DAYTONA BEACH - Did you know there's nothing stock about a stock car?

The 43 cars that will race in Sunday's Daytona 500 weren't born on an assembly line in Detroit. Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota will have their names on the cars, but none of their parts.

The way cars are built in NASCAR is something few talk about. Car companies want the credit for success, and while they make significant financial and technical contributions, they don't contribute any parts from their factories.

Every car starts as a pile of raw steel and sheet metal. Every part is hand-built, either by a race team or an outside vendor. While many pieces are interchangeable between manufacturers because NASCAR uses a common template, nothing is taken from a passenger car - including air conditioning, radio, GPS navigation system or cigarette lighter.

Did you know the headlights, taillights and front grilles on a race car aren't real? They're decals.

Or that the racing version of the Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and Dodge Charger is a two-door sedan, although all four of those passenger models are offered only as four-door models?

Nine other things you probably didn't know about NASCAR and its cars, drivers, tracks and history::

- The total weight of a Sprint Cup Series car is 3,450 pounds. But did you know that weight includes a 200-pound driver and helmet? If a driver weighs less than 200 pounds, weights are added in

10-pound increments to make sure all drivers weigh 200 pounds.

- Every driver in Sunday's Daytona 500 has to pass a physical and drug test, as well as the vetting process from NASCAR. One thing they don't need, however, is a driver's license. That means somebody could legally drive a race car 200 mph on the backstretch, but not be allowed to drive to the airport after the race.

- The purse for the Daytona 500 is more than $18 million. Did you know if you added up all the money won by the drivers, however, it won't equal that amount? That's because NASCAR takes a cut for sanctioning fees. The top drivers work for a set salary, plus bonuses. The rest work for a percentage, usually about half, of the earnings. Either way, it's good money. Forty-five drivers earned more than $1 million for their team, including six who raced part-time. In all, 39 drivers took home more than $1 million.

- Did you know it's entirely possible for the second-place car to earn more than the winner? Payouts include money from a host of sponsors. To get those bonuses, a team must have their sticker - usually behind the front wheel well - on the car. Some teams, particularly Penske Racing, choose not to clutter the car's appearance with stickers. Kurt Busch won at Atlanta last year and made $164,175. Jeff Gordon finished second and made $186,276 because he had more sponsor stickers.

- A race team will go through more than 15 sets of tires this week. But did you know they have to pay the same $5 federal disposal fee you have to pay at the neighborhood tire store?

- A race car generally uses three times as much motor oil - or about 13 quarts - as your passenger car. Also, race cars only use water in the radiator.

- All those pretty paint schemes aren't done with paint? They're done with vinyl decals that are applied with a hair dryer. In fact, the entire car is decorated with a giant shrink-wrap.

- All the money collected in fines during the year is donated to charity.

- Did you know the most-asked question about drivers is how do they go to the bathroom during a race? Because there are no rest stops in a 500-mile race, they usually just go. Some pour water or Gatorade on themselves before they get out of the car to hide it.

Now you know.