| Today, the most watched sport in America is | | | | Sprint, the new name was born. |
| football. But the next sport on that list is | | | | |
| no longer baseball, not is it basketball - | | | | Drivers set out on a 26-race schedule that |
| auto racing...specifically, NASCAR | | | | paves the way for a 10-race championship push |
| racing...has skyrocketed in growth and | | | | known as the Sprint for the Cup. Whoever has |
| popularity. What was once a small operation | | | | emerged with the best point total once those |
| in the South has turned into a global | | | | 10 races are over is the champion. Only the |
| phenomenon raking in billions annually - an | | | | top 12 regular season finishers are eligible |
| amazing feat for a sport where disaster can | | | | for championship contention. |
| be the main attraction. | | | | |
| | | | For many, NASCAR racing is linked to the |
| NASCAR racing has a long, storied past. | | | | faces and characters involved in the sport - |
| Beginning with its roots in the Prohibition | | | | legendary drivers like the late Dale |
| Era, the sport began in earnest when Bill | | | | Earnhardt, as well as Richard Petty and |
| France created the sanctioning body known as | | | | others. In addition, the current set of |
| NASCAR in 1948. The sport that used to be a | | | | drivers - like Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, |
| bootleggers' paradise had turned into a real | | | | Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - help |
| sport - and the big rush would come three | | | | power the sport now. |
| decades later, culminating at the Daytona 500 | | | | |
| in 1979. That year, the contest came down to | | | | In 2001, at the season-opening Daytona 500, |
| the final laps, between drivers Cale | | | | the sport lost a legend when Dale Earnhardt |
| Yarborough and Donnie Allison. The bad blood | | | | died on the final lap, while holding off |
| shared between the two in this close finish | | | | other competitors to keep his son's car and |
| brewed over into a post-race fight that | | | | another teammate's vehicle out in front on |
| actually endeared a generation of new fans to | | | | the final lap of the race. His loss touched |
| the sport. Millions of TV viewers had become | | | | racing fans around the country and the world, |
| a captive audience due to a huge snowstorm in | | | | and few losses have ever been reflected on in |
| the East - now, the race itself made them | | | | the way The Intimidator's loss still is to |
| captive in a whole new manner. | | | | this day. If there was any good to come from |
| | | | the passing of a NASCAR racing legend, it was |
| NASCAR racing is made up of a host of series, | | | | that the sport began a push to improve the |
| including the well-known truck series, and | | | | safety of the drivers and the tracks. |
| the Nationwide Series. However, most mentions | | | | |
| of the sport of NASCAR racing are referring | | | | Now, NASCAR racing is pushing forward to this |
| to the Sprint Cup Series, the top series on | | | | generation of drivers - and new innovations |
| the circuit. The Sprint series was once | | | | that will continue to grow and diversify this |
| called the Winston Cup Series; in 2004, the | | | | sport now enjoyed by countless numbers of |
| sport decided to get an image-friendly | | | | people. |
| sponsor in NEXTEL. When they merged with | | | | |