History of NASCAR

Since its inception as the Strictly Stock Division, what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series has evolved into one of the most popular sports in the world. In the beginning, the race cars were driven off the street and onto the track, but as safety technology advanced, changes were made to cars, as the racing machines of today are more complicated and technological than ever. NASCAR has grown with the series from the small organization formed on the sands of Daytona Beach to a thriving sport. Some important milestones for NASCAR overall and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series specifically follow:

• DECEMBER 14, 1947 – Bill France Sr. organizes a meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., to discuss the future of stock car racing. NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, is conceived.  

• FEBRUARY 15, 1948 – NASCAR runs its first race in Daytona Beach at the beach road course. Red Byron wins in a Ford.  

• FEBRUARY 21, 1948 – NASCAR is incorporated.  

•  JUNE 19, 1949 – The first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" (current Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) race is held at Charlotte (N.C.) Fairgrounds Speedway. Jim Roper wins the race, Bob Flock wins the first pole and Sara Christian, who finishes 14th, is credited as the first woman to race in NASCAR’s premier division.  

• OCTOBER 16, 1949 – Red Byron wins the first NASCAR Strictly Stock championship.  

• 1950 – Bill France Sr. changes the name of NASCAR’s top series from Strictly Stock to Grand National.  

• SEPTEMBER 4, 1950 – Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, NASCAR’s first paved superspeedway, hosts the Southern 500. The first 500-mile event in NASCAR history is won by Johnny Mantz in a 1950 Plymouth.  

• APRIL 8, 1951 – The first NASCAR premier series race west of the Mississippi River is held at Carrell Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Gardena, Calif.  

• JUNE 13, 1954 – The International 100 is held at Linden Airport in New Jersey, becoming the first road race in what is now the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Al Keller wins in a Jaguar. 

• FEBRUARY 23, 1958 – Paul Goldsmith captures the final race on Daytona’s famed Beach and Road Course.  

• FEBRUARY 22, 1959 – The high-banked 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway hosts the first Daytona 500. More than 41,000 fans are in attendance for the inaugural event in which the winner isn’t decided until 61 hours after the checkered flag flies, as the result of a dramatic photo finish. Lee Petty is declared the winner by two feet after conclusive evidence from a newsreel is reviewed by Bill France Sr. 

• SEPTEMBER 7, 1959 – Buddy Baker carries a two-way radio in his Julian Buesink-owned Ford during the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the first time two-way radio communication was used in the sport. 

• JANUARY 31, 1960 – CBS broadcasts its first live NASCAR premier series events. "CBS Sports Spectacular" televises the Grand National Pole Position races from Daytona. The two-hour program is the first devoted entirely to stock car racing.  

• JUNE 19, 1960 – Charlotte Motor Speedway holds its first NASCAR event. The World 600 is won by Joe Lee Johnson.  

• SEPTEMBER 13, 1962 – Mamie Reynolds becomes the first female winning car owner when Fred Lorenzen takes the checkered flag at Augusta (Ga.) Speedway.  

• DECEMBER 1, 1963 – Wendell Scott becomes the first African-American to win a race in NASCAR’s premier series, beating Buck Baker at Jacksonville (Fla.) Speedway.  

• 1964 – Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company tests and begins use of an inner-liner for all NASCAR Grand National racing tires.  

• OCTOBER 25, 1964 – Richard Petty, NASCAR’s all-time victory leader, captures his first of seven NASCAR premier series driving championships.  

• 1965 – The Firestone Racesafe Fuel Cell bladder is introduced into NASCAR.  

• 1967 – Richard Petty sets three records by collecting the most wins in one season (27), most consecutive wins (10) and most victories from the pole in one season (15).  

• SEPTEMBER 14, 1969 – Alabama International Speedway – now known as Talladega Superspeedway – opens in Talladega, Ala., as the largest oval (2.66 miles) on the NASCAR circuit.  

• MARCH 24, 1970 – Buddy Baker becomes the first driver to post a test-run speed faster than 200 mph in a stock car, doing so at Talladega.  

• SEPTEMBER 30, 1970 – At State Fairgrounds Speedway in Raleigh, N.C., the final dirt-track race for NASCAR’s premier series is run.  

•  1971 – R.J. Reynolds’ Winston brand becomes title sponsor of NASCAR’s top division, the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Division.  

•  JANUARY 10, 1972 – The founder of NASCAR, Bill France Sr., hands over the reins of leadership to his son Bill France Jr., who becomes the second president in NASCAR’s history.  

• 1972 – The NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National Division schedule is trimmed from 48 races to 31, beginning what has come to be called the "modern era" for NASCAR’s premier series.  

