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Over the past decade (10 years) , Nascar have bloom into one of the more popular sports in not only the United States but the world. Unfortunately the majority of the fanbase doesn't know the sport history. Therefore doesn't truly reapect the sport for it rich history and traditions.
I remember before going to my first race in 1991 (Atlanta) , my father sat me down and force spoon me the history of this great sport. Over 20 years later , I am still thankfully for knowing the information. It give me a better view of the what sport is today. So today all you (newbies) take notes Professor Jeff is here with a History lesson!
Everyone knows in 1948 Nascar was founded by Bill France Sr. But very few realize dating back to around 1900 , cars were breaking records on the race courses. Speeds were close to 300 mph (Actually Malcolm Campbell broke the 300 mile per hour mark in 1935.) Anyhow racing exists before Nascar was founded in 1948. Only different was it wasn't organize like it is today. Of course one of the reasons Bill wanted to created Nascar was to fix that issue. As he believed the sport could/would not survive with no guidelines , authority figures and rules.
Of course Bill struggled to stabilize such things. It took him over a decade to successful stable what today known as Nascar. For a good amount of time , France was a racer himself while trying to promote races. He wasn't very rich either. So in order for these races to take place , he had to have people assist with funds. In 1947 , Bill finally realize he had to retire in order for stock car racing to be a success. An year later the first race ever was held in Nascar History at Daytona beach.
1950s -
Herb Thomas was one of the most interesting individuals in the 1950s. He scored 48 wins and 2 champiomship by 1956. Herb not exactly the most known driver in Nascar history , but he was definitely one of the more successful ones.
This decade didn't have the star power like the decades to come. But besides Herb Thomas there was Lee Petty and Buck Baker as other two top drivers in the sport. Petty probably was the best driver. He won 47 races and 3 championships. While compiling more top 5 & top 10 finishes then anyone else. Not to mention he won the first ever Daytona 500 in '59.
Buck Baker was a great driver who never got recognize for being exactly that. He won 46 races and 2 championships by 1956. Buck died in 2002 and naned to Nascar hall of fame in 2012. His debut was in 1949.
Tim Flock didn't have as many starts as Petty and Baker , but won almost as many. Flock won 39 races (22.5%) and 2 championships. Flock could be considered the best driver of this decade. His winning % is one of highest in Nascar history. Not many drivers could dominate like Flock. Arguably he was the first dominant driver in Nascar history.
In 1950 , the first race was held at Darlington. 80+ cars attempted to qualified , while only 75 made the show. This was a 500 mile event which took over 6 hours to complete. Johnny Mantz crossed the checkers in one of the very few non-dirt tracks in the early 1950s. Wasn't until the mid-1950 , when Nascar realized the fans love paved racetracks. So by 1958 , there were over 20 paved racetracks on the schedule of 50 some events.
A year later , one of the most famous tracks in Nascar Daytona Int Superspeedway held it first race ever won by Lee Petty. It was the famous photo finish which wasn't official for three days. In my opinion it was one of the greatest moment in history.
1960s-
Richard Petty was the best driver in the '60s and that saying something. This decade saw real star power emerged. In 1964, he captured his first championship with 9 wins. He didn't win another championship until 1967. Nobody will ever repeat his dominances that season. Petty won record-setting 27 races. Including 10 straight races. Pearson was Petty biggest competition throughout. Petty was outdone in latter part of the 1960s in terms of titles.
David Pearson in my opinion is the greatest driver not name Richard Petty in Nascar history. His dominances started in 1960 (Rookie year). In this decade he won 57 races and 3 championships. In 1961 he won his first three races. But then went winless the following two seasons.
In 1964 Pearson won 8 times in what many consider his breakout season. In 1965 Pearson only raced the final 21 races and won twice. 1966 was David first full season and he won 15 races on his way to a championship. Pearson was arguably the best driver from 1966 to 1969. 3 of 4 seasons Pearson won the championship. Only year Pearson didn't win was '67 where Pearson only raced in half of the events.
