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Edward M. Rose is the author of the book entitled ‘The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide’
January 27, 2008
Or in the case of Brian Vickers, stupid season! I can?t believe what I?m hearing, Brian Vickers has asked and been granted permission to seek a ride outside of the Hendrick organization. Surely Brian has friends and family that care for him enough to give him a slap up-side the head. Somebody, give that boy a shake and bring him back to reality, what is he thinking?
So stop me when I mention anything un-true: The Hendrick organization has to be one of the classiest in NASCAR racing today, the equipment they provide is top notch, was Vickers not personally hand picked by Ricky Hendrick to take over his ride, didn’t Vickers recently sign a contract extension that would have seen him with Hendrick through 2009? Wouldn?t any driver kill for a seat in a Hendrick car? Has Brian lost his marbles?
Rumor has it, Brian is looking at replacing Dale Jarrett in the 88 car when Dale goes to work for Michael Waltrip in a Toyota next season. Now I know Vickers is nuts, doesn?t he know they drive Ford?s over at Robert Yates Racing! When was the last time a Yates car won a race or a championship? The two Yates cars currently sit in 17th and 20th in the Nextel points standings, does Vickers think he can do better in a Ford. Brian?s own teammates are in 1st, 9th and 10th. Aren?t his odds better staying where he is?
What ever happened to loyalty? Vickers has been treated like one of Rick Hendricks own; he even lived with them for a while. They have done so much for his career provided him with a vehicle to capture a Busch Series Championship and a sweet ride in Nextel Cup. Now after a little more than two years, he?s ready to throw in the towel. I don?t get it! Vickers has the support of a great team owner, a long term deal, the best equipment and sponsors, why give it up?
The other part of this equation is also baffling. A potential replacement for Vickers is rumored to be Casey Mears. Here we have another young guy with a pretty good multy car team and he?s looking around. Mears is currently in 12th place and having a great season so far, at any time he could win a race and I predict he?ll make the chase too. So why leave? At least in Mears? case I understand why he?s looking; it?s Hendricks Motorsports baby! Not that Chip Ganassi is not a good place to be, again, they?ve been pretty good to Mears.
I don?t really mean to get down on Vickers, I like him and would rather see him stay with Hendrick. He?s a talented young driver whom I feel (strongly) would do better by sticking it out with his current team for a few more years. As for Dale Jarrett, he should do the Toyota thing for one or two years and then retire. Dale has had some great years, but I think it?s time to hang up the helmet and pick up a microphone (just like Rusty Wallace). Besides I may actually start liking him when he?s not driving a Ford and he?ll probably finish better next season.
Finally, Casey Mears; I guess if Vickers was to leave to be just another Ford driver, I wouldn?t object to much. Mears is also a great young driver and maybe with better equipment he?ll win a few races and possibly a championship. The key is to stick around long enough to see how things work out.
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Edward M. Rose is the author of the book entitled ‘The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide’
December 10, 2007
So I read a statistic that claims 1 in 3 Americans are NASCAR fans, that equates to over 100 million people. Are we to believe that a full third of the American population do not deserve the making of a true quality NASCAR Movie? Now when I say true, what I mean is a movie that reflects the reality of the sport, not fantasy. Great stories have drama, suspense, anticipation, characters, a beginning and an end. Can anyone argue that all of these elements are not part of every NASCAR race? All 36 of them! And this doesn?t even consider the story lines that build from the first race at Daytona to the final race at Miami/Homestead.
Over the years, Hollywood has tried in vane to create the definitive NASCAR movie (Red Line 7000, Stroker Ace and The Last American Hero to mention a few). So far, only ?Days of Thunder? in my opinion even registers. To quantify my measurement system on a 1 to 10 scale (with 10 being the highest), ?Days of Thunder? is a definite 1. Yes I agree it is good entertainment and has some big names, but the actual racing and apparent driving skills are all Hollywood. By this scale, name any other NASCAR movie you?ve ever seen and it would rate in the negative numbers. I?m saying they don?t even qualify for a rating, clearly, nobody has hit the bulls eye as far as NASCAR Movies go.
