Facts:
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also oversees NASCAR Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, and the Whelen All-American Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada, and Mexico. From 1996 to 1998, NASCAR held exhibition races in Japan, and an exhibition race in Australia in 1988.

History:

Early race drivers were often involved in bootlegging. That is how some afforded the fastest and therefore most expensive machines–with their moonshine profits. They ran moonshine down the twisty mountain roads to people during alcohol prohibition. The runners would modify their cars in order to create a faster, more maneuverable vehicle to evade the police, and came to love the fast paced driving. One of the main ’strips’ in Knoxville, TN had its beginning as a mecca for aspiring bootlegging drivers. When the U.S. alcohol prohibition was lifted in 1933, the owners of these first “racecars” watched their profitable businesses dry up. Since they had no reason to use them for “runnin’ shine” anymore and found themselves with time on their hands and a lot of money, many wanted to race their cars for pride and money. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, and they are most closely associated with the Wilkes County region of North Carolina. Most races in those days were of modified cars, street vehicles which were lightened and reinforced.

2007 Updates
The 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season began on February 10, 2007 at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and will end with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18 of that same year. The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup will begin with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. It had been believed that Sprint’s merger with NEXTEL would result in a name change for the 2007 season, but Sprint has announced that no name change will take place until at least 2008.