The first NASCAR race was held in Daytona Beach, Florida, on a course that was half sand, half highway. Admission was free. The drivers were regular people from all walks of life, and the cars they raced were the same ones they drove home. A humble beginning, to be sure, but that day at the beach eventually changed the face of sports forever. Founded in 1948 by Bill France Sr., NASCAR is now America’s number-two regular season televised sport. NASCAR has three national series—the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Drivers in each series compete at tracks nationwide throughout the year. All three series begin their season in February at Daytona International Speedway during a ten-day series of events called Speedweeks; all three conclude their seasons in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Meanwhile, eight regional series and a weekly series at over 60 local tracks thrill fans from coast to coast. In all, more than ten million fans come to NASCAR events each year, with millions more watching each week on television.
