Nascar Dan Gurney Original Poster Signed Illustration Lincoln-Mercury Very Rare

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Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US, Item: 176270374164 NASCAR DAN GURNEY ORIGINAL POSTER SIGNED ILLUSTRATION LINCOLN-MERCURY VERY RARE. A VERY RARE DAN GURNEY SIGNED AND INSCRIBED LINCOLN-MERCURY PANEL MEMBER POSTER ON CRESCENT ILLUSTRATION BOARD MEASURING 20X30 INCHES. THE OVERALL CONDITION IS FAIR BUT SIGNATURE IS CLEAR. DIRTY, SCUFFED BUT ILLUSTRATION IS FANTASTIC AND VERY RETRO Daniel Sexton Gurney was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, and Trans-Am Series
When the team at The Speed Journal was invited to the world-famous Peterson Automotive Museum in January to celebrate a new exhibit about racing driver, inventor, and team owner Dan Gurney, we were thrilled to celebrate such an extraordinary life. At the end of the evening, Dan Gurney gave a moving and memorable speech, reading in part from his dedication at the front of the book Dan Gurney’s Eagle Racing Cars by John Zimmerman. “In racing, the glory of winning usually goes to the driver and rarely to the constructor of his car,” said Gurney. “His success thrills his fans on a particular day and the echo of the moment lives on for a while in their hearts. Then, as the years go by, those great Sunday afternoons with the cheering crowds fade into memory, and what’s left of the driver’s legacy are statistics on a piece of paper. Beautifully built winning race cars, on the other hand, start to gain glory and value, they get polished and cherished and exhibited and – if they have truly been significant in the scope of things – end up in collections and museums to be admired by many not yet born. It’s a romantic notion, and a particularly nice one, for me to imagine that some future little Gurney will touch the shiny skin of an Eagle racing car somewhere sometime and be proud of his ancestry.” Dan Gurney, Indianapolis 500, 1967 We felt it an appropriate time to celebrate Dan Gurney’s legacy here at The Speed Journal and look back at some of his extraordinary accomplishments. Born for Speed Dan Gurney was born April 13, 1931 on Long Island, New York to Roma Sexton and John Gurney, a Metropolitan Opera star. His lineage certainly would have helped develop his engineer’s mind—three of his uncles were engineers at MIT, and his grandfather invented the Gurney Ball Bearing. After Dan graduated from high school in Long Island, his family moved to Riverside, California, where young Dan got caught up in the burgeoning California car culture, where he built and raced a car that hit 138 miles per hour at the Bonneville Salt Flats at the tender age of 19. Dan Gurney, 1600 Porsche Speedster, Riverside 1956 After serving two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as an artillery mechanic, Dan started exploring racing, first with a Triumph TR2 starting in 1955. His first break into the industry came in 1957, when he was invited to test Frank Arciero’s Arciero Special, a specialty racer based on the Microplas Mistral body. Soon after, he finished second in the inaugural Riverside Grand Prix, behind Carroll Shelby. That success got the attention of Ferrari importer Luigi Chinetti, who arranged a test run in a Ferrari at Le Mans, leading to Gurney joining the company’s racing team in 1959. Dan Gurney, Ferrari Testa Rossa, Goodwood 1959 Going Pro  Gurney earned two podium finishes during his tenure with Ferrari before a disastrous accident at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix. He was behind the wheel of a factory-prepared BRM when a brake system failed; the incident not only broke Gurney’s arm, but also killed a young spectator who was in a prohibited area of the track. Dan Gurney, F1, Rouen, Porsche After joining the factory Porsche team, Gurney came very close to taking his debut Grand Prix victory at Reins, France, but the driver’s reluctance to block Ferrari driver Giancarlo Baghetti cost him the win. He broke through the following year at the French Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts, winning his first World Championship victory before repeating the feat just a week later in a non-championship F1 race at Stuttgart. Dan Gurney, Brabham 1964 Porsche folded its team soon after, and Gurney joined Jack Brabham in the Brabham Racing Organization. In his second year, he won the team’s first win in a championship race in the 1964 race at Rouen. With his championship victory in the Eagle-Weslake at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix, Gurney became the only driver in history to win three maiden Grand Prix victories for three different manufacturers, the third being his own All-American Racers. 