NASCAR, not just a Southern thing anymore

NASCAR fans visit  http://www.the-nascar-circuit.com every day for the latest news and discussions.

From grass roots origins in the deep South, NASCAR racing has risen to unbelievable heights through the entire country. Across the years, from the first races conducted in 1948, NASCAR has turned into arguably the best spectator competition in America. NASCAR, with the current NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, boasts 75 million fanatical buffs. Fascinating demographics show that 40% of fans are ladies and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. Not your normal racing fanatic that most observers expect. The other spheres of fan interest are strong also; annual attendance at the tracks is Over 7 million, upwards of 275 million People follow on tV, and the wares marketplace tops $2 billion. Websites have also appeared featuring key NASCAR news items.

The start of NASCAR in the “bootlegging” days and the humble start of a lot of of its first headliners seems to be motivating to buffs today. In this day of the spoiled, pampered, arrogant professional jock, NASCAR racing followers seem to be searching for a down to earth, more grounded kind of champion to give their loyalty to.

The 1st races of what was to ultimately turn into the NASCAR series were conducted in 1948 with modified pre-war automobiles, which later became the "modified" series. Some major milestones for the NASCAR Racing world through the decades include: --The first 500 mile race takes place at Darlington in 1950 --The initial Daytona 500 takes place at Daytona International Speedway in 1959. --first tV report by CBS in 1960. --Buddy Baker goes past the 200 mph limitation at Talladega in 1970. --A Gallup poll unveils that 28% of People are “race followers” in 1976.

NASCAR history has developed to a point where racing is no longer a spectator sport just for Southern "rednecks". The success of the sport has grown from its Southeastern background to points across the country producing NASCAR fans all around the country. NEXTEL Cup competitions are now run in New Hampshire, Michigan, California, Arizona, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Texas and Nevada. There have even been exhibition races run in Japan and other international venues.

The American zeal for auto racing that evolved in the 1940’s did not elude the attention of promoters who promptly made an "official" event out of it, producing a lot of organizations, each with their own regulations. Then on December 14, 1947, Bill France, determined to assemble with thirty five of the organizers of all racing associations in place to draw the outline of what was going to turn into the American national automobile sport. It took four times for the group to agree on all the formulas, to pick the name of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the Association was in the end officially created on February 21, 1948.

How does NASCAR trace its roots back to bootlegging? The commerce of bootlegging kept on even after the close of the Prohibition days, because of the large tax placed on strong drink upon repeal of the Volstead Act in 1933. As bootlegging flourished , the drivers commenced to compete among themselves to see who had the swiftest autos. The bootleggers competed on Sunday afternoons and then employed the same automobiles to cart corn liquor Sunday night. As more and more observers came to see the races, racing moonshine autos became very popular in the backroads of the Southern US.

The conclusion of World War II had an impact on the beginning of NASCAR. At the conclusion of the war, the demand for new cars in the United States made a great leap with the reappearance of the military personnel. The manufacturing power that produced the “weapons of war” turned to creating autos. Next came the arrival on the marketplace of speedy, powerful and robust autos which were relished by the young folks of the time. The American West was burning for the "sports" automobiles, the Midwest for those with uncovered wheels, whereas the South-east chose the stock cars. Many of these were modified to carry out the illegal alcohol traffic and employed in the "contests" that sprung up all over the Southern US.

Observers who closely keep an eye on the NASCAR races give credit to several factors for its huge popularity over the decades. One key reason is a formula that virtually no other spectator competition utilizes. Every week, the better teams (drivers) are fighting directly against each other. Different from, for instance the NFL, in which you may have to wait weeks for a exciting contest between top tier teams, you can follow number 1 versus number 2 every week. It’s literally like taking in the World Series of this sport every week.