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NASCAR has quickly become one of the most popular and fastest growing spectator sports in America. With TV broadcasts in 150 countries, NASCAR has 75 million extremely loyal fans. Have you heard of NASCAR? Are you a NASCAR fan? Here is some history on how this popular sport was born.

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) was founded on February 21st, 1948 by William France Sr. He was confident that a race featuring everyday automobiles (stock cars) would appeal to racing fans worldwide.

In 1959, the Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 mile track was introduced. This was the first NASCAR track to be opened. Tody, the Daytona Speedway is home to the most popular NASCAR race of them all, the Daytona 500. In 1969, a second NASCAR track opened, the Talladega Superspeedway. At 2.66 miles, the Talladega Superspeedway is still the largest and fastest track in the world.

In 1979 the first NASCAR race to be nationally televised was the Daytona 500. During that broadcast three of the race drivers were involved in a fistfight. The drama that was displayed during this national broadcast helped ignite an interest in fans and marketers alike. This led to the modern age of NASCAR.

The International Motorsports Hall of Fame opened on July 25, 1990 to honor the achievements of the greatest legends of motorsports. Some of the big names in NASCAR today are Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Legendary NASCAR drivers from the past include names like Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, and Darrell Waltrip.