1967 Belgian Grand Prix As if he wasn’t busy enough, it’s worth noting that at the same time he was competing in Formula One, Gurney was also racing in many other series, including competing every year in the Indianapolis 500 from 1961 to 1970. Gurney’s soaring popularity in those years caused Car and Driver Magazine to promote the idea of him running for President in 1964. Gurney was 33 years old at the time. Researchers recently turned up another popular gem from this period, “Dan Gurney and His World of Racing,” a 1965 vinyl record that captures 38 minutes of storytelling, commentary and racing sounds from the cars Gurney drove. It’s a delightful time capsule from Gurney’s incredible career. Dan Gurney, Indy Car, Biro 1968 Despite his calm demeanor, Gurney could get aggressive at times. Many believe it was this urge to win that drove what might be the racer’s finest performance. Halfway through the Rex Mays 300 IndyCar Race at Riverside, California in 1967, Gurney punctured a tire, putting him nearly two laps down. Doubling down, Gurney not only managed to make up the deficit but won the race with a dramatic last-lap pass of competitor Bobby Unser. That same year featured one of Gurney’s more memorable stunts. After winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans along with A.J. Foyt in 1967, Gurney famously sprayed the podium with champagne, a tradition that lives on today. In fact, that very same champagne bottle went on display in The Peterson Museum’s “The Eagles Have Landed” exhibit that opened in 2017. That exhibition, scheduled to run through January of 2018, is an excellent reflection of Dan’s incredible 15-year career as one of racing’s most celebrated drivers. By the time he stopped racing professionally in 1970, Gurney had raced in over 312 events in 20 countries, winning 51 races and mounting 47 podiums. His legacy lives on as the first driver to post victories in motorsport’s most popular categories: Grand Prix, Indy Car, NASCAR and Sports Cars. Dan Gurney, Wood Brothers Ford, Motortrend 500, Riverside 1966 The Inventor Emerges Gurney inherited the engineering brain that tends to run in his family. Dan’s technical know-how is reflected in the exhibition at the Peterson, which showcases his 1970 Plymouth Barracuda AAR Trans-Am and the famous Gurney Alligator motorcycle, which he developed over two decades. The bike, finally shown to the public in 2002, featured an extremely low seat, and while Gurney never did manage to license the design, the initial production run of 36 Alligator motorcycles sold out and are now collector’s items. Dan Gurney, AJ Foyt Le Mans GT40 MarkIV 1967 Because he was quite a bit taller than the average race car driver, Gurney’s height often forced him to invent things in order to race the way he wanted. Being too large for many vehicles, he started having the designers build in custom-designed accommodations. This culminated most famously in a bump in the roof of his 1967 Ford GT40, which won LeMans twice. That complex piece of fabrication even has its own name now: it’s a “Gurney bubble.” Another invention was the Gurney Flap, an aerodynamic improvement still used in racing and aviation today. Finally, Gurney was the first racer to introduce a full-face helmet to Indy Car racing as well as Grand Prix racing. 1966 German Grand Prix “Do you realize I never used a seat belt when I was driving in Formula One?” Gurney recently told the Orange County Register. “You shudder to think of that now.” Of course, Gurney’s racing legacy is very nearly matched by his reputation as the manufacturer of the American Grand Prix “Eagle.” This dream began in 1962 when Gurney and Carroll Shelby began discussing building an American race car that would compete with the best Europe had to offer. Gurney continued working on the design of the Eagle while he was still actively driving, but his second and third career as a race car manufacturer and team owner went into full gear upon his retirement in 1970. Photo Courtesy of The Peterson Automotive Museum Eagles bought by Gurney’s customers raced in the Indy and Formula circuits, winning the Indy 500 in 1968 and 1973. During the past 30 years, Eagles have won 8 Championships, captured 78 victories and 83 pole positions, including the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 24 Hours of Daytona. In total, American Racers built 157 Eagles, many still viewed in private collections and museums around the globe. Gurney became famous outside of racing circles, too. He joined the Screen Actors Guild in 1965, appearing in many racing films including Winning, A Man and a Woman, and Grand Prix. His non-professional racing also inspired a Hollywood blockbuster in Cannonball Run. The 1981 comedy starring Burt Reynolds is based on the running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an actual