This brings me to the reason I started writing this article today. ?Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby?. This is like rubbing salt into an open wound. Yes, I totally get that this is a comedy about a fictitious NASCAR driver; it has to be, Will Ferrell ?stars? in and co-wrote the story. In the new book; The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide this movie is referred to by its working title; High, Wide and Handsome, an equally stupid name. I can?t help but feel that movies like this make NASCAR, its stars and fans look dumb. Quite frankly, I?m surprised NASCAR approved this film after making huge efforts to broaden its fan base into areas other than the American South East.
Having not seen the movie yet, I can only guess that it pokes fun at the sport, it?s Southern heritage, red neck, beer drinking fans and a few choice names (the lead character played by Ferrell goes by the name of Ricky Bobby, need I say more?). Somebody needs to put the front bumper to Ferrell, wake him up and inform him it?s 2006. I?m also pretty sure that Ferrell?s character will be an egotistical, self serving, self centered creep. This isn?t really a stretch; he plays the same character in almost every movie he?s made, maybe he?s not even acting! For those of you new-to-the-sport, here?s a little inside scoop, real NASCAR drivers and the entire NASCAR ?family? are all very generous and caring people, the polar opposite to Ricky Bobby. NASCAR drivers and their families support financially, countless charities and charity events. Many drivers (Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Kyle Petty) even have their own charity foundations.
In the movie Ricky and his best friend Cal Naughton Jr. (they just had to get a Junior in there) apparently gang up against the French rookie (Ricky?s teammate) to win races and presumably the championship. Again this makes me wonder, is this a message NASCAR wanted to send when they waved the green flag to make this movie? I?m not sure, but doesn?t this border on discrimination? I was under the impression NASCAR had a diversity program in place to attract people from anywhere and from all walks of life. In recent years NASCAR has had woman, Japanese, Canadians, Mexicans and African American drivers. So why allow this into the movie? Does NASCAR think this is good comedy? Or, is NASCAR trying to make a political statement, because Americans are dissatisfied with the way France has conducted itself in regard to the war in Iraq?
Another thing that confuses me; is NASCAR suggesting that ganging up on your opponent by taking them out of the race is okay? If this movie truly represents NASCAR, the boys will be hauled into the big white NASCAR trailer after the race, where fines and suspensions will be handed out. Not!
My last issue with this movie is its name. ?Talladega Nights?. Is this supposed to be a variation of the movie entitled ?Boogie Nights?? If you?ve seen that movie, you know it?s not what you could call a family type movie. But isn?t NASCAR meant to be a family sport? Did NASCAR want this kind of association? NASCAR fines drivers for using fowl language during team radio communication if the networks happen to catch it during a broadcast. So why would NASCAR allow their sport to be loosely associated with a movie that borders on pornography? The decision makers should have stayed with the original name! At the very least, an official should be madly waving a stop sign at the exit of pit road!
Don?t get me wrong people, I?m not without humor. I like a good comedy movie as much as the next guy. This really stems from the fact that NASCAR is important to my family and myself. Maybe I?m over reacting or over sensitive, or just being protective of a sport I love?
Finally, let me say this; there have been some great movies made about almost every sport known to man (Remember the Titans, Field of Dreams, Chariots of Fire, Hoosiers, Bend it Like Beckham, Raging Bull, Grand Prix and this is just scratching the surface). Those movies were memorable, well written, had ?real? stars, they were dramatic, intense, and successful at the box office. So why is it with all the writing, acting and production talent in Hollywood, we still don?t have a great NASCAR movie? Are 100 million NASCAR fans not deserving of a movie in the same league as those others?
