NASCAR - Its Race to Fame

NASCAR, the acronym, stands for the Nationalstock" division was open to competitors who drove
Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Stock carfull-sized American made passenger cars, with
racing is rooted in the southeastern United States.complete bodies, fenders, bumpers, and grilles-all
Building and driving fast cars relates to anotherparts were required to be listed in the manufacturer's
southern tradition, that of making moonshinecatalog for each model. On September 4, 1950 the
whiskey. Bootleggers were men who legally ranfirst Southern 500 was held in Darlington, SC on a
whiskey to hundreds of markets in the southeasternlarger, wider, and faster track than any stock car
U.S. The bootlegging business really began to boom.driver had ever seen before. Under the direction of
The drivers soon began to race one another to seeBill France Sr. and later his son, Bill France Jr., NASCAR
who had the faster car. This quickly became a veryhas become the fastest growing spectator sport in
popular sport in the back roads of the South.the nation.
Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR hasNASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of motor
become one of the hottest spectator sports in thesports in the United States. The three largest racing
world. In the years following World War II, stock carseries sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup,
racing began to grow. However, there was littlethe Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
organization and no consistency in the rules betweenNASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100
tracks. In the summer of 1938, William H.G. "Bill"tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. IN 1996,
France organized a race on the sands of Daytona1997 and 1998 NASCAR also held exhibition races in
Beach, Florida. He soon realized for stock car racingJapan. Australia held one race in 1998. Beginning as
to grow, an official organization had to exist. Onregional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S.,
December 12, 1947, Bill France gathered promotersNASCAR has grown to become the 2nd most
from the southeast, northeast, and midwest inpopular professional sport in terms of television
Daytona. Over the next three days, rules andratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National
specifications were drawn and agreed upon. TheFootball League (NFL).
name of the organization would be called NASCAR.NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It
The first true NASCAR race was held at theholds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in
Charlotte, North Carolina Fairgrounds on June 19,the U.S., and has 75 million fans that purchase over
1949. The division in which this race was held was in$2 billion in annual licensed product sales! These fans
the "strictly stock" division, which has become theare considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports,
racing division of NASCAR, known as the Winstonand as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor
Cup Series. It was a 150-mile race. The "strictlyNASCAR more than any other sport.