Top Things to Know About the History of NASCAR
NASCAR is, unquestionably, the largest motor-sport series in North America. NASCAR was founded in 1948. However, it was in 1949 that William France Sr. took up the challenge of racing cars that are typically driven on the streets. It opened the opportunity to race for little investment.
Back in 1948, when NASCAR was founded, there were few new cars to race. This is because the country was in its post-war era. The general thought was that racing was a good idea, but that the fans would not tolerate the obviation of new cars. In a time of struggle, and conservation, ruining a perfectly good, let alone new, car would probably set off a bad reaction. This called for cars to be modified and raced instead. Today, NASCAR enthusiasts often refer to those early cars as their truly stock cars, or the "Strictly Stock Division".
In 1949, it was William France Sr. who realized that since no one else was racing late model family sedans, that perhaps it would add interest to the sport. He was correct.
Racers could enter races in a car that cost under $4,000, and with just a few extra dollars in investment the car would be race-able. Generally, the only modifications that could be and were done to the car was the "tweaking" of the engine and a reinforcing plate welded to the the right front wheel. This plate would then prevent the loss of the wheel, because it prevented the lug nuts from pulling through the wheel rims. Other than that, all of the glass windows stayed installed, no roll-bars were used, and either rope or aircraft harnesses were used as seat belts.
The very first "Strictly Stock Division" race included cars made by Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Hudson, Kaiser, Lincoln, Mercury, and Oldsmobile. They raced at the Daytona Beach/road course.
New speedways and race tracks were developed from the late 1950's to the 1960's. By the mid 1960's, raceways existed in Daytona Beach, Fl.; Hanford, Ca.; Concord, NC.; and Hampton, Ga. During this time period, car manufacturers recognized that their participation in NASCAR racing boosted car sales.
Keeping the family in the business, today the CEO of NASCAR is Brian French, the grandson of William Sr. The largest sanctioned NASCAR series held yearly are the Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series.
Fans of NASCAR flock to the racetracks every season and in the largest of tracks, sit in one of approximately 190,000 seats.
Drivers today, enjoy a split of the track winnings and licensing income, endorsements and salary. In March, 2010 Forbes listed the top 10 NASCAR earners. While the economy has had some impact upon their earnings, fans and the enjoyment of the sport keep the drivers coming back and racing.