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Edward M. Rose is the author of the book entitled ‘The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide’
December 9, 2007
There?s an old saying that goes like this ?The truth hurts?. Unfortunately for most of us, we know it to be true. Many of us go about our lives doing what we do either by habit or by design, good or bad. Then, when someone points out an eccentricity or fault in our character it cuts you to the core and really hurts. Many emotions are stirred, you feel like you?ve been attacked, you?re defensive and suddenly you are justifying your actions. In my view, this describes the behavior of Ray Evernham on the issue of being pre-occupied with a female member of his race organization, as suggested by ex-employee Jeremy Mayfield.
I know Jeremy to be a straight up guy; as honest as they come. He?s a Kentucky boy who ?Calls ?em as he sees ?em.?. He says what?s on his mind, right or wrong. No hidden agenda, no mind games, just in your face, down home honesty. This is the way every mother wants their son to grow up. So when Jeremy says Ray Evernham was pre-occupied with activities other than the #19 team?s performance, I believe him.
I am not suggesting that Evernham is dishonest, but simply unable to recognize the facts. His reaction is typical; defend himself at all costs. Let?s see: he fired Jeremy after the All State 400 at the brickyard, indirectly. Where was Ray?s intestinal fortitude? He?s the owner, the boss, the guy making all the important decisions and signing pay checks. So when it comes to firing a driver, Evernham chooses to do it all the cowardly way. I?m sure he got his people to call Mayfield?s people. Evernham could have taken lessons from Mayfield and said ?Jeremy your performance sucks this year. Let?s talk about it and try to fix it.? As far as I can tell, there was no talking or fixing, just firing.
This entire ugly episode has really got me wondering about Ray. I used to like him a lot when he was Jeff Gordon?s crew chief, but now I have to question his logic. Consider this: for the last two years Jeremy made the chase, not Kasey Kahne. So in his wisdom Ray moves Jeremy?s entire crew to the #9 car. This results in Kahne hovering around just outside the chase and Mayfield prior to his firing somewhere south of 35th place.
While this is going on, Ray is also brining on another cup team with Scott Riggs and developing Erin Crocker for some future spot in the Busch Series. So tell me, Ray wasn?t just a little bit unfocused this year. Developing new talent is okay, as is admitting you were spread out too thin this year. If Ray had actually been around this year and actually listened he would have heard a rising level of frustration in Jeremy?s voice and words. He may have noticed that Jeremy and his crew chief never really jelled as a team. And finally, if Ray were around he could have heard the honesty and directness from Mayfield?s mouth.
But wait, there?s one more thing: The icing on the cake. Ray replaces Jeremy with Elliott Saddler. Another Southern boy, only this southern boy on paper is not better than Jeremy. In fact he?s been beaten by Mayfield in every area: wins, poles, top 5?s etc. Somebody explain the logic to me, I need to understand this move. Don?t get me wrong, I like Elliott Saddler but let the statistics do the talking. If Jeremy was fired for poor performance why would Evernham hire a driver with equally poor performance? Anyone??
Finally, there is a silver lining in this big black cloud. Jeremy had his day in court and won. He landed in a great organization with Bill Davis Racing, a new car in the Toyota Camry and a new sponsor in 360 OTC. All seems to have ended well enough, but only time will tell. I predict that next year Jeremy will finish ahead of all the Evernham Motorsports teams. Mark my words; you heard it here first race fans!
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Edward M. Rose is the author of the book entitled, ‘The Un-Official NASCAR Fan Guide.
October 25, 2007
Everyone loves getting a deal and eBay is a fantastic place to find great deals on racing items if you know how. With the right information and a little practice you can find great racing deals and not get ripped - off in the process.
From racing engines to motocross apparel eBay has a deal for you! That’s right eBay has a great racing deal for you! I say that with confidence because there is over 19 million items for sale on eBay at any given time - Now that’s a whole bunch of stuff!
Meg Whitman, President and CEO, eBay said:
‘Every minute of every day more than 150 new items are listed , more than 500 bids are placed, and seven new people register to shop on eBay.’
So: . . . How does that benefit you? eBay has almost 2 million items offered up for sale everyday - You now have access to the worlds largest market place. More items means more and better deals for you.