cross-country outlaw road race that was held five times in the early 1970s. Dan Gurney won this insane race the second time it was held in a Ferrari Daytona, traveling 2,863 miles in 35 hours and 54 minutes. At the time, Gurney said, “At no time did we exceed 175 miles per hour.” Gurney’s legacy continues today—just a few years ago, Gurney was honored at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, marking 55 years since his first race. He’s been in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame since 1990, and is also a member of the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Sebring International Raceway Hall of Fame, and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. Forbes Magazine recently called for Dan Gurney to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom. All-American Racers continues to thrive as well, employing 90 engineers, mechanics and craftsmen to work on cars, motorcycles, airplanes, and helicopters. Gurney and his wife Evi reside in Southern California, where they enjoy visits from children and grandchildren. “I’ve had a great life … a blessed life.” Gurney told the Orange County Register. It’s been a ride for sure. The Speed Journal salutes this great American racer, who represents everything that we love about the sport. Daniel Sexton Gurney, Shown here in the very foreground running toward his #3 Ford GT40 at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, was born April 13, 1931, in Port Jefferson, Long Island, to John Gurney, a Metropolitan Opera star and his wife Roma Sexton. From early on Dan liked music of a different kind. The sound of 12 cylinder racing engines were much sweeter to his ears than any aria. As the grandson of F.W. Gurney, manufacturing magnate and inventor of the Gurney ball bearing, it made perfect sense. Following Dan’s graduation from Manhasset High school in Long Island, his family moved to Riverside, California, where Dan developed his driving skills by weaving through Southern California orange groves. He graduated from Menlo Junior college and served two years with the United States Army, most of that time overseas in the Korean War. Dan has had 3 very successful careers, A) Racing Driver, B) Racecar Manufacturer / Inventor and C) long term team owner. He is the Chairman of his company All American Racers, with son Justin Gurney, age 45 the President & CEO in charge of day to day operations and his son Alex who is Senior Vice President. AAR is involved in designing, engineering and manufacturing projects for the car, motorcycle and aviation industry. Dan's racing career, which started with a Triumph TR2 in 1955, spanned 15 years. During that time he became a top road racing star in America as well as one of the most popular F1 drivers of the era. He raced for the most prestigious Grand Prix teams of the time: Ferrari, BRM, Porsche, Brabham and later EAGLE bringing a maiden F1 win to Porsche, Brabham (twice) and his own marque. Gurney etched himself a place in racing lore with exciting battles against drivers like Stirling Moss, Jimmy Clark, John Surtees, Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Phil Hill, Jackie Stewart and many others on the classic European road racing circuits like the Nuerburgring, the Targa Florio, Monaco and Monza. He drove with equal success in Formula 1 and the Sports Car World Championship Series overseas and the Indianapolis, NASCAR, Can-Am and Trans-Am Series at home in the US, The cars he drove and the races he participated in are astonishing in their variety, more astonishing is the fact that most of the time he pursued these different venues within the same season which made him a busy international world traveler year after year. With his success, the Dan Gurney fan club flourished, with a worldwide membership that included people from behind the Iron Curtain. His boyish grin, his handsome face graced countless magazine covers, in fact, at one point, Car and Driver magazine launched a "Dan Gurney for President" campaign that is periodically resurrected. Some teach us how to compete, some how to build cars, and a very few show us what it means to win. One member did it all…a tall man from California named Gurney. The son of a Metropolitan Opera star in New York, a move as a teenager to Riverside, California, set him on a distinctly different path. Like most drivers in the 1950s, Dan Gurney, one of the living legends in American sports car racing, started with SCCA club races, starting in a Triumph TR2 in 1955. He soon became a world-renown driver, constructor and team owner, competing at the highest levels of motorsport. On the international scene, in ways he was the definitive “overnight success.” As Sports Illustrated reported in 1959, “Dan Gurney, an obscure club driver 16 months ago, has joined the Ferrari sports car team.” Stunningly, but two years later in 1961, he tied British great Stirling Moss for third in the F1 Championship. Gurney excelled in sports cars, grand prix cars, on road courses and ovals. He was the first to break the 150 mph barrier at Indianapolis. And on June 18, 1967, Gurney took a historic victory in the Belgian Grand Prix, becoming the only American to ever win an F1 race in a car of his own design.  