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1949 -- First NASCAR race run on June 19 at Charlotte, N.C., won by Jim Roper in a Lincoln. 1951 -- Jim Flock is first driver to qualify quicker than 100 mph, he does so driving a Lincoln at the old beach race course at Daytona Beach, Fla. 1959 -- Lee Petty, Johnny Beachcamp and Charley Griffith all cross the finish line together at the Daytona 500. NASCAR spends a full day examining the photo finish to declare a winner (Lee Petty). 1972 -- Bill France Jr. takes over for his father, and NASCAR is big in the Southeast still but not elsewhere. Also this year, RJR signs on with NASCAR to take over what was then called the Grand National Series and begins what turns out to be a 31-year relationship; in the end, RJR would be paying an estimated $30 to $60 million a year in marketing alone. 1979 -- Live network cameras make their debut for the Daytona 500. In that race, Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough crash on final lap, allowing Richard Petty to win. Allison and Yarborough then climb from their cars in Turn 3 and fight, and then Bobby Allison joins the much-publicized melee which many say boosted the sport's popularity significantly. 1984 -- King Petty wins for final time at Daytona Beach, with president Ronald Reagan in the stands. Richard Petty won a record 200 races overall in his career, which saw him win seven series crowns (matched only by the late Dale Earnhardt). His final race would come in 1992 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 1994 -- Stock cars make their Indianapolis Motor Speedway debut in the Brickyard 400, which in a decade has become one of the biggest races of the season (perhaps behind only the Daytona 500 in importance). 1998 -- Master settlement of state lawsuits against the tobacco industry limits the marketing RJR can do as a NASCAR sponsor. RJR cannot advertise Winston, its top cigarrette brand, on radio or TV and cannot market to people under 18. 2001 -- Bill France Jr. helps NASCAR sign a $2.8 billion TV deal with Fox, NBC and Turner Sports that runs through 2006. 2003 -- It's announced that RJR is getting out of the sport after 2003, and that in 2004 the top NASCAR series will no longer be known as Winston Cup but instead Nextel Cup. Announcement takes place in Times Square rather than anywhere on Tobacco Road. 2003 -- Brian France, 41, takes over for father Bill France Jr. as chairman of NASCAR. It's estimated the sport has 75 million fans in 100 countries; racing takes place in 23 states as the once-Southeast sport positions itself in major markets and is seen on a global stage. Also this year, it's announced the Southern 500 in Darlington will lose its Labor Day date, which is going to California Speedway, a track that also in 2004 will get one of North Carolina Speedway's dates. 2004 -- Nextel's relationship with NASCAR will fully begin, with the series name change officially taking place as per 2003's announced 10-year agreement, which has Nextel paying $40 million per year in rights fees and another $30 million annually promoting the series. It's by far the largest naming rights deal in sports. |