Getting a racing deal from eBay should not be taken lightly - Getting a deal is really a fine art if you will. Buying from eBay auctions can be a very economical option for your racing venture OR it can be a costly experience depending on how you go about it.
Here are the top ways to obtain the best racing deals on eBay without getting ripped off: . .
- Determining If The Seller Is Trustworthy - Always read the sellers feedback rating - ALWAYS - Anyone with less than a 96% Positive feedback rating stay away from them no matter how great the deal sounds - It is not that hard to maintain a feedback rating above 96%! Always reed the negative feed back as well - If the seller has all great feedback as a buyer but terrible feedback as a seller -Stay Away!
- Read the Description Thoroughly and Read It Again - Always read the auction description and then re-read the auction description again. Don’t let your mind fall into the ‘I have to have it mode’ or the ‘It’s on eBay so it’s a great deal mode’ - Basically don’t let your mind fill in the details with your own interpretation of the ‘Ultimate Auction Item’ when it isn’t so. Make sure the item is truly what you are looking for.
- Check For Hidden Costs - Always check for hidden costs that may be associated with your racing bargain. Look for postage charges, handling fees, or possibly, PayPal Fees for the buyer to pay. Also look at the cost of shipping - The item you are looking at my be a great deal but add the shipping with it and you may be able to buy the item cheaper elsewhere. When buying an item from an overseas eBayer may result in very high postage as well as customs fees.
- Contact The Buyer And Ask Questions - Contact the buyer with any questions that you may have - ANY QUESTIONS - you may have! You are going to spend your hard earned cash, so ask questions. If a buyer does not get back with you then do not buy the item. Professional eBay sellers always welcome and answer questions within a day or so. ASK QUESTIONS if you are not sure.
- Don’t Get Caught Up In The ‘It’s Mine Psychology’ - There have been many studies done about auctions and online auctions. There is a certain psychology that happens when a person places a bid on an item. Once the item has been bid on the item now belongs to that person (in their mind anyway) So much so that when another person comes along and bids on the item it can start a bidding frenzy and the item ends up selling for much more than it was worth - Bottom line do not fall into this mindset - Save the competition for the race track - Unless of course the item is such a rare find that you just have to have it.
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Frederick Musser is the owner of RacerSearch.com a site dedicated to bringing the auto racing, drag racing, motocross, and street racing community good solid information. Valuable information that can actually be used to better the racing community.
Visit RacerSearch.com here =>http://www.racersearch.com
‘Fast Searches For People Who Like To Go Fast!’
October 22, 2007
Upcoming Events in the World of NASCAR
Well folks, the NASCAR version of the playoffs is here. We are gearing up for a 10-week showdown that features a star-studded cast of drivers (unless your fans of Tony Stewart), and promises to be one of the greatest finales to a NASCAR season in its rich history.
The first stop on the playoff rotation is New Hampshire International Speedway. NHIS is a challenging, flat 1.058 mile oval track. Four drivers in the Chase, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon average a top 13 finish at the track. Of all current drivers with 2 or more career starts at New Hampshire International Speedway, Ryan Newman has had the most success. In 8 starts, Ryan has an average finish of 8th.
Also expect the following drivers to do well next week:
Jimmie Johnson - Average Finish 9th
Matt Kenseth - Average Finish 11th
Mark Martin - Average Finish 12th
Jeff Gordon - Average Finish 13th
Next Week’s Schedule:
Nextel Cup: @ New Hampshire International Speedway
9/15/06 - 03:10pm NASCAR Nextel Cup SYLVANIA 300 Qualifying
9/16/06 - 11:05am NASCAR Nextel Cup SYLVANIA 300 Practice
9/17/06 - 01:30pm NASCAR Nextel Cup SYLVANIA 300
Busch Series off until September 23rd at Dover International Speedway
Craftsman Truck Series: @ New Hampshire International Speedway
9/15/06 - 02:00pm NASCAR Nextel Cup New Hampshire 200 Practice
9/16/06 - 09:30pm NASCAR Nextel Cup New Hampshire 200 Qualifying
9/16/06 - 02:15pm NASCAR Nextel Cup New Hampshire 200
Who’s Hot?
