NASCAR History, Getting the Lowdown!NASCAR History, how did it all start?
Most races in those early days of NASCAR history included modified street cars, which were lightened and reinforced. William France Sr., a mechanic, moved to Daytona Beach in 1935. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing in fifth place. He took over running the course in 1938 and promoted a few races before World War II.
After witnessing drivers being frequently victimized by promoters who would disappear from events without paying the drivers William France decided that changes needed to be made. In 1947, he began talks with influential racers and promoters that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948. The NASCAR sanctioning body hosted their first ever event at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948 where Red Byron, a WWII pilot and hero won the first race in NASCAR history.
The series which we now know today as NEXTEL Cup Series, debuted in 1949 and was limited to full-size American production or “stock” cars. Initially, the cars were known as the “Strickly Stock Division” and raced with almost no modifications on the factory models. Over the next 15 years modifications for both safety and performance were allowed and required. By 1965, the race cars were “purpose-built” vehicles with “stock-appearing” bodies.
The inaugural Daytona 500 was run at the Daytona International Speedway in 1959. In that first race, 59 cars started and 30 finished. Lee Petty won the race in a ’59 Oldsmobile. For three days after the race, they didn’t know if Lee Petty or Johnny Beauchamp was the winner. Officials asked the fans for any photos they had of the finish, and finally 61 hours later, Petty was declared the winner.
In the early 1970’s NASCAR made significant changes to its structure. The “Winston Cup” became the top series with its sponsorship from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The next division down which was called “Late Model Sportsman” obtained the title of “Grand National” and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer. We now know this division as “Busch Series” racing.
In the mid-1970’s NASCAR races began to receive television coverage on ABC. The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first race that could be seen on national television from start to finish or “flag to flag” on CBS. NASCAR history defines 1972 as the beginning of the modern era which brought a major change in the competitive structure. The purse awarded for championship points accumulated over the course of the season began to be significant. Drivers were previously mainly concerned with winning individual races. The new structure now allows their standing in championship points to be an important factor. In 2004, NEXTEL took over sponsorship of the top series from Winston. During the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season "The Chase for the Cup" format was introduced where the top 10 drivers in points after the 26th race of the season start a new race. The top 10 drivers who qualified for the chase are assigned new point standings and compete for the championship in the last ten races of the season.
During this modern era of television broadcasting neary every major network and many cable stations have broadcast NASCAR events or have had some NASCAR coverage. NASCAR has become a recognized leader in the entertainment industry with millions of fans attending these events and many millions more who watch races on television every week. Find out why racing fans
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