SolveYourProblem 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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