Kevin Harvick’s toothy grin was the focus of everyone’s attention after winning the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Saturday night. Before Saturday, what people haven’t noticed is Harvick’s consistent pursuit over the last 10 weeks that secured his place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship.
Over the past 10 races, Harvick has turned up the heat. His average finish over that stretch is 6th with his worst finish being 15th at California. No driver (including Mr. Consistency himself, Matt Kenseth) has performed at such a high level. A lot of people are wondering if this is the year that Jimmie Johnson finally breaks through to win his first championship. After last night, I think we should all be wondering if this is the year that Kevin Harvick will bring Richard Childress Racing it’s first championship since the days of Dale Earnhardt.
Who’s Not?
The world of NASCAR is so competitive and dynamic that last year’s top 3 finishers in the Chase for the Championship (Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, and Carl Edwards) did not even qualify for this year’s Chase. While I could dedicate this week’s Who’s Hot section to all 3 drivers, I’d prefer to focus on only one.
Heading into the Chevy Rock & Roll 400, there was very little talk of Tony Stewart not making the Chase. Tony was locked in the 8th position, and only needed a 16th place finish to secure his spot in this year’s Chase. No problem for a 2 time defending champion, right? Oh how we were wrong!
Tony’s weekend was in danger from the start. ‘Smoke’ wrecked his car in the practice session, and had to move to an older back up car. The costly mistake meant Tony had to start at the rear of the field. In the world of short track racing, the rear of the field is the last place you want to start from.
Tony struggled for most of the night, and made it as high as 14th place before going a lap down to finish 18th. The dismal finish left a usually outspoken Stewart sullen, and left only to ponder what may be in 2007.
Change the Chase! Please!!
The Chase for the Championship is upon us, and I can’t wait! The last several weeks of racing have proven to be some of the most boring I’ve ever seen. While the new Chase format is sure to make the final 10 races of the season exciting, it’s qualifying format leading up to the final 10 races forces teams to make conservative decisions that virtually erase the passion that has made NASCAR one of America’s top sports.
We NASCAR fans are conservative by nature. The last thing we want to see is our favorite driver being a courteous Boy Scout out on the track. We want to see him hang it out there, and drive on the brink of disaster. We want to see them, in the words of the great Charlie Daniels, ‘drive it like their hair’s on fire and their asses a’ catchin!’
In the good ‘ole days, drivers drove to win races, not championships. To keep the competition level high, and the excitement unparalled, NASCAR needs to look at adding big incentives for winning races. The current format for the Chase is a step in the right direction at creating the season-ending drama that is present in every other major sport. However, some much needed tweaks are required to give the fans a reason to tune in to races leading to the Chase.
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This article is provided to you by Everything Sports, Inc. http://www.everythingstockcar.com/ is owned and operated by Everything Sports, Inc.
October 1, 2007
Are you a total motor sports fan? Well, you now can actually watch snippets and videos about this online. You see, Live Nation, one of the world?s leading live event and venue management companies, has informed the motoring nation that it would soon be placing on archives videos on motor sports.
The archived videos that show off motor sports and everything in it is a project by Live Nation?s motor sports division. And ordinary motor sports lovers would be able to access these videos through the Google Video website. And if you are truly interested, some of the videos that you would be able to watch online include great events from Live Nation like the Supercross, the Monster Jam, Arenacross, Freestyle Motocross, as well as the famous Nitro Jam series of drag racing events.
