REVEALED: How 35 People Helped Establish the NASCAR Championship, 75 Years Ago

The NASCAR Cup Series has been around for a very long time. In fact, as NASCAR celebrates its 75th anniversary, there is a renewed interest in the story behind its formation. Bill France Sr. officially founded NASCAR on February 21st, 1948, though the idea had begun materializing before that.

On December 14th, 1947, Bill France held a meeting with 35 prominent personalities from the world of stock car racing at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach. The subject was the establishment of a stock car racing series. Prior to this, another meeting had taken place at Hotel Wilkes following a race at North Wilkesboro. In that meeting, Bill France met with Enoch Staley—the then North Wilkesboro Speedway president—along with several other big names.

A partnership that shaped NASCAR

The participants ranged from racers and mechanics to businessmen, promotors, and journalists. Some of the more prominent among these were Richmond Raceway’s Paul Sawyer, Martinsville Speedway’s Clay Earles, Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Joe Littlejohn, and NASCAR’s first flagman Alvin Hawkins. The meetings led to the formalization of rules and regulations surrounding the sport.

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Unfortunately, poor health kept Enoch Staley from making it to the December 14 meeting. Despite this, Bill France kept his word and North Wilkesboro Speedway was granted an event in the NASCAR calendar. Interestingly enough, the first season’s champion was crowned at the North Wilkesboro Speedway.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JUNE 02: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) (Editors note: This image was computer generated in-game) James Davison, driver of the #15 Chevrolet races during the eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series race at virtual Chicago Street Course on June 02, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

This would not be the last time France and Staley linked up for a major project. Later on, the two teamed up and ran races at Daytona beach. In addition to that, Staley helped France with other projects, such as the Occoneechee Speedway. This was among of the earliest NASCAR tracks to open and it was a mainstay on the calendar till 1968. They also partnered in constructing and running operations at the Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

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The next year saw the introduction of strictly stock races, with the first race attracting as many as 13,000 spectators. Of course, the numbers have rocketed over the years and the viewership proves that the stock car series is one of America’s favorite pastimes.