2009 NASCAR

The idea for NASCAR sprung from a desire to race “stock” cars (i.e. cars that anyone can purchase from a car dealer) rather than the ultra-expensive race cars that only a lucky few can afford. The idea certainly took off - NASCAR is one of the most popular sports around today, trailing only the NFL in television rankings and boasting over 75 million fans. Of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., 17 are NASCAR events.

When NASCAR was founded in 1948 by Bill France Jr., it was vastly different than the NASCAR of today. In the beginning, safety wasn’t exactly a priority – there were no roll bars, the windows had glass and seatbelts weren’t always used. Sometimes drivers even rented a car for the race! Things started to change in 1952, when roll bars were made mandatory and “high performance” tires began to be used. Though this did mark a move away from the original stock car ethos, it was justified because the tires promoted safety. However, with the flood gates now open, manufacturers saw major advertising value in a car winning a race using their products and the evolution of NASCAR cars really started heating up. As the cars began to change so did the racetracks. As NASCAR popularity grew, dirt tracks were slowly replaced with professional racetracks that offered wider tracks, higher banks and longer races. In 1950 in Darlington, South Carolina, the first superspeedway was built and in 1959 the Daytona International Speedway was opened, instantly becoming the preeminent track in stock car racing, a title it still holds today.

By the 1970’s NASCAR started to resemble what we’re used to today. In 1972, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company teamed up with NASCAR to establish the Winston Cup Series. The 1970’s were dominated by Richard Petty, winner of 5 championships and 3 consecutive titles. In the 1980’s Petty was surpassed by a new generation of drivers including Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot, and Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt’s success came early, winning the 1979 Rookie of the Year, and he went on to become the most popular racer of all time, winning 76 races and finishing in the top ten an astounding 428 times. Tragically, Earnhardt perished in an accident during the 2001 Daytona 500. His death deeply affected the entire industry which moved quickly to implement additional safety standards on all cars.

Despite the loss of the sport’s most popular driver, NASCAR today is bigger than ever. New drivers continue to bring new fans to the track including Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt’s son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Attendance has skyrocketed and new television contracts have been signed. The sport has sponsors knocking down the doors and NASCAR is now a multi-billion dollar industry. There are approximately 100 races each year, divided among three series: Sprint, Nationwide, and Craftsman. NASCAR is now the fastest growing spectator sport in America.

Any true NASCAR fan will tell you that watching a race on TV just can’t compare to seeing it all happen live. If you’d like to catch some NASCAR action live, check out our schedule of races and start planning your trip. Coast to Coast not only has an unrivaled selection of NASCAR tickets at competitive prices, we also have a comprehensive schedule for all three series, seating charts for every track and even directions to get you there. So what are you waiting for? Now’s the time to get your NASCAR tickets!