He was the first to claim victories in all four major categories of motorsports; F1, International Sports Cars, Indy Cars, and NASCAR, and remains the only American-born driver to do so. He scored wins in SCCA Trans-Am, SCCA CanAm, and international championship races including the endurance classics at the Nurburgring, Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans. And at times cars from his AllAmerican Racers shop have dominated in both IMSA and Indy Cars. Gurney was also an innovator, and at the 1968 German Grand Prix he became the first driver ever to use a full-face helmet in Grand Prix racing, and was the first to do so at Indy. In 1971 he developed the Gurney Flap (wickerbill), an aerodynamic innovation that has been adopted by automobile racing and aviation throughout the world. And he was instrumental in launching the rear-engine revolution in Indianapolis in 1963.  His innovations weren’t only in the field of things technological. A week before his historic win in the Belgian Grand Prix, he took a surprise victory with A.J. Foyt at 24 hours of Le Mans, where Gurney famously began the now-familiar winner's tradition of spraying champagne from the podium in a spontaneous and exuberant celebration of the unexpected win against the Ferraris and the other Ford GT40 teams. In 1978, Gurney wrote an open memo to other Indy Car team owners that is now known as the "White Letter," which is considered the move that started the formation of the CART organization in 1979. And along the way, Gurney was one of the founders of the Long Beach Grand Prix, America’s longest-running street race.  To put it in true perspective, I think this says it all:  Among American Formula One drivers, his 86 Grand Prix starts ranks third, and his total of four GP wins is second only to Mario Andretti. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Gurney's driving ability, however, was paid by the father of Scottish World Champion Jim Clark, considered the best of his era if not all time, when the elder Clark took Gurney aside at his son's funeral in 1968 and confided that he was the only driver Clark had ever truly feared on the track. The effect Dan Gurney had in popularizing our sport and our club is immeasurable. To this day, his name is one of the first mentioned when talk turns to our organization and the great names associated with it. He was and still is one of the most admired sportsmen of his generation. In 1964, Car and Driver nominated him in jest for President. Many felt it wasn’t such a bad idea. He was named one of Autosport’s 40 Greatest F1 Drivers of all time, he is a member of the RRDC, International Motorsports Hall of Fame, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, Sebring International Raceway Hall of Fame, and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame.  And today, he becomes a member of the SCCA Hall of Fame. Dan couldn’t be here today, so accepting the award on his behalf, please welcome up his teammate and friend Bob Bondurant, his wife Pat, and Paul Pfanner. Daniel Sexton Gurney (April 13, 1931 – January 14, 2018) was an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner who reached racing's highest levels starting in 1958. Gurney won races in the Formula One, Indy Car, NASCAR, Can-Am, and Trans-Am Series. Gurney is the first of three drivers to have won races in Sports Cars (1958), Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy cars (1967), the other two being Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya. In 1967, after winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans together with A. J. Foyt, Gurney spontaneously sprayed champagne while celebrating on the podium, which thereafter became a custom at many motorsports events.[1] As owner of All American Racers, he was the first to put a simple right-angle extension on the upper trailing edge of the rear wing. This device, called a Gurney flap, increases downforce and, if well designed, imposes only a relatively small increase in aerodynamic drag. At the 1968 German Grand Prix, he became the first driver ever to use a full face helmet in Grand Prix racing.