Author: Betty Boles Ellison Publisher: McFarland ISBN: 1476616221 Category : Transportation Languages : en Pages : 296
Book Description
The first organized, sanctioned American stock car race took place in 1908 on a road course around Briarcliff, New York—staged by one of America’s early speed mavens, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. A veteran of the early Ormond–Daytona Beach speed trials, Vanderbilt brought the Grand Prize races to Savannah, Georgia, the same year. What began as a rich man’s sport eventually became the working man’s sport, finding a home in the South with the infusion of moonshiners and their souped-up cars. Based in large part on statements of drivers, car owners and others garnered from archived newspaper articles, this history details the development of stock car racing into a megasport, chronicling each season through 1974. It examines the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing’s 1948 incorporation documents and how they differ from the agreements adopted at NASCAR’s organization meeting two months earlier. The meeting’s participants soon realized that their sport was actually owned by William H.G. “Bill” France, and its consequential growth turned his family into billionaires. The book traces the transition from dirt to asphalt to superspeedways, the painfully slow advance of safety measures and the shadowy economics of the sport.
Author: Buddy Mewbourne Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform ISBN: 9781532860720 Category : Languages : en Pages : 252
Book Description
A narrative about automobile racing infancy. The early racers like Henry Ford, Vanderbilt, and Barney Oldfield created a path that through the years was a model for racing excellence. The rough and tumble years of the 30's and 40's led the way to the great sport we have today. Stock Car racing that had few if any regulations preceded NASCAR that brought sanity and organization. The formation of this giant of today's automobile racing was just was needed to turn chaos into respectability. In the beginning of NASCAR, the southern states the focus. Today NASCAR is nationwide with dozens of super speedways and thousands of fans. "STOCK CARS BEFORE NASCAR" explores racing from the 1900's to the 1970's. Read about stock car racing, and discover race tracks and drivers and race cars, in all the southeastern stated plus Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Author: Lew Freedman Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN: 0313387109 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 969
Book Description
This two-volume encyclopedia is the Daytona 500 of stock car racing books—an essential "Bible" that provides an all-encompassing history of the sport as well as an up-to-date examination of modern-day stock car racing. How did stock car racing become firmly entrenched in American pop culture, especially in light of the lack of interest in motorsports overall as a spectator activity in the United States? And what has been the secret to NASCAR's financial success and growth over the last six decades? Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing highlights approximately 250 subjects that have defined the sport since stock car racing was first organized. Organized in A-Z order, it covers all of the greatest drivers, such as Richard Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Junior Johnson, and David Pearson; the special races such as the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400; and the famed tracks across the country, from Bristol Motor Speedway to Darlington Raceway to Talladega Superspeedway. This unprecedented resource collects information about every element of NASCAR history in one place: the early personalities who shaped the sport and set things in motion, the past greats who have now retired, and today's rising stars who continue to make stock car racing one of the most popular sports in the United States.
Author: Scott Beekman Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA ISBN: 1567206611 Category : Sports & Recreation Languages : en Pages : 192
Book Description
This is the first work to go beyond the popular myths of stock car racing to fully examine the sport's true history. NASCAR Nation: A History of Stock Car Racing in the United States details the ongoing saga of this quintessentially American pastime. Looking at the drivers, events, and teams, it positions NASCAR racing within larger social, economic, and cultural trends in an attempt to address the sport's phenomenal growth and popularity. This chronological examination of the evolution of stock car racing is the first history to go beyond the widely held myth that it was "invented" by Prohibition-era moonshiners. The book traces stock car racing history from its beginnings, to the formation of The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) in 1948, through today. Of course, readers will meet the sport's many colorful personalities, including the Earnhardts, Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon (who has raked in more than $70 million in career winnings), "Fireball" Roberts, Darrell Waltrip, Daytona pioneer Bill France, and women drivers like Janet Guthrie, Louise Smith, and Jennifer Jo Cobb. While the focus is on NASCAR, the book also examines other prominent stock car racing organizations to round out its comprehensive portrait.