• FEBRUARY 15, 1976 – David Pearson and Richard Petty battle on national television in the Daytona 500. When their cars are involved in an accident near the finish line, Pearson wins by nursing his battered Mercury to the checkered flag.  

• FEBRUARY 20, 1977 – Janet Guthrie becomes the first woman to compete in the Daytona 500. She qualifies 39th and finishes 12th.  

• FEBRUARY 18, 1979 – CBS presents the first live flag-to-flag coverage of a 500-mile?NASCAR event with the Daytona 500, a?show not soon to be forgotten as Richard Petty avoids an incident between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison on the last lap to win the race. With Petty racing by to take the checkered flag, Yarborough, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison are involved in a fight in the infield grass, between Turns 3 and 4.  

• NOVEMBER 18, 1979 – Richard Petty wins his record seventh series championship.  

•  1982 – The first season for the NASCAR Busch Series – formerly the Late Model Sportsman Division, now called the NASCAR XFINITY Series – is held.  

• JULY 4, 1984 – Richard Petty earns his 200th win in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona International Speedway, setting a mark that has yet to be challenged.  

•  SEPTEMBER 1, 1985 – Bill Elliott claims a $1 million bonus for winning three of the four crown jewel races on the schedule. Elliott is victorious in the Daytona 500, the Winston 500 at Talladega and the Southern 500 at Darlington. Elliott earns the nickname "Million Dollar" Bill.  

• 1986 – NASCAR drops the "Grand National" name from its top division, renaming it the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.  

•  APRIL 30, 1987 – Bill Elliott sets the fastest lap time in NASCAR history, turning a blazing lap of 212.809 mph at Talladega Superspeedway.  

• MAY 17, 1987 – Dale Earnhardt makes his famous "pass in the grass" in The Winston, the annual all-star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, shooting through the grass and back onto the track to maintain the lead over Bill Elliott and eventually win the race.  

• 1989 – For the first time since its inception, every race in NASCAR’s top series is televised.  

• NOVEMBER 15, 1992 – One of the most significant races in NASCAR history, the 1992 season finale at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It is Richard Petty’s last race and Jeff Gordon’s first in NASCAR premier series competition. Five drivers are eligible to win the title as the race began. Driver-owner Alan Kulwicki ends up leading one more lap than Bill Elliott, to earn the five-point bonus for leading the most laps – and won the championship by 10 points.  

• AUGUST 6, 1994 – The series schedule expands to include the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon claims the win in the first Brickyard 400.  

• OCTOBER 23, 1994 – Dale Earnhardt joins Richard Petty as the second driver in series history to win seven NASCAR premier series championships clinching the title at Rockingham, N.C.  

• FEBRUARY 5, 1995 – The first race is held in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – then called the NASCAR SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman.  

• NOVEMBER 24, 1996 – NASCAR runs a demonstration race at Suzuka, Japan.  

• 1998 – NASCAR celebrates its first 50 years by naming the 50 Greatest NASCAR Drivers of all time.  

• NOVEMBER 11, 1999 – NASCAR announces multi-year partnerships with FOX, NBC and Turner Sports; consolidated television package begins in 2001.  

• NOVEMBER 28, 2000 – Mike Helton becomes the third president in NASCAR history as Bill France Jr. passes the torch of leadership to a non-France family member for the first time.  

• JANUARY 2003 – NASCAR unveils the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, N.C.  

• JUNE 19, 2003 – NASCAR announces a 10-year deal for Nextel to replace longtime series sponsor R.J. Reynolds’ Winston brand beginning in 2004.  

• AUGUST 15, 2003 – NASCAR announces a 10-year deal for Sunoco to replace Unocal 76 as the Official Fuel of NASCAR beginning in 2004.  

• OCTOBER 2003 – Brian Z. France becomes the new Chairman of the Board and CEO of NASCAR, replacing his father, Bill France Jr.  

• 2004 – NASCAR begins its first season under the banner of Nextel, with the series becoming known as the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. A new format is implemented to determine the series champion and is known as the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup.  

•  NOVEMBER 21, 2004 – Kurt Busch gives his team owner, Jack Roush, back-to-back championships by winning the championship in one of the tightest points battle in NASCAR history. Busch beats runner-up Jimmie Johnson by a mere eight points.

• NOVEMBER 16, 2008 – Jimmie Johnson wins a third consecutive NASCAR premier series crown, tying Cale Yarborough’s record of three straight titles set in 1976-78.

• OCTOBER 14, 2009 – The inaugural class of inductees for the NASCAR Hall of Fame is announced: Bill France Sr., Bill France Jr., Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. 