In 1968 Pearson ran all the races and won 16 races. While outlasting Richard Petty who eventually finished 3rd in the standings. Pearson won his 2nd championship. The following season in '69 Pearson won his final championship. Funny that was his final and three full season. He won the championship in every full season.
What I love about 1960 & 1970s was how dominated one driver could be. Its was pretty damn common to see one driver lap the field and win by 2 or 3 lap over 2nd place. Won't see that in today's modern era.
I loved this decade because it the true foundation for Nascar. I believe if Nascar didn't have success in 1960s , then this sport wouldn't be here today. Its truly one of the most interesting timeperiod in Nascar history books.
The 1960s were significantly for many reasons. One of them were Richard Petty scores his first Nascar win. Roughly one year after his father won. Another one significant moment was Fireball Roberts winning at Bristol. That race was huge for Roberts because it marked his first start for Holman-Moody team.One of the saddest moments in this decade was former champion Joe Weatherly being killed at Riverside in 1964.
In 1965 , Nascar banned the Morpar hemi engine which led to several drivers boycotting the 1965 season. Including big time names like Richard Petty and David Pearson who took part in drag racing instead.
Later in this decade other stars also emerged like Donnie Allison , Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough. These guys became big in the 1970s. They were finding themselves towards end of the '60s.
Yarborough spent major of the early to mid '60s with the wood brothers. In 1967 Yarborough won 6 races and 6 poles. That was his best season to date with the wood brothers. He ran a limited schedule every year with Wood brothers. Cale didn't get really rolling until the 1970s though.
Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison didn't get off and running like Pearson and Petty did. But both respectively found their stride in the late 1960s and into 1970/1980s.
1970s -
If modern day fans thought Jimmie Johnson dominances was unfair. That's nothing compared to what Richard Petty did in the 1970s. In the 70s , Petty won 89 races. He averaged 9 wins per season and 5 championships. Had 326 starts in this decade. 253 Top 10s which is 77% of the time. Also had 221 top 5s which comes out to 65%. In 1971 , Petty won over 20 times to his 3rd championship.
1972 is considered the start of the modern era. In 1975 Petty won 13 races (only Gordon have accomplished that feat). In 1972 Petty won his 4th championship with 8 wins and 25 top 5s. His 5th and 6th championship runs came back-to-back from '74 to '75. Petty won his final championship in 1979.
Three significant moments in '70s involved Richard Petty. First of them was the insane 1976 Daytona 500. Both Petty and Pearson spun off turn 4 and hit the front stench wall. Petty couldn't restart his car while Pearson creep by Petty for the victory. Petty actually stopped just yards from the line. In 1978 , Petty failed to win. His team never could figured out the rule package that year. Not many realized this but he moved to chevy in middle of the season from Dodge after frustration setted in.
Petty won the championship in 1979. But the significance of that title run was the Daytona 500. Interesting race to be honest. On the last lap Petty was running 3rd. Fellow competitors Yarborough and (Donnie) Allison wrecked in the final turn. Which turned into a fist fight following the race. Petty eventually won that race. Yet he wasn't the headliner.
David Pearson in my opinion could have been the best driver and looking back if he ran a full schedule in this decade there a good possibility of that. Pearson only had 186 starts in the 1970s , but compiled 47 wins and 126 top 10s (118 were top 5s.)
In 1972, Pearson started racing with the Wood brothers (limited schedule) and race 17 times. That season he won 6 times. In 1973 , Pearson raced 18 times and won 11 of those races. In those two seasons , Pearson had 35 starts with 17 victories. In 1974, Pearson added 7 more wins. Including the famous Firecracker 400 race. Where he faked an blown motor and did the classic slingshot pass on Petty.
In 1975 Pearson added 3 wins on 21 races. He followed that up with a series-best 10 wins in '76. Unfortunately Pearson only raced 22 of the 30 races and didn't take the championship. In the 1977 and 1978 seasons , Pearson won total of 6 times while only racing in 22 races both seasons.
Darrell Waltrip didn't quite enter Nascar with a bang. But he earned the respect of the veteran drivers in the early in 1970s. Waltrip made his debut in 1972. But it wasn't until 1976 he had his full time season at almost age 30. Waltrip career didn't take off until he was granted a ride with Junior Johnson team. Junior Johnson team was considered the best at the time. In the 1970s , Watrip won 22 times in about 150 starts.
