NASCAR Founder’s Day – December 14, 1947

 

On December 14, 1947, Bill France gathered 35 people for four days of meetings (Dec. 14 – 17) at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach. The distinguished group represented the most influential names in the racing industry at the time and included drivers, mechanics, promoters, car owners, journalists, businessmen, and a recording secretary.

 

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was born from that meeting and though he knew what was needed, not even Bill could envision what the sport would become.

 

“Stock car racing has got distinct possibilities for Sunday shows and we do not know how big it can be if it’s handled properly… It can go the same way as big car racing (Indianapolis), I believe stock car racing can become a nationally recognized sport by having a National Point Standing. Stock car racing as we’ve been running it is not, in my opinion, the answer… We must try to get track owners and promoters interested in building stock car racing up. We are all interested in one thing — that is improving the present conditions. The answer lies in our group right here today to do it.” – Bill France Sr. on December 14, 1947 speaking at NASCAR’s organizational meeting at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida.

 

On December 14, 1947, Bill France Sr. gathered many influential figures in racing at Daytona's Streamline Hotel to share his vision of a more prosperous future for this beloved sport.

Today, 75 years later, we celebrate this landmark moment in our history. #NASCAR75 pic.twitter.com/8oHZ4z8jC7

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) December 14, 2022

In the last 75 years, NASCAR has expanded globally, with series in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Brazil and Europe, and has produced some of the best drivers in motorsports. For a look at some key milestones over the years, click here.

 

 

 

source: NASCAR Media

Rest in Peace – Jim Foster

Former Speedway President Dead at 91

Jim Foster, the fourth president of Daytona International Speedway, died after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Foster had been in Halifax Hospice for two weeks before his death.

"Jim Foster was a trusted friend and confidant of the France Family, working directly with Bill France Sr. and Bill France Jr. at both ISC and NASCAR. Jim’s importance to the growth of those companies and the motorsports industry overall cannot be overstated. Jim set standards in many areas that we strive to adhere to each and every day. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Babs, and the rest of his family. Godspeed, Jim." France Family Statement

Foster was a World War II veteran. He answered the call to duty at the young age of seventeen when he volunteered for the Navy. Most importantly, Jim was a family man most of his life. 

“He was the strong one in the family,” said his wife of 63 years, Babs Foster. “We just relied on his good judgement and common sense which always seemed to get us through. He was a kind and gentle spirit, which made people love him for that. We had some good years and had a wonderful life together.”

Sad news: #Nascar exec Jim Foster's passed today, age 91. He was my boss at @MRN and was the one man Nascar/ISC marketing department in the 80's, later was @DISUpdates pres. A mentor to many and a great friend to the sport.

— Mike Joy (@mikejoy500) April 28, 2018

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5. Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race

Who is Richard Brickhouse?

The Tale of Three Richards
(Brickhouse, Petty, Childress)

The inaugural Talladega 500 was held on September 14, 1969. The size of the track and the 33-degree banking, coupled with hot temperatures and an abrasive surface, were causing tires to fail in practice, often with just a few laps on them.

The Professional Drivers Association (PDA), led by Richard Petty, asked Bill France to postpone the race until Goodyear or Firestone could guarantee the tires would handle the load. France refused. His solution was to just not drive so fast. Which, to a lot of racers, wasn’t racing.

So, led by the ‘King’ (who had shredded three of the four Firestones on his car during qualifying) the majority of the top drivers walked. The boycott did not sit well with France, who said he’d run a race anyway, and did, with a few of the top drivers like Bobby Isaac, but mostly second-tier drivers like the eventual winner Richard Brickhouse.

Brickhouse, a relative newcomer, quit the PDA to run the race. It was his only NASCAR victory, and he ran just eight more NASCAR events in his career.

On this date 48 years ago, we celebrated our very 1st Cup Series winner: Richard Brickhouse. #tbt pic.twitter.com/JatjBnTqpj

— TalladegaSuperspdwy (@TalladegaSuperS) September 14, 2017

The driver boycott has been credited with the demise of the recently formed Professional Drivers Association (PDA), an organization the drivers hoped would make their jobs safer, guarantee their futures and raise their paltry incomes. 

Richard Childress (#96) races against Benny Parsons during a mid-1970s race.

The biggest winner in the 1969 NASCAR Driver Boycott turned out to be Richard Childress.

"It was the biggest break that I got in racing," said Childress, then a struggling 23-year-old owner-driver who raced in a Grand American event on Saturday and stuck around to drive his first race in NASCAR's top series Sunday. "I was down there and didn't even have hardly enough money to get home.

"I won some money on Saturday, and they paid me extra money to race on Sunday. I came home with $10,000 or $12,000 and I thought, 'Hell, I'll never have to work again.' That's the most money I'd ever seen," he said. "But I came back and bought some land and built a shop with that money. So that race means a lot to me today."