• NOVEMBER 22, 2009 – Jimmie Johnson becomes the second four-time NASCAR premier series champion, tying Jeff Gordon for third on the all-time list for number of titles. Johnson also sets a record for most consecutive championships won.  

• DECEMBER 4, 2009 – The NASCAR premier series Awards Ceremony moves to the Wynn Las Vegas, ending a 28-year run in New York.  

• MAY 23, 2010 – The inaugural NASCAR Hall of Fame class is inducted in Charlotte, N.C.  

• AUGUST 18, 20-21, 2010 – Kyle Busch wins all three NASCAR national series events during Bristol Motor Speedway’s summer weekend, becoming the first driver in history to record a weekend national series tripleheader sweep. 

• OCTOBER 16, 2010 – NASCAR announces it will race with Sunoco Green E15 fuel in its three national touring series in 2011. Sunoco Green E15 is a 15 percent ethanol blend using American-made ethanol from corn grown by American farmers.  

• NOVEMBER 19, 2010 – Jimmie Johnson extends his record for consecutive championships to five, and moves into sole possession of third place on the all-time list of championships, trailing only seven-time champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. 

• FEBRUARY 11, 2011 – NASCAR announces it will adopt fuel injection technology into its premier series in 2012. 

• NOVEMBER 20, 2011 – The championship ends in the first-ever tie, with Tony Stewart capturing his third title on a tiebreaker (wins) over Carl Edwards. 

• JANUARY 14, 2013 – NASCAR unveils the NASCAR Fan and Media Engagement Center, a first-of-its-kind resource that enables the sanctioning body to better serve its industry, partners and fans through real-time response and analytics of traditional, digital and social media.

• FEBRUARY 17, 2013 – Danica Patrick makes history by winning the Coors Light Pole Award for the 2013 Daytona 500, becoming the first female to win a pole in NASCAR premier series history.

• FEBRUARY 24, 2013 – The Gen-6 race car makes its official debut. The revamped body styles put the "stock" back in the stock cars with distinctly different designs that reignited rivalries between auto manufacturers. 

• MAY 4, 2013 – Air Titan, NASCAR’s new track-drying system, makes its successful race debut at Talladega Superspeedway by shaving at least an hour off drying time. The new technology was built to reduce track-drying time, improve the racing product and enhance the fan experience.

• JULY 15, 2013 – NASCAR announces a wide-ranging initiative to transform the competition model in Governance, Rules, Deterrence, Penalties and Officiating.

• JULY 23, 2013 – NASCAR announces a 10-year rights agreement with NBC Sports Group, granting NBCUniversal exclusive rights to select national touring series races and other live content beginning 2015 to 2024.

• AUGUST 1, 2013 – NASCAR and FOX Sports announce an extension and expansion of their multi-platform rights agreement from October 2012 through 2024.

• JANUARY 30, 2014 – NASCAR Chairman Brian France announces championship format change, virtually guaranteeing a berth in the Chase for each race winner. Key among the changes is a ‘Championship 4’ finale where the highest finisher among the four eligible drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway would be crowned champion. 

• OCTOBER 26, 2015 – NASCAR announced agreements with 23 tracks to field NASCAR premier series races for the next five years (2016 – 2020). Additionally, 24 tracks will host NASCAR XFINITY Series races through 2020.

• NOVEMBER 22, 2015 - The Championship Race on NBC and NBCSN was the most-watched finale since 2005 – peaking with nearly 12.4 million average viewers. This concluded a successful first season of the largest and most lucrative television partnerships in NASCAR history with FOX and NBC.

• JANUARY 19, 2016 – NASCAR Chairman Brian France announces championship format changes for the NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, by extending the Chase format to the two series and virtually guaranteeing a berth in the Chase for each race winner. Key among the changes is a ‘Championship 4’ finale where the highest finisher among the four eligible drivers at Homestead-Miami Speedway would be crowned champion just like the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.

• NOVEMBER 18, 2016 – Johnny Sauter makes history by winning the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chase, claiming his first series title.

• NOVEMBER 19, 2016 – Daniel Suarez (from Monterrey, Mexico) makes history by not only winning the inaugural NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase, claiming his first series title, but also becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national series title.

• NOVEMBER 20, 2016 – Jimmie Johnson makes history with his record-tying seventh NASCAR premier series title; joining NASCAR Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt as the series leaders with seven championships.

• DECEMBER 1, 2016 –  NASCAR and Monster Energy announce a multi-year agreement for the premier series entitlement as well as the prestigious annual NASCAR All-Star Race. Monster Energy, began its tenure as naming rights partner on Jan. 1, 2017, will become only the third company to serve as the entitlement sponsor in NASCAR premier series history, following RJ Reynolds and Sprint/Nextel.