NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing.[1] It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports in America. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948,[2] and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018.[3] The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.[4] Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe.
"Nascar racing" redirects here. For the 1994–2003 Papyrus video game series, see NASCAR Racing. For other NASCAR video game titles, see List of NASCAR video games.Sport
NASCAR
February 21, 1948
Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. (main)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Concord, North Carolina, U.S.
Steve Phelps
Peter Jung (Vice President, CMO)
Mike Helton (Vice Chairman)
- Steve O'Donnell (CRDO)
- Jill Gregory (CMO)
- Gary Crotty (CLO)
- Ed Bennett (CAO)
- R. Todd Wilson (CFO)
NASCAR, and stock car racing as a whole, traces its roots back to moonshine runners during Prohibition, who grew to compete against each other in a show of pride. This happened notably in North Carolina. In 1935, Bill France Sr. established races in Daytona Beach, with the hope that people would come to watch races and that racers would race for him, as other organizers tended to fleece the winners of their payouts. This was a success, and the series was founded in 1948. Races were held in several divisions, which eventually morphed into what is the "ladder:" the Cup Series at the top, the Xfinity Series second, and the Truck Series third, with smaller series spread out below. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota compete in each series.
The vast majority of NASCAR drivers are American, but drivers from Canada, Mexico, Europe, and other places have competed. All Cup Series races are held across America. There are 36 points-paying races in a season, along with the pre-season Clash and mid-season All-Star race. NASCAR runs races primarily on ovals, including superspeedways, short tracks, and dirt tracks, but also road courses and street circuits.
Richard Petty holds the Cup Series wins record with 200. He is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson for the championship record, with seven each. Entering the 2024 season, Ryan Blaney is the defending Cup Series champion.
Global expansion
In 2006, Toyota announced they would be joining NASCAR's ranks.[78] Toyota generated early success winning several races off performances from Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.[79] Any increase in foreign competition is expected to raise the price of putting a car on the track.[78]
Another topic on the NASCAR circuit is the increase in foreign born drivers and the effects they may have on the future of NASCAR.[80] Juan Pablo Montoya, Patrick Carpentier, Dario Franchitti, Kimi Räikkönen, and Jenson Button are among the foreign-born big names who have crossed over from Formula One and the Indy car circuit.[81] These drivers have made an impact on NASCAR not only by winning races and dominating road courses, but by expanding NASCAR's point of view.[79]
NASCAR included a race at the Mexican road course Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the Nationwide Series schedule from 2005 through 2008, as well as a race in Montreal, Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from 2007 through 2012, with the Camping World Truck Series adding a date at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2013. There has been talk of possible expansion with exhibition races in Japan and a return to Canada.[82]
Expanding into international markets could increase NASCAR's popularity and allow foreign sponsors and manufacturers to get involved in the sport.[83] Some think this could be a very positive move for NASCAR, which has seen its television ratings drop 21 percent between 2005 and 2007.[84] During the same 2-year period, NASCAR also saw the greatest drop in tickets prices observed in over a decade.[84] In 2010, NASCAR saw television ratings drop 10% from the year before, which was down 33% off its peak in 2005.[85] Some think that an increase in international diversity would translate into growth and generate greater opportunities for NASCAR fans.[81]
In 2023, to celebrate their 75th anniversary, NASCAR partnered with Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports to enter a Next Gen Camaro ZL1 in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. It coincided with the 100th anniversary of the prestigious endurance race at the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, and the Camaro entered as a Garage 56 (Innovative) entry. Jimmie Johnson and Button were joined by German WEC veteran and Mike Rockenfeller – a 2010 LMP1 category and overall winner at Le Mans – as the drivers.[86] Chad Knaus, Johnson's crew chief during each of his Cup Series championships, was project manager, while the car bore #24 in honor of Jeff Gordon.[87]
NASCAR.com
In October 2000, Turner Sports acquired the digital rights to NASCAR, and subsequently took over its website, which features news, information, and interactive features (such as RaceView and RaceBuddy) surrounding its series. While NASCAR had extended Turner's contract to operate the site through 2016, the association announced in January 2012 that it would take operation of the site back in-house in 2013. As a result, a new NASCAR.com was launched on January 3, 2013, which features a multimedia-oriented design enhanced to provide a higher level of fan interaction, and provide an improved second screen experience for viewers on mobile devices.[88][89]
On May 7, 2019, NASCAR announced a sports betting content partnership with The Action Network to provide editorial content and analysis to NASCAR.com, including recommended picks and value bets.[90] NASCAR said the partnership was intended to prepare for the spread of legal sports betting in the U.S. following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition. NASCAR previously struck an exclusive deal with sports data solutions provider Genius Sports to develop an official NASCAR gaming offering for legal sportsbooks.[91]
Subsidiaries and sister organizations
NASCAR Digital Media
NASCAR Digital Media is a television production company located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company is a subsidiary of NASCAR and produces programs designed to promote the sport of professional stock car racing. It also manages the NASCAR website, as well as some websites related to the sport such as Racing-Reference and Jayski's Silly Season Site (as of 2019, after ESPN.com stopped hosting the website).[92] They also own NASCAR Classics, a free online base of classic NASCAR races.
NASCAR in culture
Movies about NASCAR racing include Days of Thunder (1990), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), and Logan Lucky (2017).
NASCAR racing heavily influenced Pixar's Cars franchise, with the third film in particular drawing inspiration from NASCAR's history.
NASCAR drivers have made appearances in many television series and TV movies, including The Cleveland Show,[100] Sullivan & Son, and Last Man Standing.[101]
NASCAR partnered up with popular Roblox game Jailbreak, and the partnership was launched on November 5. NASCAR also partnered with the developers of Jailbreak to launch NASCAR Speed Hub to celebrate NASCAR's 75th Anniversary.[102]