MILESTONE MOMENTS EVENTS THAT SHAPED NASCAR HISTORY
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ASCAR is cur-
rently celebrating its 72nd year of competition after the sanctioning body was officially incorporated on Feb. 21, 1948, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Many significant milestones have been achieved over those seven decades that have positioned NASCAR racing among the premier major league sports around the world. Seeking to prove which make of car was the fastest and most reliable among America’s auto manufacturers,
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NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
their “Win on Sunday/Sell on Monday” sale strategies were successful as auto executives hired the absolute best drivers to wheel their latest creations on a variety of race tracks around the country. Those who piloted the earliest creations were farmers, millworkers, mechanics and moonshiners. They were unafraid to push Chevrolets, Dodges, Fords, Hudsons and Mercurys to their absolute limits, while seeking to become woven as champions into NASCAR’s
incredible history. The sport’s legendary superstars are household names – Allison Baker, Earnhardt, Panch, Pearson, Petty, Roberts, Turner, Weatherly and Yarborough, to name only a very few. Many were fathers who raced to glory on NASCAR’s short tracks and superspeedways before passing their professions down to their sons. Here is a look back at several milestone events that helped shape American stock car racing into the sport we celebrate and enjoy today.
PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
