| Shortly after the invention of the automobile, | | | | not want to give up their fast cars. Many Americans |
| Americans fell in love with car racing. Europe started | | | | living in the South East of the United States started |
| the tradition of setting speed records, but starting in | | | | to set up races featuring their tricked out cars. Once |
| the 1920s America started setting many of these | | | | these races started being held, the fans started |
| speed records. In fact, most of these world records | | | | pouring in to watch the car races. From this moment, |
| were being set in Daytona Beach. | | | | stock car racing was born. The birth place of these |
| That's right, even in the early days car racing | | | | early races was North Carolina. To this day NASCAR |
| centered around Daytona Beach. Racing fans from all | | | | is huge in North Carolina. |
| over the United States and the rest of the world | | | | Today, NASCAR is popular all across the country. |
| started coming to Daytona Beach to watch the | | | | While many of the nascar drivers still come out of |
| Daytona Beach road course. For those of you who | | | | North Carolina and Tennessee, many more are |
| don't know you NASCAR, the Daytona 500 is the | | | | coming from states like California, New York and |
| biggest race in NASCAR today. | | | | Indiana. No longer is the sport just enjoyed in the |
| As many know, stock car racing spawned out of | | | | south. Cities like Philadelphia are now some of the |
| America's Prohibition period. The bootleggers needed | | | | largest markets for television viewers of the sport. |
| fast cars to out run the police when they were | | | | Race tracks have been built in Las Vegas, New |
| transporting illegal whiskey throughout the south and | | | | Hampshire and many non-southern states. |
| in particular the mountains of Appalachia. These | | | | While the South East region of the United States |
| bootleggers started to modify their cars to increase | | | | was the birthplace of NASCAR, today the sport is |
| their speed and performance. In order to out run the | | | | loved throughout the county. Today there are race |
| law, you needed to have a great car. And, as the | | | | tracks all across America and it is the fastest growing |
| bootleggers upped the ante, the police did so too. | | | | sport in the country. Despite its regional roots, |
| These suped up cars eventually turned into the stock | | | | NASCAR is today the most popular sport in the |
| cars that we recognize today. The real life game of | | | | United States. Every Sunday during race season, |
| cops and robbers turned into the sports that millions | | | | over 100,000 screaming fans show up to see the |
| of Americans love today. | | | | NASCAR drivers start their engines. Not bad for a |
| After the end of Prohibition in 1933, Americans did | | | | bunch of bootleggers. |