History Of NASCAR

NASCAR History
By Brenda Williams

NASCAR officially dates back to 1938, when Bill France Sr. held the very first NASCAR race. Back then, the prizes weren't much - a can of motor oil, or a pack of cigarettes. Still, it was a big deal to even have a prize! Previously, the races that would become NASCAR were held by bootleggers who had souped-up their automobiles to outrun Federal agents. The prize for outrunning one of those agents was not going to jail...or losing your life.

Even after Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Southerners still loved racing their fast cars. The early races were not well-organized, but there was a lot of demand from fans to see these cars race. Bill France Sr., a gas station owner, drove a stock car on weekends and recognized their popularity. He became manager of the Daytona Beach Race Course, and organized and promoted a series of popular races. His plans were put on hold when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in Dec.1941, and France stopped his races for the duration of World War II.

After the war, France had the idea to create a highly-organized way of creating races that would guarantee that the drivers and crew were properly compensated. This organization was officially founded in 1947 and became known as the National Association for Stock Car Racing, or NASCAR.

The first officially-sanctioned NASCAR race was held in February 1948 in Daytona Beach. The following year, NASCAR began what would become the Winston Cup Series, known at the time as "Strictly Stock," with a $5,000 purse.

In 1950, NASCAR came to the new Darlington International Speedway in Darlington, South Carolina, which became known as the "first superspeedway." The track was built by local businessman Harold Brasington, who saw the potential in France's vision. Brasington's efforts were widely mocked as "Harold's Folley," but his plan paid off when the first race, on Labor Day 1950, was attended by 25,000 fans - more than twice the number Brasington had anticipated.

Plans for an official NASCAR headquarters in Daytona Beach were announced in 1954, and the final speedway was completed in 1959. NASCAR continued to thrive over the next several decades, continuing its expansion with such new speedways as the Talladega Superspeedway, which opened in 1969. In 1973, Bill France Sr. retired, leaving the company to his son, Bill Jr. As president of NASCAR, Bill France Jr. continued to expand the company, leading to many Fortune 500 companies coming in as sponsors for driving teams and events in the 1980s.

NASCAR has exploded in the 1990s and 2000s, becoming one of the most popular spectator sports in the U.S. Winston Cup Events topped 6 million attendees in 1998, the same year that NASCAR-licensed products topped $950 million in sales. The 21st century has brought about many changes, including increased television coverage of the races, and many variations in the track and point systems. Bill France Jr. retired in 2003, turning NASCAR over to his son Brian.

Over three generations, NASCAR has grown from a small gathering of cars to a multibillion-dollar industry. With its popularity continuing to soar, it promises to maintain its enormous popularity for many years to come.

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