Charlie Mancuso is the president of Live Nation?s Motorsports Division. He exclaims, ?This content is the perfect offering for the motorsports aficionado. Google is a great vehicle for diehard motorsports fans to gain access to clips of some of the best events we have produced over the years.? This statement is further backed up with one from Michael Abrams who is currently the president of the whole Live Nation Studios. Abrams says, ?Our Motorsports division produces some of the most exciting, high octane events in the US. As the world?s largest live entertainment company, we are excited to be working with Google to bring Live Nation Studios? motorsprots content to a tremendous broadband audience worldwide.?
Once everything about the Live Nation motorsports videos are running smooth on Google Video website, you surely would be having a grand time online. Plus, you can try scrutinizing the vehicles as they pass by you on the screen. You can check out which Audi used auto parts could give your car the kind of look that you see with those motorsports vehicles.
There would not be a problem when it comes to accessing the video logs. You see, Live Nation has made sure that anybody and everybody could access them. They are not exclusive to just a group of people and they are offered for free for audiences anywhere in the globe.
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Auto Parts Corner
Audi used auto parts
Tracy is a 29 year old researcher and writer from Dallas, Texas with extensive experience in writing auto-related articles and covering automotive related events. She is currently a contributing writer for a leading automotive e-zine.
May 1, 2007
Following on from a great win by Felipe Massa in Istanbul and a third position for Michael Schumacher, formula one is now set to travel to Monza for Ferrari?s home race, the only race being held this September.
The drivers? championship currently stands with Fernando Alonso on 108 points with Michael Schumacher only 12 behind on 96 points and with four races to go, this situation could easily change. After the Turkish result where Ferrari gained 16 valuable points, the constructors? championship is poised even closer with Renault on 160 pts and Ferrari only 2 points behind on 158. This means that both Schumacher and Massa are both looking to show the fanatical Ferrari home crowd how strong their Maranello based cars really are to the home crowd, and make some significant points gains in the process.
The track at Monza is known as ‘La Pista Magica,’ the magic track, by the locals, and it seems to have a heart and soul of its own. Built in 1922, Monza was only the third permanent race track ever to be built, following in the footsteps of Brooklands and Indianapolis, and was originally 10km in length with a banked oval track incorporated into the design of the road racing circuit. The current track has now been reduced to 5.793 km in length, making the 53 lap race distance for the Grand Prix nearly 307 km.
The quickest circuit on the calendar to drive, the Monza track requires a combination of both speed and great talent, as the list of past classic races and terrifying accidents will testify. Racers on this circuit use low amounts of downforce to help maximize their speed, but this means that grip levels are correspondingly low, especially into the turn one chicane where the cars all need to slow down from 350km/h to just 60km/h, which can make for an ?interesting? first lap.
As talk of what Michael Schumacher?s future plans are going to be crop up in the media, the drive to succeed over the next few races are liable to demonstrate some of his best driving for years, and the atmosphere whenever Ferrari appears in front of the Tifose home crowd is always an electric event.
The small town of Monza is located a short distance from the charming Lake Como and just 16km to the north-east of Milan, with the circuit in easy reach from the city by using the A1 and A4 motorways, and then the local S36.
International travelers can get to the circuit by taking a flight to Milan Linate airport, just to the east of Milan, which handles domestic and European flights, or use Malpensa airport in the north-west which also handles international traffic. From there a quick train ride from Milan to the track is easy.
After a simple rail journey from Milan through to Monza Station, it’s then a short ride on the free shuttle bus service which is normally laid on over the race weekend to transport fans to the circuit, which will have any race fan loving the smell of the fumes on what is set to be a fantastic race day.
About the author:
Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh cricket club.
March 31, 2007
There is no doubt the Americans have it good when it comes to motor racing. Just about every weekend during the season there will be some major motor racing event somewhere within the USA, making it assessable not just for the TV watchers but for those who want to pack up their RV and watch it live. So when Formula One visits once a year it really does have a lot to live up to.
It is probably because of this that F1 has not been a permanent fixture every year. It has survived the last 7 seven years but after what can only be called a “farce” of a race in 2005, nearly went the distance again. F1 has also over the years added regulations to slow the cars down, such as narrower tyres, smaller engines, smaller wing areas and the list goes on. This was to stop the cars becoming too expensive and too fast for the narrower circuits of the rest of the world. In the States however the racetracks tend to be wider to accommodate events such as Nascar, so the cars are often flat out most of the time.
