NASCAR, the acronym, stands for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Stock car racing is rooted in the southeastern United States. Building and driving fast cars relates to another southern tradition, that of making moonshine whiskey. Bootleggers were men who legally ran whiskey to hundreds of markets in the southeastern U.S. The bootlegging business really began to boom. The drivers soon began to race one another to see who had the faster car. This quickly became a very popular sport in the back roads of the South. Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR has become one of the hottest spectator sports in the world. In the years following World War II, stock car racing began to grow. However, there was little organization and no consistency in the rules between tracks. In the summer of 1938, William H.G. "Bill" France organized a race on the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. He soon realized for stock car racing to grow, an official organization had to exist. On December 12, 1947, Bill France gathered promoters from the southeast, northeast, and midwest in Daytona. Over the next three days, rules and specifications were drawn and agreed upon. The name of the organization would be called NASCAR. The first true NASCAR race was held at the Charlotte, North Carolina Fairgrounds on June 19, 1949. The division in which this race was held was in the "strictly stock" division, which has become the racing division of NASCAR, known as the Winston Cup Series. It was a 150-mile race. The "strictly stock" division was open to competitors who drove full-sized American made passenger cars, with complete bodies, fenders, bumpers, and grilles-all parts were required to be listed in the manufacturer's catalog for each model. On September 4, 1950 the first Southern 500 was held in Darlington, SC on a larger, wider, and faster track than any stock car driver had ever seen before. Under the direction of Bill France Sr. and later his son, Bill France Jr., NASCAR has become the fastest growing spectator sport in the nation. NASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of motor sports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. IN 1996, 1997 and 1998 NASCAR also held exhibition races in Japan. Australia held one race in 1998. Beginning as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the 2nd most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League (NFL). NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., and has 75 million fans that purchase over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales! These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport. Rich Gaffney has more information about NASCAR products at:
http://www.findnascarproducts.com |
