On February 21, 1948, the National Association for Stock
Car Racing, or NASCAR, as it became to be widely known.
was officially incorporated. NASCAR racing went on to
become one of America’s most popular spectator sports,
as well as a multi-billion-dollar industry.

The driving force behind the establishment of NASCAR
was William “Bill” France Sr. a mechanic and auto-repair
shop owner from Washington, D.C., who in the mid-1930s
moved to Daytona Beach, Florida.

After witnessing how racing rules could vary from event
to event and how dishonest promoters could abscond
with prize money, France felt there was a need for a
governing body to sanction and promote racing.

Bill France Sr. or Big Bill (1909 – 1992).

            
CARLATA BRADLEY

BRIAN THOMAS

1957

William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. is 86 today.

On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt Sr., considered one of
the greatest drivers in NASCAR history, died at the age of 49
in a last-lap crash at the 43rd Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach,
Florida.

Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death made him the fourth NASCAR driver
to die within a nine-month period and eventually prompted
NASCAR officials to implement a series of more stringent
safety regulations, including the use of head-and-neck
restraints.