History of NASCAR: From Bill France to Tony Stewart

In the days of prohibition, most of the south was in the alcohol business. Running from the law was as much of a business as making the moonshine itself. For a visual picture, just think of "Thunder Road", "Smokey and the Bandit" and "The Dukes of Hazzard." Outrunning the law meant having a faster car. The south became not only the home of moonshine, but the home of the stock car. NASCAR has a great history and has evolved in several different areas. The exposure of NASCAR has grown tremendously over the last five decades. The money involved in NASCAR has become so great that some drivers are the highest paid sportsmen in the world. Companies have sponsored cars and races and have invested large amounts of money to capitalize on the huge, loyal audience that is addicted to NASCAR. The next few paragraphs will show where NASCAR began in these areas and how it evolved through the years.

There wasn't any organized racing until 1934 and even then the races were on dirt tracks. World War II put a stop to all motorsports until 1946. Organized racing at that time was everything but organized. There were dozens of local sanctioning bodies and inconsistent rules. Bill France then had the idea to form the National Championship Stock Car Circuit (NCSCC) which he ran from his house. This quickly turned into NASCAR in the Ebony Room of the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach on Dec. 14, 1947. There was a lot of competition, but Bill France's NASCAR organization was a favorite among the racers. In 1949, NASCAR's first Strictly Stock Car champion was Red Byron. In 1950, a popularity explosion occurred with the first paved speedway in Darlington, SC. The race at Darlington was 500 miles long which many thought to be ridiculous. Yet so many people showed up that they had to use the infield for additional seating. Johnny Mantz was the winner with an average speed of 75.250 mph. This Strictly Stock Car Circuit was renamed the Grand National Circuit in 1950 and by the end of the decade it was clear that paved tracks were on the way in and dirt tracks were on the way out. In 1972 the Grand National Circuit was sponsored by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and the circuit was renamed the Winston Cup. It was in the year 1972 that all of the 31 races on the Winston Cup Schedule were first held on asphalt. In 2003 RJR dropped its sponsorship and the Winston Cup became the NEXTEL Cup.

From 1972 to present day, NASCAR changed dramatically in many different ways. More and more fans were drawn to the sport which gave it greater exposure on a national level. Because of this exposure, Fortune 500 companies began to sponsor the cars. This increase in exposure and sponsorship led to the dramatic increase in driver's earnings. In 1972, Bobby Allison was the earnings leader with $348,939. In 1982, Darrell Waltrip lead the earnings field with $682,085. In 1992, $1,197,550 was won by Bill Elliot. A huge jump in 2002's earnings brought Mark Martin $5,279,400 that year. And just last year in 2005, Tony Stewart brought home the bacon with $6,824,079 in winnings.

More people watched NASCAR than baseball and basketball in 2005. Only the NFL outranks NASCAR in terms of television ratings. Today, NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races on over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada and Mexico. The Daytona 500 in 1979 was the first time that a NASCAR race was televised from start to finish. When the government banned tobacco advertising on television, companies began to sponsor cars. Sponsorship changed from decade to decade. It began with RJR and then moved on to companies such as STP and Purolator. In the eighties sponsorship came from no-names like Tri-City Aluminum and Belden Asphalt. Nowadays you will find mainstream companies such as UPS and Budweiser sponsoring not only cars but also the races. In the early eighties a full season of sponsorship only cost $450,000. By the nineties it had reached $1 million. Today, common sponsorship per season is $6 million.

Sponsorship dollars and driver's earnings are not the only thing that evolved over time concerning NASCAR. The cars themselves have changed dramatically over NASCAR's fifty-seven year existence. Bill France's original idea was to race cars for as little money as possible. By putting a stock car on the track, only minimal modification to the car was possible. This kept costs low. These cars were truly Strictly Stock cars. In 1952 the first modifications appeared such as roll bars which were mostly for safety, and racing tires which were distributed by the Pure Oil Company. The fifties unveiled modifications such as aluminum brake drums by Buick. Also in the fifties, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, and Hudson began using "severe usage" kits that increased the amount of stress that the suspension could withhold. Hudson also won several races with its high performance "Twin H" carburetor. But probably the most important modification in the fifties came from Chevrolet with its 355-cubic inch small block V8. Some of the sixties innovations included a more aerodynamic design, and more tire and roll bar innovations. Dodge's Hemi engine and new racing shock applications also appeared in the sixties. Among the new innovations in the seventies were the Hurst Airheart Brakes and innovations in handling. Most of the cars raced in the seventies were standardized and incorporated the "fast-back" rear window design. Also new in the seventies was the front and back spoiler configurations. The eighties decade allowed for downsized sedans with reduced wheelbases. The speed of the cars in the eighties became so dangerously high that NASCAR began mandating restrictor plates to keep speeds at 193-194 mph. Present day average race speeds are anywhere from 81mph-188mph. The average speed of the race largely depends on the track. The nineties brought on different chassis designs.

NASCAR has changed dramatically from its inception in the forties to present day. All aspects of NASCAR have evolved. It will continue to evolve as we see changes in the stock car that will make it safer for the driver. This is evident in the introduction of "The Car of Tomorrow" which will be mandated for most tracks in 2007. As far as the changes that will occur in the other aspects of NASCAR such as monetary rewards, sponsorship, and exposure, we will just have to see for ourselves.