| Shortly after the invention of the | | | | Americans did not want to give up their fast |
| automobile, Americans fell in love with car | | | | cars. Many Americans living in the South |
| racing. Europe started the tradition of | | | | East of the United States started to set up |
| setting speed records, but starting in the | | | | races featuring their tricked out cars. Once |
| 1920s America started setting many of these | | | | these races started being held, the fans |
| speed records. In fact, most of these world | | | | started pouring in to watch the car races. |
| records were being set in Daytona Beach. | | | | From this moment, stock car racing was born. |
| | | | The birth place of these early races was |
| That's right, even in the early days car | | | | North Carolina. To this day NASCAR is huge |
| racing centered around Daytona Beach. Racing | | | | in North Carolina. |
| fans from all over the United States and the | | | | |
| rest of the world started coming to Daytona | | | | Today, NASCAR is popular all across the |
| Beach to watch the Daytona Beach road course. | | | | country. While many of the nascar drivers |
| For those of you who don't know you NASCAR, | | | | still come out of North Carolina and |
| the Daytona 500 is the biggest race in NASCAR | | | | Tennessee, many more are coming from states |
| today. | | | | like California, New York and 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 |
| America's Prohibition period. The | | | | of the largest markets for television viewers |
| bootleggers needed fast cars to out run the | | | | of the sport. Race tracks have been built in |
| police when they were transporting illegal | | | | Las Vegas, New Hampshire and many |
| whiskey throughout the south and in | | | | non-southern states. |
| particular the mountains of Appalachia. | | | | |
| These bootleggers started to modify their | | | | While the South East region of the United |
| cars to increase their speed and performance. | | | | States was the birthplace of NASCAR, today |
| In order to out run the law, you needed to | | | | the sport is loved throughout the county. |
| have a great car. And, as the bootleggers | | | | Today there are race tracks all across |
| upped the ante, the police did so too. These | | | | America and it is the fastest growing sport |
| suped up cars eventually turned into the | | | | in the country. Despite its regional roots, |
| stock cars that we recognize today. The real | | | | NASCAR is today the most popular sport in the |
| life game of cops and robbers turned into the | | | | United States. Every Sunday during race |
| sports that millions of Americans love today. | | | | season, over 100,000 screaming fans show up |
| | | | to see the NASCAR drivers start their |
| After the end of Prohibition in 1933, | | | | engines. Not bad for a bunch of bootleggers. |