 | Founding History of NASCAR By Robert Sutton of
Centrix Financial
Bill France Sr. moved to Daytona Beach with his family in 1934, when land speed trials were reaching record rates of 300 mph. Sir Malcolm Campbell was a notable motorist attempting to break the 300 mph record in Daytona, drawing in visitors to the region. When Campbell failed to accomplish his goal in Florida, he departed for the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, leaving officials in Daytona Beach to find speed-related events as replacements. This is when France, new to the area, began promoting races. Daytona’s initial attempts at racing events were met with significant complications. The City of Daytona Beach, in its first and last promotion of a racing event, asked racer and local Sig Haugdahl to set up organization and promotion for an event. The result was a 78-lap, 250-mile race running along Highway A1A and the length of the beach parallel to it. With several cars stalling or getting stuck in the sand at the racetrack’s difficult turns, many drivers disputed the race’s fairness. Additionally, spectators arrived at the venue earlier than ticket-takers, reducing the City’s ability to collect on the day of the event. Despite these shortfalls, attempts at establishing a racing event and culture in Daytona Beach continued. Haghdahl and France befriended each other and continued to organize races but continual losses made finding a promoter difficult. After losing promotional support from the Daytona Beach Elks Club in 1937, Haghdahl bailed out of the endeavor. France continued on his own, however, finding a consistent sponsor in Charlie Reese. The wealthy local restaurateur agreed to continue funding after a 150-mile event produced an appreciable profit. Noticing the lack of consistency among minor league events, France established the first national sanctioning body for stock car racing, the National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing. NASCAR held its first meeting on December 12, 1947. The first races were held in 1949. About the Author: Robert Sutton founded automotive financing company Centrix Financial, LLC, in 1997. He is an entrepreneur and past owner of the MB Sutton Racing team of the NASCAR Sprint Group Series. |