[2][3] Contents 1 Early life 2 Formula One career 2.1 Driver 2.2 Manufacturer 2.3 Legacy 3 American Championship Car 4 NASCAR / SCCA Trans-Am career 5 With Shelby-American Racing 6 Cannonball Run 7 Full-time team owner 8 Death 9 Racing record 9.1 Complete Formula One World Championship results 9.2 Non-Championship results 9.3 24 Hours of Le Mans results 9.4 NASCAR results 9.4.1 Grand National Series 9.4.2 Winston Cup Series 9.4.2.1 Daytona 500 9.5 Complete USAC Championship Car results 9.6 Indy 500 results 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links Early life Dan Gurney was born to Jack Gurney and Roma Sexton.[4] His father, John R. "Jack" Gurney, was a graduate of Harvard Business School with a master's degree. Dan's three uncles were each MIT engineers. His grandfather was F.W. Gurney who was responsible for the invention of the Gurney Ball Bearing. He had one sister, Celisssa.[5] Jack was discovered to have a beautiful voice after taking voice lessons in Paris and changed his career path to become lead basso with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York,[6] eventually retiring in 1947. Jack moved his family to Riverside, California, when Dan was a teenager and had just graduated from Manhasset High School.[6][7][8] Young Dan quickly became caught up in the California hot rod culture. At age 19, he built and raced a car that went 138 miles per hour (mph) (222 kilometres per hour [km/h]) at the Bonneville Salt Flats.[6] He later studied at Menlo Junior College, a feeder school for Stanford University.[6] He then became an amateur drag racer and sports car racer. He served in the United States Army for two years[4] as an artillery mechanic during the Korean War.[9] Formula One career Gurney's car after his accident at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix, which killed a young spectator Gurney after his accident at the 1960 Dutch Grand Prix, a defining moment in his life Driver Gurney's first major break occurred in the fall of 1957 when he was invited to test Frank Arciero's Arciero Special. It was powered by a 4.2-litre reworked Maserati engine with Ferrari running gear, and a Sports Car Engineering Mistral body.[10] This ill-handling brute of a car was very fast, but even top drivers like Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles had found it difficult to handle. He finished second in the inaugural Riverside Grand Prix (behind Shelby), beating established stars like Masten Gregory, Walt Hansgen and Phil Hill. This attracted the attention of famed Ferrari North American importer Luigi Chinetti, who arranged for a factory ride for the young driver at Le Mans in 1958. Gurney, teamed with fellow Californian Bruce Kessler, had worked the car up to fifth overall and handed over to Kessler, who was then caught up in an accident. This performance and others earned him a test run in a works Ferrari, and his Formula One career began with the team in 1959. In just four races that first year, he earned two podium finishes, but the team's strict management style did not suit him. In 1960 he had six non-finishes in seven races behind the wheel of a factory-prepared BRM. At the Dutch Grand Prix, at Zandvoort, a brake system failure on the BRM caused the most serious accident of his career, breaking his arm, killing a young spectator and instilling in him a longstanding distrust of engineers. The accident also caused him to make a change in his driving style that later paid dividends: his tendency to use his brakes more sparingly than his rivals meant that they lasted longer, especially in endurance races. Gurney was known to give the brake pedal a reassuring tap just before hard application — a habit he himself jokingly referred to as "the chicken-shit school of braking."[citation needed] Gurney was particularly noted for an exceptionally fluid driving style. On rare occasions, as when his car fell behind with minor mechanical troubles and he felt he had nothing to lose, he would abandon his classic technique and adopt a more aggressive (and riskier) style. This circumstance produced what many observers consider the finest driving performance of his career, when a punctured tire put him nearly two laps down halfway through the 1967 Rex Mays 300 Indycar race at Riverside, California. He produced an inspired effort, made up the deficit and won the race with a dramatic last-lap pass of runner-up Bobby Unser. After rules changes came in effect in 1961, Gurney teamed with Jo Bonnier for the first full season of the factory Porsche team, scoring three second places. He came very close to scoring a maiden victory at Reims, France, in 1961, but his reluctance to block Ferrari driver Giancarlo Baghetti (a move Gurney regarded as dangerous and unsportsmanlike) allowed Baghetti to pass him at the finish line for the win. After Porsche introduced a better car in 1962 with an 8-cylinder engine, Gurney broke through at the French Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts