Early history
Many early racing drivers were involved in bootlegging, the illegal transportation of alcohol. The drivers would modify their cars in order to create a faster and more maneuverable car. It was a logical step for the owners of these cars to race them. These races were popular entertainment in the rural south, and they are most closely associated with the Wilkes County region of North Carolina.
Most races in those days were of "modified" cars, street vehicles which may have been lightened or reinforced. Bill France had the notion that people would enjoy watching unmodified, "stock" cars racing and promoted a few races before WW II. In 1947, he decided that this racing would not grow without a formal sanctioning organization, standardized rules, a regular schedule, and an organized championship. This led to the formation of NASCAR in 1948. The first NASCAR race ever was held at the old Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina on June 19, 1949 (This is not the same speedway as the Lowe's Motor Speedway that is near Charlotte, NC.
Initially the cars were known as the "Strictly Stock" Division and raced with virtually no modifications from the factory models. This division was renamed "Grand National" in 1950. However, over a period of about a dozen years, modifications for both safety and performance were allowed, and by the mid-1960s the vehicles were purpose built racecars with a stock-appearing body.
Most races were on half-mile to
one mile oval tracks. However, the first "superspeedway"
was built in
Darlington, South
Carolina in
1950. This
track at 1.38 miles was wider, faster, and higher
banked than racers had seen. The famous
Daytona, Florida
race used the beach as one straightaway and the
beachfront highway as the other, prior to the
construction in
1959 of
the
Daytona International
Speedway, a 2.5 mile high banked track
that became the icon of the sport.