Feb. 21, 1948: Bill France incorporates the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. The idea was to race cars that fans could buy themselves after watching professional drivers make a series of left turns at high speeds. Automakers had long recognized the marketing potential of racing and lived by the motto “Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday.” The thinking was that buyers would watch the races on the weekends, then head down to their local dealers and purchase the models that emerged victorious at the track. It was a fine theory, until buyers got their new cars home and realized that the local gendarmes did not appreciate the efforts of everyday drivers to emulate their heroes by making all their left turns at high speeds. And, of course, the reality was that the models offered for sale on Monday bore little resemblance to the cars going around in circles on Sunday. Still, the lure of racing endured, and Nascar became far more popular than American cars. Though Nascar’s growth has leveled off recently, it’s in better shape than the Big Three—two of which are on the verge of bankruptcy, and the third is likely to be sold by its German parent—though potential acquirers are likely to wait for the results of next month’s UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.—Jeffrey Kanige
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