 | |
| Sport | Auto racing |
|---|---|
| Category | Stock car racing Sports car racing (IMSA) |
| Abbreviation | NASCAR |
| Founded | February 21, 1948 |
| Affiliation | ACCUS-FIA |
| Headquarters | Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. (main) Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. Concord, North Carolina, U.S. |
| President | Steve Phelps Peter Jung (Vice President, CMO) |
| Chairman | Jim France |
| Chairperson | Mike Helton (Vice Chairman) |
| CEO | Jim France |
| Other key staff |
|
| Official website | |
| nascar | |
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing.[1] It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports leagues in America. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948,[2] and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018.[3] The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.[4] Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe.
NASCAR, and stock car racing as a whole, traces its roots back to moonshine runners during Prohibition, who grew to compete against each other in a show of pride. This happened notably in North Carolina. In 1935, Bill France Sr. established races in Daytona Beach, with the hope that people would come to watch races and that racers would race for him, as other organizers tended to fleece the winners of their payouts. This was a success, and the series was founded in 1948. Races were held in several divisions, which eventually morphed into what is the "ladder:" the Cup Series at the top, the Xfinity Series second, and the Truck Series third, with smaller series spread out below. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota compete in each series.
The vast majority of NASCAR drivers are American, but drivers from Canada, Mexico, Europe, and other places have competed. All Cup Series races are held across America. There are 36 points-paying races in a season, along with the pre-season Clash and mid-season All-Star race. NASCAR runs races primarily on ovals, including superspeedways, short tracks, and dirt tracks, but also road courses and street circuits.
Richard Petty holds the Cup Series wins record with 200. He is tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson for the championship record, with seven each. Entering the 2025 season, Joey Logano is the defending Cup Series champion.
- ^ "History of Stock Car Racing". Stock Car Racing Collection at Belk Library. Appalachian State University. 2015. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "History of NASCAR". NASCAR Media Group. August 17, 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Jim France assumes role of interim NASCAR Chairman, CEO | NASCAR.com". Official Site Of NASCAR. August 6, 2018. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
- ^ "Racing FAQ, NASCAR Trivia and TECH Questions". Jayski LLC; owned and served by ESPN. February 15, 2009. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 18, 2009.