minors but I notice alot of the big names participate.

None of the guys on TV explained that because I guess they thought it was such basic knowledge everyone should know.

i follow NASCAR quite a bit...for question A the plate restricts the air intake of the engine and kinda strangles it to a degree and keeps it from going over a certain speed

for B the Busch is considered to be minor league to the nextel cup but many major racers are in it but i dont really know why. the only guess i have is for the chance of another championship and money for them and their teams and many companies use it because it is still major advertising.also Busch series uses different cars than nextel ( but thats not anything major)

Usually the cup drivers race busch either for A.) the experience (usually only young drivers) B.) To gain knowledge of the track and its conditions C.) Just because they love to race.

Usually the cup drivers race busch either for A.) the experience (usually only young drivers) B.) To gain knowledge of the track and its conditions C.) Just because they love to race.

And the extra paycheck.

The Cup drivers who race on Saturday are referred to as "Buschwhackers" It has become so bad, that if you watch a Busch race now, it's just like the Cup race. The top 15 drivers are all from Cup.

Without spending the next 15 minutes typing about restrictor plates I'm pasting this link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restrictor_plate

In NASCAR, restrictor plates are only used at two tracks; Daytona and Talladega.

Basically a restrictor plate keeps the cars from going a certain speed. The reason for restrictor plates is before they had them, cars at Talladega and Daytona would go well over 200 MPH and NASCAR officials thought that was too dangerous.

You can look at the Busch Series like the Bassmaster Opens, it is one step down from the big guys. You may notice that in bass fishing alot of the pros that fish the Bassmaster Elite Series fish the opens as well. Just like most Nextel Cup drivers also race in the Busch Series.