The History of NASCAR

This paper seeks to draw an outline of the speech on The History of NASCAR. NASCAR stands for the national Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. In the period immediately following the World War II, there was notable popularity in the stock-car racing. This was evident in the number of crowds and drivers the sport kept on pulling meaning it had a sizeable following. Stock-car racing was a sport that was greatly getting more and more popular amongst people in the country. This large following called for serious changes and developments in the stock-car racing as the management needed to accommodate the growing crowds and drivers. Since the year 1945, there has been an immense development in the sport with improvements in the management, trucks, and many other areas which were in support of the stock-car racing sport. The paper will establish the various areas NASCAR has grown which make up its history and give details of the progress of the sport to the present times.

The Early Years of Stock-car Racing

In the early years of the sport, which is the period after the World War 2, there was a serious management problem. The rules and guidelines governing the sport varied from region to region track to track, and this posed a serious problem in its growth and development. The tracks in use at the time lacked the needed facilities to hold the racing events and were posing a serious risk to the followers of the sport. The venues in use were equally not up to the recommended standards, and the different organizers of the racing events were not using the same guidelines. This state of the stock-car racing called for urgent measures to be taken in an effort to maintain the crowds and drivers in the sport (McGuire 65).

The Founder of NASCAR

In 1947 just as stock-car racing was facing its management problems there was a meeting to discuss the way forward for the sport. Bill France Sr. of Daytona Beach called this meeting, and they had come from Washington D.C to Florida. Bill France’s profession was a mechanic, and, in addition to this, he was racing the local dirt track circuit. France was a consummate participator of promotional activities, which involved the stock-car racing in Daytona. In December of 1947 at a meeting of race, promoters convened by France saw the birth of NASCAR in February 1948. The foundation of NASCAR had its skeptical people who did not see the idea working overtime, but the organization has grown since 1949 to be one of the greatest motorsport series in the North America (Schaefer 37).

The Early Years of NASCAR

After its foundation in the year 1949, NASCAR organization was responsible for many races in the Daytona region. The races grew in the North America, attracting more and more drivers who took part in the sport. The fan base of the sport grew day by day, and in the following years, the management had the responsibility of increasing its venues to accommodate the growing number of followers. Notable constructions include the 2.4-mile high-banked superspeedway, which is four miles off the beach in Daytona Beach. With the growing fan, interest and demand for faster bigger tracks the NASCAR management set up a 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway (Talladega Superspeedway) that was able to accommodate the events of the sport. There was also the construction of other trucks in different regions, apart from those in Daytona Beach, which had an interest in the stock-car racing (Francis 34).

Notable Events and Drivers of NASCAR

The was a change in the leadership of NASCAR in the 1972 when Bill France Sr. retired, and placed his son Bill Jr. to take the leadership mantle. The organization received the considerable sponsorship from various organizations; a perfect example is being the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Later on in the decade, NASCAR was present in the worldwide motorsport events, which attracted up to 1.4 million spectators to the event. Another notable step was the exposure the organization received through television. Its events were being aired live in various television stations, hence getting a large following from viewers across the North America. By the year 1980, NASCAR was not only attracting drivers from the other regions, but also those from corporations who took part in the car races as individuals or teams. In November 2000, there was a change in management with Mike Helton becoming the third president in NASCAR history (Center and Monte 45).

In the history of NASCAR, there were some notable drivers who have made their way through the events of the organizations and we can look at these eminent persons. The most notable driver of all times is Dale Earnhardt whose name is known for winning seventy-six races including seven championships. Jimmie Johnson is a recent driver with a record of three wins in his 2002 recruit season. Jimmie won five championships. Many drivers only dream about in the whole of their profession. Richard Petty also known as the ‘King’ cannot be missed in the list of top drivers of NASCAR because of his seven wins in the championship and over 200 wins in other races. In addition to the above, we also have Jeff Gordon and David Pearson among others, several drivers who gave image to the NASCAR foundation.

Conclusion

NASCAR possesses a magnificent history starting from a mere stock-car racing event to one of the most respectable worldwide motorsport. The developments and changes the organization underwent made it a thrilling sport attracting a large fan-base and participators. In the recent times, NASCAR changed its sponsor to Nextel, which was followed by a change in management. The France family came back with Brian Z. France being named the CEO.