(Web page courtesy of Marquee Pro Sports)
During the turn of the 20th century Daytona Beach became known as the place to set world land speed records. Race enthusiasts from everywhere would flock to Daytona Beach, Florida to watch land speed record attempts. In 1936 the course began hosting car-racing events where drivers raced a 1.5 to 2 mile stretch of beach as one straightaway, and beachfront highway A1A as the other.Most races in those early days of NASCAR history included modified streetcars, which were lightened and reinforced.
William France, Sr., a mechanic, moved to Daytona Beach in 1935. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing in fifth place. He took over running the course in 1938 and promoted a few races before World War II.
After witnessing drivers being frequently victimized by promoters who would disappear from events without paying the drivers William France decided that changes needed to be made. In 1947, he began talks with influential racers and promoters that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948.
The NASCAR sanctioning body hosted their first ever event at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948 where Red Byron, a WWII pilot and hero won the first race in NASCAR history.
Red Byron also won NASCAR’s first “Strictly Stock” championship.
The series that we now know today as NEXTEL Cup Series debuted in 1949 and was limited to full-size American production or “stock” cars.
Initially, the cars were known as the “Strictly Stock Division” and raced with almost no modifications on the factory models. Over the next 15 years modifications for both safety and performance were allowed and required. By 1965, the race-cars were “purpose-built” vehicles with “stock-appearing” bodies.
In the early 1970’s NASCAR made significant changes to its structure. The “Winston Cup” became the top series with its sponsorship from R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The next division down which was called “Late Model Sportsman” obtained the title of “Grand National” and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer. We now know this division as “Busch” or “Nationwide Series” racing.
In the mid-1970’s NASCAR races began to receive television coverage on ABC. The 1979 Daytona 500 was the first race that could be seen on national television from start to finish or “flag to flag” on CBS.
NASCAR history defines 1972 as the beginning of the modern era that brought a major change in the competitive structure. The purse awarded for championship points accumulated over the course of the season began to be significant. Drivers were previously mainly concerned with winning individual races. The new structure now allows their standing in championship points to be an important factor.
In 2004, NEXTEL took over sponsorship of the top series from Winston. During the 2004 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season "The Chase for the Cup" format was introduced where the top 10 drivers in points after the 26th race of the season start a new race. The top 10 drivers who qualified for the chase are assigned new point standings and compete for the championship in the last ten races of the season. 
During this modern era of television broadcasting nearly every major network and many cable stations have broadcast NASCAR events or have had some NASCAR coverage. NASCAR has become a recognized leader in the entertainment industry with millions of fans attending these events and many millions more who watch races on television every week. Find out why racing fans Love NASCAR!
Web page courtesy of Marquee Pro Sports