There doesn’t seem to be many American drivers who have made it big in F1, you have to go back nearly thirty years to see a real involvement at top level. However even with those reasons against F1, 100,000 spectators still came to Indianapolis to see the 2006 Grand prix. There is clearly a hard core of racing fans that want to see Michael Schumacher and other drivers without travelling up to Canada or down to South America, where the races are permanently there.
The truth is though, that F1 is one of the few sports that do not need the USA. It has such a huge following throughout the world that the USA audience is less important than other countries. Take Italy for example, it has been quoted that more Italians (Ferrari) watch every F1 race that Americans watch Nascar. Then multiply that across the world through Japan, Australia, Germany (Michael Schumacher), Spain (Alonso), Brazil and what is believed to be the home of F1, the UK ( Button and Couthard) and you have got a huge audience that puts the USA in the shade.
As a spectator watching on TV and probably there at Indianapolis, it is unlikely you will see the race of the season, the nature of the long straights and wide track, don’t allow for much overtaking or exciting driving. Fast driving yes, exciting driving no!
For me this is a real shame as there should be more effort put in to give them a show. However on saying that, the USA Grand prix tickets are considerably cheaper than elsewhere in the world. A grandstand ticket is about a third to about a fifth of the price of the equivalent ticket in the UK, with about the same audience size so that clearly puts pressure on the financial details.
The USA is used to showing the biggest and best sports events in the world but with F1, this doesn’t come across. A good day out yes, but the best motor racing experience in the world, no!
Mark is webmaster for Ultimate Dream car Days and Cheapest Breakdown Cover Deals and Car Breakdown Cover Comparison
March 27, 2007
NASCAR, the acronym, stands for the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing. Stock car racing is rooted in the southeastern United States. Building and driving fast cars relates to another southern tradition, that of making moonshine whiskey. Bootleggers were men who legally ran whiskey to hundreds of markets in the southeastern U.S. The bootlegging business really began to boom. The drivers soon began to race one another to see who had the faster car. This quickly became a very popular sport in the back roads of the South.
Founded more than 50 years ago, NASCAR has become one of the hottest spectator sports in the world. In the years following World War II, stock car racing began to grow. However, there was little organization and no consistency in the rules between tracks. In the summer of 1938, William H.G. “Bill” France organized a race on the sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. He soon realized for stock car racing to grow, an official organization had to exist. On December 12, 1947, Bill France gathered promoters from the southeast, northeast, and midwest in Daytona. Over the next three days, rules and specifications were drawn and agreed upon. The name of the organization would be called NASCAR. The first true NASCAR race was held at the Charlotte, North Carolina Fairgrounds on June 19, 1949. The division in which this race was held was in the “strictly stock” division, which has become the racing division of NASCAR, known as the Winston Cup Series. It was a 150-mile race. The “strictly stock” division was open to competitors who drove full-sized American made passenger cars, with complete bodies, fenders, bumpers, and grilles-all parts were required to be listed in the manufacturer’s catalog for each model. On September 4, 1950 the first Southern 500 was held in Darlington, SC on a larger, wider, and faster track than any stock car driver had ever seen before. Under the direction of Bill France Sr. and later his son, Bill France Jr., NASCAR has become the fastest growing spectator sport in the nation.
NASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of motor sports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. IN 1996, 1997 and 1998 NASCAR also held exhibition races in Japan. Australia held one race in 1998. Beginning as regional entertainment in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the 2nd most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football League (NFL).
NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., and has 75 million fans that purchase over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales! These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports, and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other sport.
Rich Gaffney has more information about NASCAR products at:
http://www.findnascarproducts.com
Rich Gaffney has more information about NASCAR products and the
sport of Nascar at
http://www.findnascarproducts.com
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