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Upgrading to v3

Version 3.0.0 introduces several breaking changes focused on modernizing the package architecture and future-proofing the series identifiers. This guide helps you migrate from v2.x to v3.0.0.

Bundled datasets removed

What changed: The cup_series, xfinity_series, and truck_series datasets are no longer bundled with the package. All data is now served from Cloudflare R2.

Before (v2.x):

data("cup_series")
data("xfinity_series")
data("truck_series")

After (v3.0.0):

cup <- load_series("cup")
nxs <- load_series("nxs")
truck <- load_series("truck")

Why: Bundling large datasets in the package made installation slow and increased package size. Serving data from R2 with local caching provides faster updates and smaller package downloads.

Series identifier: “xfinity” renamed to “nxs”

What changed: The second-tier series identifier changed from "xfinity" to "nxs".

Before (v2.x):

xfinity <- load_series("xfinity")
get_driver_info("bell", series = "xfinity")

After (v3.0.0):

nxs <- load_series("nxs")
get_driver_info("bell", series = "nxs")

Why: The second-tier NASCAR series has changed title sponsors four times: Busch (1984-2007), Nationwide (2008-2014), Xfinity (2015-2025), and O’Reilly Auto Parts (2026-present). “NXS” is NASCAR’s own sponsor-neutral abbreviation for the series, so it will never go stale with future sponsor changes.

Note: The Series column in returned data now shows "NXS" instead of "Xfinity". Update any code that filters on Series == "Xfinity".

arrow package now required

What changed: The arrow package moved from Suggests to Imports. It is now a required dependency.

Why: All data is stored as Parquet files on R2. The arrow package is required to read this data efficiently.

Action required: None. The arrow package will be installed automatically when you install nascaR.data v3.0.0.

Caching

How it works:

  1. First call in a session: Downloads data from R2 and caches in memory
  2. Subsequent calls in same session: Instant retrieval from memory cache
  3. New R session: Downloads fresh data from R2 automatically

Each new R session fetches the latest data, so you always have up-to-date race results without any manual intervention.

Managing the cache:

# Force fresh download within a session
cup <- load_series("cup", refresh = TRUE)

# Reset the in-memory cache
clear_cache()

find_*() functions removed

What changed: find_driver(), find_team(), and find_manufacturer() have been removed.

Before (v2.x):

find_driver("bell")
get_driver_info("Christopher Bell")

After (v3.0.0):

# Just use get_*_info() directly
get_driver_info("bell")

Why: The get_*_info() functions already include fuzzy matching and return actual data. The find_*() functions were redundant.

Summary of required changes

v2.x v3.0.0
data("cup_series") load_series("cup")
data("xfinity_series") load_series("nxs")
data("truck_series") load_series("truck")
series = "xfinity" series = "nxs"
find_driver("bell") get_driver_info("bell")
find_team("gibbs") get_team_info("gibbs")
find_manufacturer("toyota") get_manufacturer_info("toyota")
Series == "Xfinity" Series == "NXS"

Data unchanged

The underlying race data is unchanged. Only the delivery mechanism and series identifier have been updated. All historical results remain available:

These binaries (installable software) and packages are in development.
They may not be fully stable and should be used with caution. We make no claims about them.
Health stats visible at Monitor.