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Article Series: NASCAR
Everything You Need To Know About NASCAR
How
Did NASCAR Get Its Start? A Brief History
The roots of NASCAR are found deep in the
southern part of the United States. During the prohibition
period drivers were running moonshine to supplement the family
income. Moonshine running paid well in an era where wages were
small and many men went unemployed. For a 120-gallon load of
white lightening a man could collect $200 per delivery. This
seemed a fortune to many men who had families starving! The
south was mainly dry so moonshine or white lightening was in
high demand. There were plenty of loads to be delivered!
Naturally these
drivers needed cars that could go faster than the police
cars that chased them. That meant the cars had to
go over 95 mph. The drivers had to have the ability to handle
these cars over rough mountain roads, unmapped territory, and
the drivers themselves needed to be fearless to avoid capture.
In a time when entertainment was nonexistent, competition grew
between drivers for nothing more than bragging rights! Dirt
tracks were fashioned and drivers were soon running them and
collecting fans. Promoters began exploiting the races popularity.
Gate prices were ten to twenty-five cents and were available
to the people who lived in the area. Promoters began promising
big winning paydays and then running off with the money.
Bill France was a mechanic and dirt track racer who lived
in the Washington D.C. area. He took his life savings and packed
his family up to move south to get away from the harsh winters.
He had started racing by sneaking his father’s Model T to a
racetrack in Maryland. His original car was a modified Motel
T engine with a woven canvas body. It had one seat and was
open wheeled. As he competed in tracks around the Washington
area, Bill learned the business of auto racing and continued
improving his driving skills.
The trip south ended in Daytona Beach Florida. Speed was already
an important part of their tourist trade as many speed trials
were run on Ormand Beach. The Utah salt flats were opened for
speed trials and Daytona Beach was soon starving for tourists
and for speed. A racetrack was set up for a 250-mile race along
Highway A1A and parts of the beach. Stock cars ran the race
for a purse of $5000. They shortened the track and received
backing from a local restaurant owner and began making money
from promoting racing events.
Bill France soon realized the races needed to have the same
rules and car specifications. Bill France’s dream of a racking
league strictly for stock cars came to pass when the National
Championship Stock Car Circuit was born in 1946. In 1947 a
group of lawyers, car owners, promoters, mechanics, and drivers
founded the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing,
or NASCAR. The official birth date of NASCAR is February 21,
1948.
The strictly stock series eventually changed in to what is
now known as the NEXTEL Cup Series. The sport has grown in
popularity and has continued to grow. Today, drivers make an
enormous amount of money and you cannot get started in the
business for less than ten million dollars! The races of today
draw enormous crowds and attract more fans every year. NASCAR
fans are passionate about the racing, loyal to the drivers,
and fill stands Sunday after Sunday during the race season.
Races fill the senses with sound from the crowd and the roar
of the engines, the smell of fuel, brake fluid and burning
rubber, the feel of the sun on your arms and the taste of the
cold drink of your choice. Attending a race will have you hooked
on NASCAR racing.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2008
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