Editing NASCAR (section)

===Founding===
On March 8, 1936, a collection of drivers gathered at [[Daytona Beach, Florida]]. The drivers brought [[coupe]]s, [[hardtop]]s, convertibles, and sports cars to compete in an event to determine the fastest cars, and best drivers. Throughout the race, the heavier cars got bogged down in the sand, while the lightweight Fords navigated the ruts of the course, eventually claiming the top 6 finishes for the race. Of the 27 cars that started the event, only 10 managed to survive the ordeal, as officials halted the event {{convert|10|mi|km}} short of the scheduled {{convert|250|mi|km|adj=on}} distance. Driver Milt Marion was declared the winner, and a young Bill France placed 5th at the end of the day.<ref name="Fast History-10">{{cite book|last=Fielden|first=Greg|title=NASCAR: A Fast History |publisher=Publications International Ltd.|location=Lincolnwood, Illinois|year=2005|page=10|chapter=The First Beach Race|isbn=1-4127-1155-X}}</ref>

By early 1947, Bill France saw the potential for a unified series of racing competitors. France announced the foundation of the "National Championship Stock Car Circuit", otherwise known as NCSCC.<ref name=DarlingtonRacewayBigBill>{{cite web|title=No Debate Needed Regarding Induction of 'Big Bill' Into NASCAR Hall of Fame|url=http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/Articles/2010/04/Bill-France-Sr-Hall-of-Fame.aspx|publisher=[[Darlington Raceway]]|access-date=February 15, 2013|archive-date=June 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626000829/http://www.darlingtonraceway.com/Articles/2010/04/Bill-France-Sr-Hall-of-Fame.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> France approached the [[American Automobile Association]], or AAA, in hopes of obtaining financial backing for the venture. When the AAA declined support of the venture, France proceeded to announce a set of rules and awards for the NCSCC. France declared that the winner of the 1947 NCSCC season would receive $1000.00 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1,000|1947}} in {{Inflation/year|US}}) and a trophy. The season would begin in January 1947 at the Daytona Beach track, and conclude in Jacksonville the following December. Nearly 40 events were logged during the season, and attendance often exceeded the venue's capacity. The competitors were paid as promised, and by the end of the season, driver [[Fonty Flock]] was declared the season champion after winning 7 events of the 24 that he entered. Bill France delivered the $1000 and 4-foot high trophy to Flock at the end of the season, along with $3000 in prize money to other drivers who competed throughout the season.<ref name="Fast History-15">{{cite book|last=Fielden|first=Greg|title=NASCAR: A Fast History |publisher=Publications International Ltd.|location=Lincolnwood, Illinois|year=2005|page=15|chapter=The National Championship Stock Car Circuit|isbn=1-4127-1155-X}}</ref>

[[File:Streamline Hotel July 2018.jpg|thumb|left|The Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, where NASCAR was founded]]
At the end of the 1947 season, Bill France announced that there would be a series of meetings held at the [[Streamline Hotel|Streamline Hotel in Florida]], beginning on December 14, 1947. At 1:00&nbsp;pm, France called to order the 35 men who represented the NCSCC on the top floor of the hotel. The meeting was the first of four seminars in which France would outline his vision of an organized group of race car drivers.<ref name="Fast History-16">{{cite book|last=Fielden|first=Greg|title=NASCAR: A Fast History |publisher=Publications International Ltd.|location=Lincolnwood, Illinois|year=2005|page=15|chapter=The Streamline Hotel and the Birth of NASCAR|isbn=1-4127-1155-X}}</ref> The name originally chosen for the series was [[National Stock Car Racing Association]]; when it was pointed out that that name was already in use by a rival sanctioning body, "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing", proposed by mechanic [[Red Vogt]], was selected as the organization's name.<ref>{{cite book|last=Moriarty|first=Frank|title=The Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing|year=1998|publisher=Metro Books|location=New York|isbn=978-1-56799-459-9|page=12}}</ref>

NASCAR was founded by William France, Sr. on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers of the time.<ref name="nascar101"/> The original plans for NASCAR included three distinct divisions: Modified, Roadster, and Strictly Stock. The Modified and Roadster classes were seen as more attractive to fans. It turned out that NASCAR fans wanted nothing to do with the [[Roadster (automobile)|roadsters]], which fans perceived as a Northeast or Midwest series.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}} The roadster division was quickly abandoned, while the [[Modified racing|modified]] division now operates as the [[NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour]]. The Strictly Stock division was put on hold as American automobile manufacturers were unable to produce family sedans quickly enough to keep up with post-World War II demand.<ref name=Fleischman6>{{cite book |last=Fleischman |first=Bill |author2=Al Pearce |title=The Unauthorized NASCAR Fan Guide (1998–99) |url=https://archive.org/details/unauthorizednasc00flei |url-access=registration |publisher=Visible Ink Press |year=1999 |page=[https://archive.org/details/unauthorizednasc00flei/page/6 6]}}</ref> The 1948 schedule featured 52 Modified [[dirt track racing|dirt track races]]. The sanctioning body hosted its first event at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948. [[Red Byron]] beat [[Marshall Teague (racing driver)|Marshall Teague]] in the Modified division race. Byron won the 1948 national championship. Things had changed dramatically by 1949, and the Strictly Stock division was able to debut with a {{convert|20|mi|km|adj=on}} exhibition in February near Miami.

The first [[1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series inaugural race|NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race]] ever was held at [[Charlotte Speedway]], although this is not the same track as the [[Charlotte Motor Speedway]] that is a fixture on current NASCAR schedule. The race was held on June 19, 1949 and won by driver [[Jim Roper]] when [[Glenn Dunaway]] was disqualified after the discovery of his altered rear springs. Initially, the cars were known as the "Strictly Stock Division" and raced with virtually no modifications on the factory models. This division was renamed the "Grand National" division beginning in the 1950 season. Over a period of more than a decade, modifications for both safety and performance were allowed, and by the mid-1960s, the vehicles were purpose-built race cars with a stock-appearing body.

[[File:RichardPettyRoadrunner.jpg|thumb|[[Richard Petty]]'s 1970 426 C.I. [[Plymouth Superbird]] on display]]

Early in NASCAR's history, foreign manufacturers had shown interest in entering the series; the British car manufacturer, [[MG Cars|MG]], found a few of its vehicles entered, with some placing. For example, on August 16, 1963 in the International 200, Smokey Cook drove an MG to a 17th-place finish.<ref>{{cite web |author=((the Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) |url=http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/season-recaps/1960s/1963-nascar.htm |title="1963 NASCAR Grand National Chronology" |publisher=HowStuffWorks |access-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203012403/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/season-recaps/1960s/1963-nascar.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/racing/drivers/_/year/1959 |title=1959 NASCAR Grand National Drivers |publisher=ESPN |access-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224063509/https://www.espn.com/racing/drivers/_/year/1959 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first NASCAR competition held outside the US was in Canada, where on July 1, 1952, [[Buddy Shuman]] won a 200-lap race on a half-mile (800 m) dirt track in Stamford Park, [[Ontario]], near [[Niagara Falls]].