Speeding Through the Years A Brief History of NASCAR Created by Dallas Duncan and Dr. Frank Flanders August 2010

What is NASCAR? Short for National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Three series –Sprint Cup series –Nationwide series –Camping World Truck series Began in 1953 in Daytona, Florida, where NASCAR still calls home Aerial view of Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Fla.

Some Names to Know Richard Petty, “The King” Dale Earnhardt, “The Intimidator” Bill Elliot, “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” Cale Yarborough, winner of three consecutive championships Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Model of Bill Elliot’s McDonalds car, and Cale Yarborough

Trackside More than 1,200 races at 100 tracks across North America First race was held Feb. 15, 1948 First Sprint Cup (formerly NASCAR Grand National, Winston Cup, Nextel Cup) event in 1949 Nationwide (formerly Busch) series began in 1982 Camping World (formerly Craftsman) truck series began in 1994 Thousands of fans pack NASCAR stadiums each race weekend to watch three high-speed chases for victory

Racing Comes to the Masses 1979: Daytona 500 becomes the first 500-mile race in history to be telecast live 1989: Every race on the Cup series schedule is televised live Early 1990s: NASCAR feature stories in Sports Illustrated and Forbes magazines 1995: NASCAR website launched 1993 – 1998: Race attendance grows by 57 percent Being in sponsors’ TV commercials helps drivers such as Kasey Kahne market not only the sponsor, but NASCAR as a whole

Racing Comes to the Masses 1999: NASCAR consolidates a TV package with FOX Sports and NBC Sports; Dodge vehicles come back to the tracks 2004: Chase for the Cup introduced 2006: Toyota begins racing vehicles Sprint Cup series Driver Mark Martin gets interviewed for a pre-race TV program

Big Name Sponsors Companies and brands can sponsor actual races or maybe located on cars, pit stops and uniforms Official sponsors include: –Coca-Cola (Official Soft Drink) –Gillette (Official Shaving Product) –Goodyear (Official Tire) –Tylenol (Official Pain Reliever) –UPS (Official Delivery Service) –Chevrolet, Dodge and Toyota (Official Passenger Cars) –Ford Trucks (Official Truck) Sunoco is the Official Fuel of NASCAR. Advertisements for it can be seen all over the tracks.

Money Makers NASCAR brings in revenue from advertising sponsors, ticket sales, merchandise sales and hosting other events at racetracks NASCAR brings in revenue from selling driver-related merchandise, such as this fan’s jersey, pants, and hat.

CAUTION! As with any sport, NASCAR races come with their share of risks and intense competition… NASCAR Camping World Truck series driver Rick Crawford takes his truck behind the wall to be worked on, in hopes he can come back out to finish the race

Economics of Big Business Tracks contribute millions of dollars annually to local economies Despite a 15-year-long growth period, NASCAR race attendance began to decrease in 2006 Fewer advertising dollars are pouring into TV stations, meaning changes coming to NASCAR broadcasts