NASCAR Driving History
1949 was the beginning of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, formerly titled the NASCAR Strictly Stock Series, and the crowning of the first in a long line of champions. The title that year went to a driver who had previously flown in combat in WW2.Get your free auto insurance orlando Quote Today.
NASCAR enjoyed its first full decade in the 1950′s, a time during which some of the first drivers to compete became legendary in the sport. Only the best drivers competed for championships, and in that sense they were every bit as great as the Dale Earnhardts and Jeff Gordons who are on the tip of every NASCAR fan’s tongue in the present. Receive competing houston auto insurance Quotes Today.
Many young up and comers matured into stars and even superstars in the 1960′s. Richard Petty started in the 60′s, winning two of his seven championships in the decade on his way to the NASCAR history book, and David Pearson started his record breaking career on the way to becoming the second most winning driver in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history – at the time it was called NASCAR Grand National.
The 1970′s were spectacular years for the sport of NASCAR. Cale Yarborough won not one, or two, but three straight Winston Cup Championships. Richard Petty did even better, with five titles in the 70′s including 1975 when he beat the second place finisher by 722 points. Richard repeated, back to back championships, two times in the span of those ten years.
The 1980′s became a decade of NASCAR champions. Dale Earnhardt, with three championships, traded dominant years with Darrel Waltrip. Like Magic and Bird in the NBA, their efforts carried NASCAR to new heights as far as fan numbers and mainstream appeal. Bobby Allison, who had been second for the championship many times, finally won his first title in 1983.
The 90′s saw NASCAR make it’s way to equal billing with the NBA, MLB and NFL as a major professional sport. The champions and races in the 90′s marked their own place in the NASCAR mythology, bringing more fans to the tracks and more viewers to the broadcasts than ever before for NASCAR.
New champions for a new century could have been the slogan for NASCAR as the year 2000 came. Bobby Lebonte did something no champion had ever before accomplished. For the first time a NASCAR driver won championships in two premiere series – Winston Cup and Busch. When his brother Terry also won a championship, they became the first brother pair to win NASCAR titles. Compare los angeles auto insurance Quotes for Free.
Keep this history in mind next time you watch a NASCAR race.