#TBT this date 1969 1st Talladega race held despite boycott from most high profile drivers. Richard Brickhouse drives No. 99 to victory. pic.twitter.com/Q4aJrjyxYA

— University of Racing (@uofracing) September 14, 2017

Drivers involved in the 1969 boycott

• • Richard Petty
• • David Pearson
• • Bobby Allison
• • Donnie Allison
• • Cale Yarborough
• • James Hylton
• • Wendell Scott
• • Buddy Baker
• • Charlie Glotzbach
• • LeeRoy Yarbrough
• • Ramo Stott
• • Jack Ingram
• • Tiny Lund
• • Bobby Johns
• • John Sears
• • Paul Goldsmith
• • Dave Marcis

1969 Talladega 500 Race Results

1. Richard Brickhouse
2. Jim Vandiver
3. Ramo Stott
4. Bobby Isaac
5. Dick Brooks
6. Earl Brooks
7. Jimmy Vaughn
8. Billy Hagan
9. Tiny Lund
10. Coo Coo Marlin
11. Bill Ward
12. Ernie Shaw
13. Amos Johnson
14. Bobby Fleming
15. Ben Arnold
16. Don Tarr
17. Frank Sessoms
18. Buck Baker
19. Dick Lawrence
20. Wilbur Pickett
21. Larry Bock
22. Stan Starr
23. Richard Childress
24. C.B. Gwyn
25. Jim Hurtubise
26. Earle Canavan
27. Homer Newland
28. T.C. Hunt
29. Roy Tyner
30. J.W. King
31. Bobby Brewer
32. Al Straub
33. Les Snow
34. Bob Burcham
35. Doug Easton
36. Don Schisler

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K&N Pro Series East - 2013 Top Races

Ben Kennedy's win over Dylan Kwasniewski at Bowman Gray Stadium
was one of the best races of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season.
(Getty Images for NASCAR)

Blue Ox 100 at Richmond International Raceway
April 25: 

It was an event full of twists and turns that saw Ryan Gifford come out on top with a popular victory in the season’s fourth event. Gaulding set the K&N Pro Series East mark for the youngest pole winner prior to the event, and led the first 53 circuits before fellow 15-year-old Custer took point after Gaulding was clipped by Corey LaJoie battling for the lead on a restart. Custer held the lead until 23 to go when Gifford – a veteran of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative – made the decisive pass. It got interesting with five laps to go as an 11-car pile-up brought out the red flag, but Gifford held off Brandon Gdovic and Custer for his first career victory.

Drive Sober 150 at Dover International Speedway
Sept. 27 (Honorable Mention): 

The series’ annual trip to the “Monster Mile” proved to be a showcase event for some of the sport’s top emerging talent. Twenty-year-old CJ Faison, from nearby Felton, led the first half of the event before giving way to 19-year-old part-timer Austin Hill. With a pair of 15-year-olds Gaulding and Kyle Benjamin also in the mix down the stretch, it was Hill that emerged from a three-wide battle for the lead with four laps to go following a caution to reach Victory Lane in just his seventh series start.

NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray
June 1 (Honorable Mention): 

In general, a 150-lap race with 13 cautions would likely not make a list of the season’s best events, but we’re talking about Bowman Gray here. The compact quarter-mile produces fender-rubbing action each and every lap and a lack of real estate makes it hard to pass, but every now and then a driver can put on a show coming up through the field, and that’s what Kwasniewski did. 

After getting involved in an accident on Lap 108, Kwasniewski deftly maneuvered back up to the front in an attempt to track down Kennedy, who had assumed the lead on Lap 124 when Brett Moffitt lost power. Kennedy was ultimately able to hold the top position over Kwasniewski and the field through three late restarts to secure the victory. It was a popular and historic win for Kennedy, the great grandson of the late NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., who is also credited with starting auto racing at the famed Bowman Gray grounds.

Ruston Joins Ben Kennedy Racing

Okla. driver tabbed for run
at K&N Pro East championship

Kenzie Ruston will drive the No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet
in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series in 2014. (Getty Image for NASCAR)

Ben Kennedy is headed to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. But Ben Kennedy Racing isn't going anywhere.

The 21-year-old rising star and great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. announced Thursday the team is staying in its shop in Daytona Beach and will field a team in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

At Thursday's press conference, the team also announced they have tapped 22-year-old Kenzie Ruston to drive the No. 96 Ben Kennedy Racing Chevrolet fulltime in 2014.

"Getting an opportunity in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Turner Scott Motorsports was due in large part to the time and hard work the team at Ben Kennedy Racing put in over the last two years," said Kennedy. "To be able to maintain the team here in Daytona and put another talented young driver in the seat is a really cool deal."

Ruston, like Kennedy, was a member of the NASCAR Next program last year. The industry initiative, in its third year, is designed to spotlight the sport's rising stars. The pool of talent that has been identified by the program includes Kyle Larson, Darrell Wallace Jr., Chase Elliott and Dylan Kwasniewski.

As a rookie in 2013, Ruston finished sixth in the points standings in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The El Reno, Okla., native had four top-five, including a third-place finish at Greenville (S.C.) Pickens Speedway in April.

Her points standing and her run at Greenville were both records as the highest finishes for a female in series history.

"Jumping into the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East last year was a great experience and I really learned a lot in my first year," said Ruston. "Having competed against Ben and his team, I've seen firsthand the dedication and level of excellence they bring to the track.

"I saw how they were really able to help Ben grow in the series from one year to the next, and get him prepared for the national series. I'm really looking forward to getting into that car in New Smyrna and Daytona in February."

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season kicks off Sunday, Feb. 16 at New Smyrna Speedway. Two days later, the series will compete on the 0.4-mile oval on the backstretch at Daytona International Speedway in the UNOH Battle At The Beach.

The series also makes another in-state visit Friday, June 13 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola. Kennedy won that race last year.

Kennedy, a senior at the University of Florida, drove three full seasons in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and progressed from 13th to ninth to fourth in the points. He picked up his first two series wins last year, first at Five Flags and then another at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. He started five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in 2013, including a fourth-place finish in October at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.

Ben Kennedy and Kenzie Ruston at Thursday's announcement that Ruston
will pilot the No. 96 in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2014.  (NASCAR)