with his first World Championship victory[11] – the only GP win for Porsche as an F1 constructor. One week later, he repeated the success in a non-Championship F1 race in front of Porsche's home crowd at Stuttgart's Solitude Racetrack. Due to the high costs of racing in F1, Porsche did not continue after the 1962 season. While with Porsche, Gurney met a team public relations executive named Evi Butz, and they married several years later. Gurney was the first driver hired by Jack Brabham to drive with him for the Brabham Racing Organisation. Brabham scored the maiden victory for his car at the 1963 Solitude race, but Gurney took the team's first win in a championship race in 1964 at Rouen. In all, he earned two wins (in 1964) and ten podiums (including five consecutive in 1965) for Brabham before leaving to start his own team. With his victory in the Eagle-Weslake at the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix,[12] Gurney earned a distinction as the only driver in history to score maiden Grand Prix victories for three different manufacturers: Porsche, Brabham and Anglo-American Racers. Due to his popularity, Car and Driver magazine promoted the idea that Gurney run for President of the United States in 1964.[13] This effort was abandoned only when it was "discovered" that he was too young to qualify as a candidate. The campaign was periodically resurrected (usually every four years) by his friends and fans.[14] Gurney developed a new kind of motorcycle called "Alligator",[15] which featured an extremely low seat position. While Gurney did not achieve his goal of getting the design licensed for manufacture and sale by a major motorcycle manufacturer, the initial production run of 36 Alligator motorcycles quickly sold out and are now prized collector's items. A GT40 with a Gurney Bubble Gurney's tall height, unusual for a race driver, caused constant problems during his career.[16] During the 1.5-litre era of Formula 1, Gurney's head and shoulders extended high into the windstream compared to his shorter competitors, giving him (he felt) an aerodynamic disadvantage in the tiny, underpowered cars. At nearly 6'4",[citation needed] Gurney struggled to fit into the tight Ford GT40 cockpit, so master fabricator Phil Remington installed a roof bubble over the driver's seat to allow space for Gurney's helmet—now known as a "Gurney bubble". In a fortunate error, the Italian coachbuilder who built the body for the 1964 Le Mans class-winning, closed-cockpit Cobra Daytona GT coupe driven by Gurney and Bob Bondurant mistakenly made the cockpit "greenhouse" two inches too tall — the only thing that permitted Gurney to fit in the car comfortably.[17] Manufacturer An Eagle Mk1. This car is the early, four-cylinder Climax-engined T1F, later replaced by the V12-engined T1G cars In 1962, Gurney and Carroll Shelby began dreaming of building an American racing car to compete with the best European makes. Shelby convinced Goodyear, which wanted to challenge Firestone's domination of American racing at the time, to sponsor the team. Goodyear's president Victor Holt suggested the name, "All American Racers", and the team was formed in 1965. Gurney was not comfortable with the name at first, fearing it sounded somewhat jingoistic, but felt compelled to agree to his benefactor's suggestion.[citation needed] Their initial focus was Indianapolis and Goodyear's battle with Firestone. Because Gurney's first love was road racing, especially in Europe, he wanted to win the Formula One World Championship while driving an American Grand Prix 'Eagle'. The car has often been characterised as a primarily British-based effort; in later interviews, Gurney was clear that the car was designed and built by crew members based in the All American Racers Southern California-based facility.[citation needed] Partnered with British engine maker Weslake, the Formula One effort was called "Anglo American Racers." The Weslake V12 engine was not ready for the 1966 Grand Prix season so the team used outdated four-cylinder, 2.7-litre Coventry-Climax engines for their first appearance in the second race of the year in Belgium. This was the race of the sudden torrential downpour captured in the feature film Grand Prix. Although Gurney completed the race in seventh place, he was unclassified. Gurney scored the team's first Championship points three weeks later by finishing fifth in the French Grand Prix at Reims. The next season the team failed to finish any of the first three races, but on June 18, 1967, Gurney took a historic victory in the Belgian Grand Prix. Starting in the middle of the first row, Gurney initially followed Jim Clark's Lotus and the BRM of Jackie Stewart. A muffed start left Gurney deep in the field at the end of the first lap. Throughout