From that meeting, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was born, and France, nor anyone else at that meeting could have envisioned what NASCAR has become today (History pp).

The first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held on Daytona's beach course on February 15, 1948, however, it was 1949, when what is now the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the premier racing division in America, was born (History pp). There were eight events held in 1949, and less than a year later, the country's first asphalt super-speedway at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina opened its doors for the new division (History pp). Characters became heroes, and names like Lee Petty, Fireball Roberts, Buck Baker, Herb Thomas, the Flock brothers, and others became as well-known to race fans as Willie, Mickey and the Duke were to baseball fans (History pp).

In May 2004, after forty-five years of hosting two races in NASCAR's...
[ View Full Essay]