Program:Official Souvenir Program: California Speedway Inaugural Event Weekend

Founded in 1948 by Bill France Sr., NASCAR, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, governs professional auto racing in the United States. The sport grew from bootleggers in the 1920s and 1930s who tricked out their cars to deliver moonshine before they were caught by revenuers. In no time, drivers raced each other in cow pastures or on a beach track to claim title to the fastest car. By the time Bill France and his colleagues established the organization to regulate cars, create a point system, arrange insurance, and guarantee drivers' pay. The sport has expanded to more than 1,200 sanctioned races each year involving hundreds of drivers.