Waltrip wasn't the only driver who found success outside of Pearson/Petty. The Allison bros also were pretty successful. Donnie Allison was less fortunate in his career. Donnie only managed to win 10 races. But the 1979 Daytona 500 is probably what Donnie will be most famous for. As he helped start the famous fist fight between brother Bobby , himself and Cale Yarborough. Donnie career was cut short after an serious injury in the early 1980s.
What I love about this decade is the beating and banging attitude. Putting it all on the line to find victory. The best of the best raced in this timeperiod. We will never see some of record broke from the likes of Petty , Pearson and others untouchable record holders.
Awesome 10 years but not every driver get the recognition they should. Benny Parsons , Buddy Baker , and Cale Yarborough. Yarborough got some recognition but was overshadowed by Pearson and Petty success.
1980s -
The 1980s was the fine line from Nascar being on the map and becoming a major sport in United States. The likes of Petty and Pearson enter the 1980s as the primary forces in Nascar. But new stars were emerging like Darrell Waltrip , Mark Martin, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt.
Darrell Waltrip was primed for a big decade. In 1981 it clear that there been changing in the guards. Petty , Yarborough and Pearson production were declining. Waltrip had one of his best season ever. In '81 Waltrip scored 12 wins to his first championship. He repeated that feat in 1982. In 1983 , it was a turning point for Waltrip. He suffered a serious injury which gave him something to think about. From that point on , Waltrip changed his attitude towards the drivers and fans. Eventually became a fan favorite. In 1987, Waltrip made to move to HMS. He didn't find the same level of success. But hard to imagine if Gordon would ever be apart of HMS if he didn't make that move in '87.
Dale Earnhardt made the most impact from 1984 and beyond. Even though Dale won his first championship back in 1980. In 1984 and 1985 , Dale won 6 times. He didn't come full circle until the following season of 1986.
1986 was the turning point for Dale. That season he won 5 times and a second championship. The following season he scored 11 wins and his third championship. That was his final championship of the 1980s. In 1988 and 1989 , Dale let championships slip away.
The 1980s had a lot stars in world of Nascar, but only a few shined. Wallace and Elliott both respectively won championships in 1988 and 1989. Two drivers who would find future success in the 1990s as well.
The 1980s was the launching pad for Nascar. The success in this decade was key for the 1990s uproar in popular and growth for the sport's well-being. Also the sport saw the legends like Petty, Yarborough, Allison and Pearson final wins. Which allowed the primary younger talents to hit their stride in their primes.
1990s -
The 1990s was a strange decade for the fans. Older pre modern fans were thinning out. As today's fans were creeping in. This is also the decade which put Nascar on the map for good. Very interesting first 4 years. In 1991 , Richard Petty had his final race at Atlanta. Last win came in 1984. In 1992 , Bobby Allison had to retire due to a serious wreck. Gordon made his rookie season debut in 1992. Nascar Debut at Atlanta in 1991.
Dale Earnhardt won 4 championships from 1990 to 1994. Which happened to be his final championship in 1994. A young man named Jeff Gordon stormed on scene in the early 1990s. By 1995 , Gordon have taken over. Gordon would win 3 championships and more then 40 races from 1995 to 1999. Gordon was arguably the downfall of Dale Earnhardt.
Gordon and Earnhardt were two different drivers but they combined for 7 championships and well beyond 50 wins. Them winning wasn't what was so special. It was their rivalry on and off track. It was a similar rivalry Pearson and Petty back 20 years before them.
Don't get me wrong others drivers like Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte , Bobby Labonte , Ricky Rudd , Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, and few others found success. But they never quite were on Gordon/Earnhardt level.
Well that's it. I tried to go heavier on information from 1950-1970s timeframe. Due to most fans lack of knowledge in that area.
Also don't feel like I need go into the 2000s. Most of you know that pretty well.
Big thank to my good friend Eric Thompson for digging up all this stuff.
Twitter - @JeffNathans
