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Stop by the pit at
The-NASCAR-Circuit when you finish this article for more news and
information about NASCAR,
From humble origins in the deep Southern US, NASCAR racing has matured to unbelievable popularity across the whole uSA. Across the years, from the inaugural races observed in 1948, NASCAR has grown to arguably the first spectator event in The United States. NASCAR, with it's current NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, counts 75 million fanatical devotees. Fascinating demographics depict that 40% of these are women and 53% are employed in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. Not your typical racing fanatic that almost all folks anticipate. The other points of fan interest are solid also; annual attendance at race tracks is Over 7 million, upwards of 275 million Americans watch on tV, and the products arena exceeds $2 billion. Websites have also shown up sporting key NASCAR news items. How does NASCAR track its beginnings back to bootlegging? The commerce of bootlegging continued even after the close of the Prohibition era, due to the great tax set on strong drink upon reversal of the Volstead Act in 1933. As bootlegging prospered , the drivers began to compete among themselves to check who had the swiftest autos. The bootleggers battled on Sunday afternoons and then drove the same cars to haul moonshine Sunday night. As more and more folks came to see the competitions, racing moonshine automobiles became very popular in the backroads of the Southland. The American passion for auto racing that evolved in the 1940's did not escape the attention of boosters who rapidly made an "official" sport out of it, making several organizations, each with their own guidelines. Then on December 14, 1947, Bill France, determined to assemble with thirty five of the organizers of all racing associations in place to produce the outline of what was going to become the American national automobile sport. It took four days for the group to settle on all the regulations, to select the name of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the Association was in the end officially created on February 21, 1948. The end of World War II had an affect on the beginning of NASCAR. At the close of the war, the demand for new automobiles in the USA made a considerable leap with the reappearance of the troops. The manufacturing power that developed the "weapons of war" switched to constructing automobiles. Next followed the arrival on the market of fast, muscular and robust automobiles which were loved by the young folks of the time. The American West was fervent for the "sports" cars, the Midwest for those with uncovered wheels, while the South-east preferred the stock cars. Many of these were customized to carry out the illegal alcohol traffic and used in the "races" that sprung up all over the Southland.
The first races of what was to ultimately become the NASCAR series were started in 1948 with customized pre-war cars, which later became the "modified" series. Some key milestones for the NASCAR Racing world through the years include:
--The 1st 500 mile race takes place at Darlington in 1950
--The initial Daytona 500 takes place at Daytona International Speedway in 1959.
--Initial television report by CBS in 1960.
--Buddy Baker surpasses the 200 mph barrier at Talladega in 1970.
--A Gallup poll brings out that 28% of Fans are "NASCAR followers" in 1976.
Fans who closely monitor the NASCAR circuit ascribe a number of factors for its considerable success over the many years. A major reason is a combination that virtually no other spectator sport equals. Week in and week out, the best teams (drivers) are competing directly against each other. Different from, for instance the NFL, in which you could have to hold off weeks for a exciting competition between top teams, you can view number 1 versus number 2 every week. It's literally like getting the World Series of this sport every week. The roots of NASCAR in the "bootlegging" times and the grass roots roots of numbers of of its initial heroes seems to be a positive factor to devotees today. In this time of the spoiled, pampered, arrogant professional jock, NASCAR racing buffs appear to be searching for a normal, more grounded type of hero to give their allegiance to. NASCAR history has evolved to a point where racing is no more a sport just for Southern "rednecks". The popularity of the sport has grown from its Southeastern roots to points across the country producing NASCAR fans all throughout the united States. NEXTEL Cup contests are now run in New Hampshire, Michigan, California, Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas and Nevada. There have even been exhibition competitions run in Japan and other international locations.
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