NASCAR (National Stock Car Racing Association) is the queen of drag racing in the United States, celebrating the 75th anniversary of its inaugural season.
In December 1947, auto racing enthusiast Bill France Sr., who had been organizing races in Florida for almost 20 years, decided to create an association in this area, but only for stock cars.
Two months later, in February 1948, NASCAR raced its first season in Dayton, Florida.
NASCAR, which is gearing up to open the 2023 season in Daytona, celebrated its anniversary by releasing a special 60-second video showing its history from Daytona’s beaches.
The association currently has several racing categories with over one hundred circuits in the country.
In June 1949, the first official organized “stock car” race was held at Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway in front of 13,000 spectators. The winner was Jim Roper, who drove a Ford Lincoln and completed 197 laps.
10 years later, the first Dayton 500 was held with over 41,000 attendees and Lee Petty was a great winner.
In the 50s and 60s the passion for motorsport grew throughout North America.
The 1964 race at Jacksonville, Florida made history with the victory of Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver, in the national series.
Scott was a mechanic and ex-serviceman who fought in World War II.
In the 1970s, the entire United States was able to watch the first fully televised race (Daytona 500 in 1979). Also in 1977, Janet Guthrie made her debut as the first woman to compete in Dayton.
In 2013, Danica Patrick made history by taking the first women’s pole position in the NASCAR series.
Source: La Opinion
Ray Bly is an accomplished journalist in the field of Automobile. He currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the Automotive industry and a talent for uncovering the latest developments, Ray’s writing provides readers with insightful and informative coverage of the latest news and trends in the field.