- In the 1920s and 30s, rich businessmen were racing cars on the Daytona Beach, Florida, trying to set land-speed records.
- Also in the 1920s and 30s, in the Appalachain Mountains of the Southeast, moonshiners were "souping" up their cars to try to outrun the government agents. Soon, the moonshiners were racing against each other on the weekends as a form of entertainment.
- William Henry Getty France, a mechanic from Washington, D.C., moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, in the mid-1930s. He entered a race and soon realized the entertainment and marketing potential of the races.
- In 1938, France took over promoting races. In 1947 he called a meeting to standardize the rules and produce a schedule. NASCAR was formed the following year.
- More than 60 years later, NASCAR is still based in the South, but has a global audience and is a multimillion dollar industry.
Speed Records
Moonshiners
"Father" of NASCAR
Formalization
NASCAR Today
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