Perhaps the most popular race in the NASCAR season, the Daytona 500 will start its engines Sunday, Feb. 19, 2006. Held at the enormous 480-acre motorsports complex in Daytona, Fla., the race will feature 41 of the sport's fastest cars speeding toward the finish line at nearly 200 mph. While media coverage will focus on the outcome of the race, it probably won't mention NASCAR's booze-running, good old boy history.
NASCAR was officially founded on Dec. 14, 1948 when Bill France Sr. organized a group of racing enthusiasts into the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Consult NASCAR’s official website about the origins of auto racing and you’ll get the story of a visionary’s efforts to shape a newly emerging sport. You can read about how racers used family sedans in the early events, how WWII influenced drivers' equipment and how Daytona Beach became the center of the racing world. What you won’t read about is how the origins of racing are inexorably linked to the world of illegal alcohol.
When the Volstead Act was passed in 1919, the manufacture, sale and transport of alcohol became illegal. Prohibition, the “noble experiment,” created a vast underground industry of black market booze. Suddenly, serving intoxicating drinks became an even more lucrative business. Thousand of gallons of liquor were smuggled from Canada and Mexico and thousands more were distilled in hidden locations throughout America.
With supply lines running steadily, all the illegal alcohol industry needed was transportation. While running alcohol could be excellent money, the penalties for breaking the prohibition laws were severe and the cars and trucks used to ship alcohol were often targeted by law enforcement. Drivers were put in a situation where a little extra speed or maneuverability could mean the difference between freedom and jail. To give themselves an edge, moonshine runners began to modify their cars, increasing power or decreasing weight in any way possible.
Before long, drivers gained reputations for being the best drivers with the fastest cars and local legends began facing off. Some of the first unorganized races emerged in the late 1920s when tracks were in fields and on beaches. These unglamorous events helped launch auto racing as we know it today by attracting people to the sport. NASCAR legends such as Tim Flock became interested after lining up with a few hundred fans to watch drivers race in cow pastures. The sport began to spread and increase in popularity.
NASCAR as an organization was invented by Bill France in 1947 and formed in early 1948. Although there were preliminary races at Daytona Beach, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing held its first true race at the Charlotte, North Carolina Fairgrounds on June 19, 1949.
Interestingly, NASCAR’s association with the alcohol industry is still controversial today. A recent decision to accept liquor sponsors has some questioning the effect of the advertising on responsible drinking among fans. Critics of NASCAR’s image were also angered when 2004 Nextel Cup champion Kurt Busch failed a field sobriety test after being pulled over in November. Despite the disapproval of an increasing number of people, NASCAR has reported no plans to sober up their sponsors.
For more on the sport’s colorful history, read Joe Menzer’s novel, 'The Wildest Ride: A History of NASCAR (Or, How a Bunch of Good Ol' Boys Built a Billion-Dollar Industry out of Wrecking Cars)'.
See also:
The Science of NASCAR
Social Science and NASCAR Strategy
