July 22nd, 2010 
T.C. NASCAR Hard Card: The annual credential issued to NASCAR officials, drivers, media, and team personnel.
One of the most important articles I bring with me to the race track each weekend is my NASCAR hard card. A hard card is a plastic ID card that is very similar to any school or employer ID card. It’s about the size of a credit card and has my picture, my name, what series I work in, and what team I work for on it. On the back of the card is a NASCAR disclaimer statement, and a place for the holder to sign. This very important piece of plastic grants me access to the infield, garage area, and pit road. Without it, I’m stuck on the outside of the fence looking in.
I’ve often been asked how or where somebody can get their own hard card, or if I will let them buy or borrow mine. I obviously can’t help with either request, but it shows how sought after these credentials can be.
While we are at the track, our cards must either be displayed on our person (as they say) or somewhere very close by. If you get the chance to get into the infield, you’ll notice that many choose to wear their hard card on a lanyard around their neck. When one receives their card from NASCAR, they usually provide a lanyard for you. For some however, the basic lanyard just isn’t good enough. The many wives and girlfriends, along with the many PR and business women are the usual offenders for elaborate and ornate hard card display devices. I guess they figure if they are going to wear a piece of plastic around their neck, they might as well bling it out a little. Bedazzler sold separately.
On the flip side, many crew guys choose to just leave them in their wallets, as wearing it around their neck can cause issues while they are working on the cars. For the rest, the standard lanyard works just fine.
For the young or up and coming crew guy, obtaining that first hard card almost becomes a career goal. It signals that you’ve made it to a solid place in your advancement. Why is this so? It boils down to money. Everyone that works at the track for a NASCAR team must have a NASCAR license. This license costs around $500-$600 a year. A hard card however, costs a few thousand dollars for the year, and means it’s owner can forgo standing in line at the NASCAR credential trailer to get a paper pass each weekend. Only teams with a solid footing can afford to get hard cards for their employees. So having the plastic means you will probably be at the track each weekend and you work for a solid team.
The next logical goal once someone obtains the hard card, is figuring out how to keep it. Racing is a tough, performance driven business, and hanging onto this little piece of plastic can be very difficult. When a guy is fired from a team, the hard card must usually be returned before the last paycheck is given. The reason being that hard cards are transferable, and teams can use it for someone else over the course of the season. Having to give back the card when you aren’t ready to sucks.
The license and hard card are also used by NASCAR as a way to have power over the many team personnel. As a form of punishment for some infractions, NASCAR sometimes pulls hard cards from their holders. NASCAR can also refuse to give people these credentials, if for example, a fine hasn’t been paid or suspension served. No hard card and license, no access.
So as you can see, these pieces of plastic we often wear around our necks carry an awful lot of power. Mine gets me access to places others can’t go, but it can also be used against me. And that’s the mystique of the NASCAR hard card.
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DDDaaaaaaaaaannngggg.
It does not get any more insider than that.
Wow, I had nnever heard of, let alone know how much I want a hard card before reading this …… but now …… I really need one, guess that dang ole mystique gotsaholdo’me.
Thanks for another great article, you guys have really been posting some good ones lately.
You have to love it, one little plastic hard card that says your in or your out from doing your job in NASCAR. Now personally I have never had a hard card, nor would I ever have the need for one.
But the access is unbelieveable, however I have had the paper media credentials, I’ve had to wait in line in New Hampshire twice for that little piece of paper so I could go in and cover the race. That is not easy to get if you want to be on pit road during the race.
I got mine twice thanks to a well place team and corporate sponsor, namely I was a guest of a sponsor to be up at the track to watch a Cup Series race. Its amazing, you have access to the media center, pit road before, during and after the race (by the way, I felt like a giant around Jeff Gordon) and of course the garage area.
If you get the opportunity to be in the garage area on raceday, take it, there’s nothing like it for a NASCAR fan, trust me, there’s nothing like it.
However, for anybody who wants to be in the garage area and on pit road before the race, but must leave one-hour before the race starts, there is access available. Some racetracks have what is called a Pre-Race Pass or another words “cold pass”, I know New Hampshire does. You can tour the garage area and pit road on raceday morning.
But a NASCAR hard card, good luck, I agree thats a career goal for sure to get one and if you work in NASCAR, its almost a must. I know that several media members have one and its gold.
How are they transferable, given that your name and picture are on it?
steve: Each card has in ID number, and all the team has to do is return the card to NASCAR with the transfer request, and NASCAR will make a new card. It saves the teams money from having to purchase an entirely new card.
Should point out some of the steps to get the card – like the drug test before the year starts for each hard card holder and therefore the random testing.
Personally, I think they should limit those PR people..most of them are just water holders anyway…it’s about 50/50 to those who actually do real PR.
Great insight. As a former media member, it was usually a rough go just to get ‘credentialled’ for specific events, games, etc…at a professional or large-scale level, which is only one step up (with free food and drinks) from the paying fan (which I now am). The NASCAR hard card is a whole nuther ball game, and is well and truly earned. Given that access, it obviously is very punitive to get it lifted, and should garner respect and the expectation — for the holder — to be of good behaviour while it is in their possession. I see nothing wrong with that!
The cost of the annual credential varies widely depending on what your role at the track is.
Crew Members are the most reasonable. I believe mine (with my license included) was a little over $2300 for 2010. If you work for a marketing agency, it is several thousand more.
Just a quick line to respond to abovetheshop’s comment regarding hard card holders taking a drug test.
I’ve never been asked to take one – and nor has my husband; We have been fortunate enough to have held hard cards for the past 4 years at “crew member” levels.
Strange how some of these rumors get started…
We did complete a lengthy application with all sorts of personal details, however…I suspect we had our backgrounds thoroughly checked. Naturally, we also had to sign our lives away via a series of waivers.
Muffy Bennett
(& Gary, too)