Tag: NASCAR

Bill France at Daytona Beach America’s prohibition era surely fueled the rise of NASCAR, but it took one man to make it official. Drivers who delivered illegal alcohol needed fast cars to outrun police, so they regularly tuned their vehicles for more power and better handling. Following prohibition, these drives still possessed a need for speed. They began to organize races, pitting their hopped up cars against each other, often in hopes of bringing home a cash prize. Daytona mechanic Bill France Sr., loved what the racing scene, but believed it could use more structure. With the assistance of a few partners, he developed a points system and race schedule for stock car racing. France soon began working with influential racers and race promoters to create a governing body for these r...

1950 Truman Fontello “Fonty” Flock, brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock, Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley, was born on this day in 1920. Fonty fell in line with his siblings, becoming an early great on the young racing circuit. Flock and his siblings grew up in Alabama and like many early NASCAR counterparts, developed racing skills while delivering moonshine. "I used to deliberately seek out the sheriff and get him to chase me," he later recalled. His career on the track started in 1940 at a 100 mile race in Atlanta. Before long, the entire the flock of Flocks were making a name for themselves. The siblings all raced each other on July 19, 1949 at Daytona Beach Road Course. This was the first NASCAR race to feature a brother and a sister and the only...

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15, 1948: The first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held on Daytona Beach in 1948 for modified-sportsman cars. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images) NASCAR's roots can be traced to bootleggers and moonshine runners during America’s prohibition era. Drivers who delivered illegal alcohol needed fast cars to outrun police, so they'd tune their vehicles for better power and handling. Following prohibition, these drives continued to possess a need for speed. They organized races so they could put their hopped up cars to the test. In many cases in hopes of bringing home a cash prize.  Bill France on the sands of Daytona Beach. TOP: DAYTONA BEACH, FL - FEBRUARY 15, 1948: The first NASCAR-sanctioned race was held on Daytona Beach in 1948 for modified-sportsman ...