Author: Ford Easton Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN: 9781500171780 Category : Transportation Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
Human beings have always been driven to compete. Foot racing became horse racing became automobile racing, and we continue to redefine the word “fast.” Whether you prefer the tales of American bootleggers customizing Prohibition-era automobiles to outrun the law or the natural progression of cars replacing horses on the streets and on the racetrack, automobile racing flourished as a sport for many years in the United States before stock car racing truly came into its own in the 1950s. The economy rebounded after the end of World War II. The GIs brought home skills and knowledge about advances in technology, and civilians had learned how to get the most out of old machines during the war. Scrap steel was no longer reserved exclusively for the War Effort, and the junkyards were filling up with worn out cars as people started to invest in new ones to replace them. A very competitive stock car could be purchased at the junk yard for $25 or so. By adding another $75, a clever builder could make it race ready. Teams of weekend warriors could compete head to head against well-funded, highly trained teams and have a real shot at winning. It was a perfect combination: knowledgeable mechanics and fearless drivers in cars that the public recognized from their daily life. The grandstands filled and new tracks turned up all across the countryside to satisfy the public's interest in watching these race cars compete. Associations formed to standardize the tracks, which were often farm fields that had been lovingly sculpted and paved by the farmers themselves to give the drivers and their crews a place to showcase their talent. These men and women entertained, awed, and inspired a generation of "motor heads" and race fans. This book is a tribute to the drivers and other figures from Western New York and Northwestern Pennsylvania who shaped stock car racing in the 1950s.
Author: Marc P. Singer Publisher: Arcadia Publishing ISBN: 9780738515151 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 134
Book Description
Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont has an extensive and legendary tradition of automobile racing. Soon after 1904, when the first car was registered in Charlotte, autos became a part of everyday life. Car racing was just around the bend: an open-road race was run through Charlotte as early as 1908. Many drivers themselves have hailed from the area, and some are said to have received early training by running moonshine and outrunning authorities. Probably the best-known aspect of Carolina racing is the Queen City's involvement since 1949 with NASCAR, which hosts many of its big names and operations. Auto Racing in Charlotte and the Carolina Piedmont explores the story behind the various forms of the sport, the kinds of people who have raced, and the reasons why they have done so. Historic photographs-many never before published-trace the history of NASCAR and look beyond the professional aspect to include the dragracers, wannabees, kids, and just plain amateurs participating in this cultural phenomenon. The story includes the first formal oval track, constructed entirely of wooden planks and opened in 1925. Other famous Charlotte locations, including professional dirt tracks, drag strips, and even a paved track dedicated to Soap Box Derby, are also revisited. Images of fans, mechanics, and hangers-on round out this singular journey of racing in the Carolinas.
Author: Heather Moore Niver Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc ISBN: 1499402341 Category : Juvenile Nonfiction Languages : en Pages : 34
Book Description
Auto racing is known around the world for its high speeds and long races. Readers discover the drivers who’ve gone the fastest and won the most races as they learn about this sport’s most famous records. They’re introduced to different styles of auto racing, including open-wheel racing and stock car racing, with colorful photographs of cars and drivers. Stat boxes allow readers to compare information about the best drivers of the past and present using math skills. The best drivers are also discussed in informative sidebar biographies.
Author: Ross R. Olney Publisher: Lulu.com ISBN: 1300647655 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 139
Book Description
Two teen-agers back in early day France probably started it all by "borrowing" their Dad's "horseless carriages" and seeing which could go fastest. That was when highly respected doctors were certain that you would die if you moved faster than sixty miles an hour. The human body simply couldn't survive at that speed. Now, racers routinely go two hundred miles an hour, and drag racers go more than three hundred miles an hour in only a thousand feet. Auto racing is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is daring, dangerous, and exciting, and the winners often become millionaires. This book aimed at young adults is full of stories about racing as it describes the progress from the two kids to modern racing. The author has participated as a driver, photographer and journalist for many years, and has written a number of books on the subject.
Author: Betty Boles Ellison
Author: Buddy Mewbourne![Encyclopedia of Stock Car Racing [2 volumes] PDF](https://books.google.com/books/content/images/frontcover/XRfOEAAAQBAJ?fife=w80-h100)
Author: Lew Freedman
Author: Scott Beekman
Author: Ford Easton
Author: Marc P. Singer
Author: Don Hunter
Author: Heather Moore Niver
Author: Ross R. Olney
Author: Greg Fielden