(FoxNews) – The 62nd running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday will mark the
start of a new era for NASCAR, following its landmark offseason acquisition
of International Speedway Corp.

NASCAR now owns the Daytona International Speedway, home of the
venerable season-opening race, as well as several other tracks included
in the $2 billion acquisition. While big changes related to the deal aren’t
expected until 2021, the transaction gives NASCAR unprecedented control
over its racing schedule as it reshapes its business to appeal to younger
fans.

“It makes a big difference,” NASCAR Chairman Jim France said of the merger.
“It gives us an opportunity to respond quicker to the changing environment
out here with the economy and all the things that are going on that impact motorsports. It was a major big step that we needed to make probably for
quite a while.”

NASCAR Chairman Jim France.

(AP) – Robert Glenn "Junior" Johnson, a moonshine runner turned
NASCAR driver described as "The Last American Hero" by author
Tom Wolfe in a 1965 article for Esquire, died Friday.

NASCAR announced the death of Johnson, the winner of 50 races as
a driver and 132 as an owner. He was a member of the inaugural class
inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010.

A native of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, Johnson was named
one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers in 1998 after a 14-year career that
ended  in 1966 and included a win in the 1960 Daytona 500. He honed
his driving skills running moonshine through the North Carolina hills,
a crime for  which he received a federal conviction in 1956 and a full
presidential pardon in 1986 from President Ronald Reagan.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–This weekend, Dale Earnhardt’s iconic No. 3 Chevrolet
Monte Carlo will return to the racetrack to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Talladega Superspeedway and Richard Childress Racing.

Childress will drive the No. 3 to pace the field at Talladega on Sunday prior
to the start of the 1000Bulbs.com 500. The iconic team owner started his
NASCAR career at Talladega’s grand-opening weekend and the track is
also home to Earnhardt’s last career victory in October 2000.

Ralph Dale Earnhardt (April 29, 1951 – February 18, 2001)

On February 18, 2001, Dale Sr. lost his life at the 43rd running of
The Great American Race following a devastating collision on the
outside wall at Daytona International Speedway. He was 49 years
old.

 
NASCAR & International Motorsports Hall of Famer Richard Childress.

Michael Stefanik (May 20, 1958 – September 15, 2019)

(FoxNews) – NASCAR champion Michael Stefanik died Sunday in a
single-engine plane crash near the Rhode Island state line.

Connecticut state police said Stefanik took off in a single-engine,
single-seat Aerolite 103 from the Riconn Airport in Coventry, R.I.,
and was turning back to the airfield when it crashed in a wooded
area.

“Mike Stefanik was one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR
history, but even more so, he was a true representative of our sport,
” NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France said in a statement. “His
tough, competitive nature and excellence on the race track won him
the admiration of fans and competitors alike.”

Jessi Combs (July 27, 1983 – August 27, 2019)

(FoxNews) – Jet-car race driver and TV personality Jessi Combs died
tragically during an attempt to break her own land-speed record.

She was involved in the fatal crash during her attempt on Tuesday
on a dry lake bed in Oregon. She was attempting to hit 619 mph.

The details of the crash have not been released at this time.