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NASCAR Racing- It's history and background
Read more about the background of NASCAR Racing
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From grass roots roots in the deep South,
NASCAR
racing has developed to unbelievable success through the entire united
States. Over the decades, from the inaugural races conducted in 1948, NASCAR
has turned into arguably the most watched spectator competition in The
United States of America. NASCAR, with the current NEXTEL Cup and Busch
series, boasts 75 million fanatical fans. Interesting demographics reveal
that 40% of fans are women and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor
jobs. Not your typical racing fanatic that many people anticipate. The
other arenas of fan interest are strong also; yearly attendance at contests
is In excess of 7 million, more than of 275 million Race fans follow on the
tube, and the products market is greater than $2 billion. Websites have also
appeared sporting key
NASCAR news
items. The American passion for auto racing that grown in the 1940’s
did not elude the attention of boosters who rapidly made an "official" sport
out of it, creating many organizations, each with their own rules. Then on
December 14, 1947, Bill France, decided to get together with thirty five of
the organizers of all racing associations in place to draw the outline of
what was going to become the American national automobile sport. It took
four days for the group to agree on all the formulas, to pick out the name
of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the
Association was finally officially created on February 21, 1948.
The
1st competitions of what was to ultimately turn into the NASCAR series were
held in 1948 with customized pre-war cars, which later became the "modified"
series. Some important milestones for the NASCAR Racing world through the
decades include:
--The 1st 500 mile race takes place at Darlington in 1950
--The first Daytona 500 takes place at Daytona International Speedway in
1959.
--first television report by CBS in 1960.
--Buddy Baker exceeds the 200 mph limitation at Talladega in 1970.
--A Gallup poll reveals that 28% of Race fans are “contend fans” in
1976. NASCAR history has developed to a point where racing is no more
a event just for Southern "rednecks". The success of the sport has
developed from its Southeastern origins to places nationwide creating
NASCAR fans
all throughout the united States. NEXTEL Cup contests are now held in New
Hampshire, Michigan, California, Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana,
Texas and Nevada. There have even been exhibition competitions held in Japan
and other international locales.
Commentators who closely report on the NASCAR races assign several reasons
for its almost unbelievable growth over the many years. One significant
reason is a combination that nearly no other spectator event equals. Each
Week, the best teams (drivers) are fighting head to head against each other.
Unlike, for instance the NFL, in which you might have to wait weeks for a
exciting contest between top tier teams, you can view number 1 versus number
2 every week. It’s nearly like experiencing the World Series of this
circuit every week. The start of NASCAR in the “bootlegging” era and
the humble roots of a lot of of its initial heroes seems to be a positive
factor to followers nowadays. In this era of the spoiled, pampered,
arrogant pro competitor, NASCAR racing followers seem to be searching for a
down to earth, more grounded kind of hero to give their loyalty
to. How does NASCAR trace its roots back to bootlegging? The practice
of bootlegging kept on even after the finish of the Prohibition period, due
to the great tax laid on hard drink upon reversal of the Volstead Act in
1933. As bootlegging expanded , the drivers started to contend between
themselves to determine who had the fastest automobiles. The bootleggers
competed on Sunday afternoons and then used the same cars to carry moonshine
Sunday night. As more and more folks came to observe the contests, racing
moonshine automobiles became highly popular in the backroads of the Southern
US.
The finish of World War II had an impact on the start of NASCAR. At the
end of the war, the request for new automobiles in the U.S. made a large
leap with the return of the troops. The manufacturing capacity that created
the “weapons of war” switched to making motorcars. Next followed the arrival
on the marketplace of fast, brawny and robust autos which were loved by the
young population of the time. The American West was impassioned for the
"sports" automobiles, the Midwest for those with uncovered wheels, whereas
the South-east chose the stock cars. A great number of these were changed to
carry out the illegal booze traffic and utilized in the "races" that sprung
up all over the Southland.
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