William France originally founded NASCAR in 1948 to organize and promote racing on tracks. Several racetracks existed across the Southeast, each with their own rulesand regulations. Hence, the racing sport lacked in direction. Through William France's steadfast vision, he deliveredthat much badly needed direction and professionalized a sport, in its time,

 As well, William France founded the International Speedway Corporation, which gave NASCAR the Daytona International Speedway in 1959 and subsequently, the Talladega Superspeedway in 1969.

Upon William France's retirement, his two sons, Bill Jr. and Jim assumed control. Bill Jr, through his vision, set thestandard by which all motorsports are measured.

Currently, millions of NASCAR race fans come in droves to see NASCAR racing events throughout the U.S. NASCAR racing has to be the most heart pounding, exciting form of motorsports entertainment nationwide.

It all started with races on the famed Daytona beach/road course in the late 1940's. Throughout the 53-year history of NASCAR, its race cars have been transformed from road-going, lumbering true "stock" cars into the sleek, technologically advanced machines that we see today on ultra-modern speedways. In tracing the evolution of the cars that we know today as the Winston Cup Series, it's necessary to go back to the beginnings of NASCAR and its "Strictly Stock Division."

The success of the modern Winston Cup Series proves he was correct. From the racers' perspective, putting a race car together was not a high-dollar deal. If a brand-new Buick sold for about $4,000, due to the lack of modification that could be done to it, the car could be raced for very little more of an investment.

In some instances, rental cars were actually used as race cars by point-chasing drivers who had no locked-in "ride" for an event. Cars were typically either driven to the track or "flat-towed" behind pick-ups and family sedans.

Other than tweaking and tuning of the engine, nothing could be done to these early Strictly Stock cars. The window glass front, back and sides was intact. Ropes and aircraft harnesses were used as seat belts. Roll bars -- which were mandated in 1952 -- were neither required nor often installed.

One thing the strictly stock designation encouraged was a great diversity of manufacturers on the track. The first official Strictly Stock Division race had nine makes come to the line, including Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Ford, Hudson, Kaiser, Lincoln, Mercury and Oldsmobile.

Some of the biggest problems were tire; wheel and suspension failures brought on by stresses that were atypical of normal road use. These concerns brought about novel solutions such as one detailed by two-time Grand National (forerunner of Winston Cup) champion Tim Flock, who described a trap door in the floorboard of his race car that he could open with a chain to check right front tire wear.

"When the white cord was showing, we had about one or two laps left before the tire would blow," said Flock of the 'early-warning system.'

Due to the rough-surfaced dirt tracks that were predominant in the early days of the sport, the only modification that was allowed was a reinforcing steel plate on the right front wheel to prevent lug nuts from pulling through the rims on conventional wheels.

Otherwise, racing stock cars in the early days of the sport was very much a seat of the pants endeavor. But it was one that spawned innumerable legends of drivers who created them, literally, with their own hands, feet and indomitable wills and courage. It all started with races on the famed Daytona beach/road course in the late 1940's.

The starting point.

At the end of the World War II, the request for new cars in the USA made a considerable jump with the return of the soldiers. The industry which had produced weaponry for 5 years applied at once their designs to the new cars. The result was the arrival on the market of fast, powerful and robust cars which were enjoyed by the young people of the time. Those started to organize more or less legal races, and soon trends started to form.

The American West was impassioned for the "sports" cars, the Midwest for those with uncovered wheels, whereas South-east chose the stock cars. A lot of these were modified to carry out the illegal alcohol traffic and used in the "races".
This passion for auto racing did not escape the promoters who quickly made an "official" sport out of it, creating many organizations, each with their own rules. Some of them were the NCSCC (National Championship Stock Car Circuit), NSCRA (National Stock Car Racing Association), etc....

Unfortunately, this prevented auto racing from reaching the national level. Moreover, no guarantee of payment was offered to the pilots: if there was money remaining in the pot after the race, so much better, if not...

The birth.

On December 14, 1947, Bill France, who was himself part of the NSCRA, decided to meet with thirty five of the leaders of all associations in place to draw the lines of what was going to become the American national automobile sport.
It took four days for the group to staighten all the rules, to choose the name of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) and the Association was finally officially created on February 21, 1948.

The first races.

They were run the same year with modified pre-war cars, which later became the "modified" series. The championship comprised 52 races, and the first winner was Red Byron, who pocketed $1250.

As soon as 1949, Bill France put his very first idea into practice: a "strictly stock" series - no modification accepted. This brought a controversy which one can describe as historical at the end of the first race at Charlotte. Glenn Dunnaway won the race with his 1947 Ford, but was declared illegal because of a modification of the rear springs (Dunnaway used his car to carry moonshine). Jim Roper pocketed the $5000 with his Mercury 1949.

The championship of only eight races, was once again won by Red Byron.