- Stock car racing is said to date back to Prohibition, when drivers smuggled bootleg liquor across the country. Their cars were modified to run faster in order to evade the police. Stock car racing began to grow and by 1948, William France established NASCAR to establish it as a sport. Over the years, NASCAR refined the rules of the sport and increased its popularity to its monumental status today.
- Before NASCAR, stock car racing was mired in difficulties, mainly because there were no established rules. This allowed dishonest promoters to steal the money from the drivers. Once NASCAR was established, racetracks were built throughout the country. The sport entered the modern era in the 1970s when large prizes were awarded to winners and importance given to winning the entire championship rather than individual races.
- The most important NASCAR race series, judging by popularity and profits, is the Sprint Cup. It consists of 36 races over 10 months; the winner receives $4 million. Races are held on oval tracks ranging from 1 to 2 miles long, with 3 or 4 left turns. Race speed can vary from 90 to 200 miles per hour depending on the race and track. Drivers earn points that determine their standings in the championship ladder.
- As the sanctioning body for the second-most popular sport in the United States, NASCAR is a defining force of American culture, especially in the Southeast. NASCAR grosses over $3 billion annually from licensed products and hosts 17 out of the 20 most attended sporting events in the country. Successful stock car racers tend to become celebrities in the sport and popular culture and are often seen in advertisements endorsing products.
- Although NASCAR has its roots in the southeastern United States, there are events held annually in 39 states. NASCAR's headquarters are in Daytona Beach, Florida, and it maintains offices in 4 cities in North Carolina. Almost all NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina, especially around Charlotte. NASCAR has regional offices in New York, Los Angeles, Arkansas, Toronto and Mexico City, spreading the sport throughout North America.
