Nascar History
NASCAR history can trace its roots back to 1794. That's a century before the invention of the automobile, but it was the year of the Whiskey Rebellion. This was a protest of a federal tax on whiskey by frontier farmers. Instead of being subject to the tax, many frontiersmen built secret stills, manufactured, and delivered their product in secret. Most people do not know that this is the true origin of NASCAR history.
During the Prohibition era of the 1920's and early 30's, the undercover business of moonshine running began to boom. The common term for moonshine runners was bootlegger. Bootleggers were men who illegally ran whiskey from hidden stills to hundreds of markets across the Southeast. Driving at high speeds at night was dangerous. The penalty for losing the race was jail or loss of life.
As bootlegging boomed, the drivers began to race among themselves to see who had the fastest cars. The races were held on Sunday afternoons and then the cars were used to haul moonshine later that night. As you might expect, people came to see the races, and racing moonshine cars became extremely popular in the back roads of the South.
In the summer of 1938 a man named William H.G. "Bill" France organized a race on the wide, firm sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. The winner received such items as a bottle of rum, a box of cigars, and a case of motor oil. NASCAR history had begun. France knew for stock car racing to grow, an official organization had to exist.
The outbreak of World War II brought stock car racing to a halt. The drivers went to war and the production of new cars ceased. At the end of the war, some drivers came back and ran occasional, random races at places like the beach at Daytona.
By 1947, Bill France realized it was time for a national sanctioning body to govern stock car racing. On December 12th, 1947 France gathered promoters from the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest. Over the next three days rules were drawn and specifications agreed upon. The
During the Prohibition era of the 1920's and early 30's, the undercover business of moonshine running began to boom. The common term for moonshine runners was bootlegger. Bootleggers were men who illegally ran whiskey from hidden stills to hundreds of markets across the Southeast. Driving at high speeds at night was dangerous. The penalty for losing the race was jail or loss of life.
As bootlegging boomed, the drivers began to race among themselves to see who had the fastest cars. The races were held on Sunday afternoons and then the cars were used to haul moonshine later that night. As you might expect, people came to see the races, and racing moonshine cars became extremely popular in the back roads of the South.
In the summer of 1938 a man named William H.G. "Bill" France organized a race on the wide, firm sands of Daytona Beach, Florida. The winner received such items as a bottle of rum, a box of cigars, and a case of motor oil. NASCAR history had begun. France knew for stock car racing to grow, an official organization had to exist.
The outbreak of World War II brought stock car racing to a halt. The drivers went to war and the production of new cars ceased. At the end of the war, some drivers came back and ran occasional, random races at places like the beach at Daytona.
By 1947, Bill France realized it was time for a national sanctioning body to govern stock car racing. On December 12th, 1947 France gathered promoters from the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest. Over the next three days rules were drawn and specifications agreed upon. The