the race, Gurney's Weslake V-12 suffered a high-speed misfire, but he was able to continue racing. Jim Clark encountered problems on Lap 12 that dropped him down to ninth position. Having moved up to second spot, Gurney set the fastest lap of the race on Lap 19. Two laps later he and his Eagle took the lead and came home over a minute ahead of Stewart. This win came just a week after his surprise victory with A. J. Foyt at 24 hours of Le Mans, where Gurney spontaneously began the now-familiar winner's tradition of spraying champagne from the podium[citation needed] to celebrate the unexpected win against the Ferraris and the other Ford GT40 teams. Gurney said later that he took great satisfaction in proving wrong the critics (including some members of the Ford team) who predicted the two great drivers, normally heated rivals, would break their car in an effort to show each other up.[citation needed] Unfortunately, the victory in Belgium was the high point for AAR as engine problems continued to plague the Eagle. Despite the antiquated engine tooling used by the Weslake factory (dating from World War I), failures rarely stemmed from the engine design itself, but more often from unreliable peripheral systems like fuel pumps, fuel injection and the oil delivery system. He led the 1967 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring when a driveshaft failed two laps from the end with a 42-second lead in hand. After a third-place finish in Canada that year, the car would finish only one more race. By the end of the 1968 season, Gurney was driving a McLaren-Ford. His last Formula One race was the 1970 British Grand Prix. Legacy Among American Formula One drivers, his 86 Grand Prix starts ranks third, and his total of four GP wins is second only to Mario Andretti. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Gurney's driving ability, however, was paid by the father of Scottish World Champion Jim Clark. The elder Clark took Gurney aside at his son's funeral in 1968 and confided that he was the only driver Clark had ever feared on the track. (Horton, 1999). The 2010 Monterey Motorsports Reunion (formerly the Monterey Historic Automobile Races) was held in honor of Gurney.[18] A 2016 academic paper reported a mathematical modeling study that assessed the relative influence of driver and machine. Gurney was ranked the 14th-best Formula One driver of all time.[19] American Championship Car Gurney in 1962 Indy 500 car during practice. Designer John Crosthwaite working on car While competing in Formula One, Gurney also raced each year in the Indianapolis 500 from 1962 to 1970. Gurney made his Indy début at the wheel of a space-frame, rear-engined car designed by John Crosthwaite and built by American hot-rodder Mickey Thompson[20][21][22][23][24] Despite a misfiring engine, Gurney ran comfortably in the top 10 until a transmission seal failed on the 92nd lap. The last three years, he finished 2nd, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively. In 1969, he did not race in Formula One, instead racing in the USAC Championship Car series and also in CanAm. He started a total of 28 Champ Car races, winning 7 times among his 18 top tens. In 1969, he finished 4th in total points, despite starting only half the races of most top drivers (and would have finished second in the season standings to champion Mario Andretti if not for a driveshaft failure while leading comfortably with three laps remaining in the season finale at Riverside). In 1968, he finished 7th with only 5 starts. NASCAR / SCCA Trans-Am career Dan Gurney Dan GurneyNASCAR 28.jpg Gurney's 1963 Riverside 500 car. Born United States Port Jefferson, New York NASCAR Cup Series career 16 races run over 10 years Best finish 77th (1962) First race 1962 Daytona Duel 1 (Daytona) Last race 1980 Winston Western 500 (Riverside) First win 1963 Riverside 500 (Riverside) Last win 1968 Motor Trend 500 (Riverside) Wins Top tens Poles 5 10 3 Gurney's first career NASCAR start was in 1962. In 1963, he drove a Holman-Moody Ford to fifth place in the Daytona 500. Gurney was nearly unbeatable in a NASCAR Grand National car at Riverside International Raceway in California. Four of his five victories came with the famed Wood Brothers, in 1964, 1965, 1966 and 1968, in cars all numbered 121 (a simple graphic addition to the team's traditional "21"). The serial success of the Gurney/Wood Brothers combination did not sit well with NASCAR officials, so in 1967 Gurney signed to drive a Mercury for Bill Stroppe and legendary NASCAR crew chief Bud Moore. However, the 1967 Motor Trend 500 was won by Gurney's teammate, Parnelli Jones after Gurney retired with engine troubles. He also won the pole for the 1970 Riverside race in a Plymouth Superbird. Gurney is credited with numerous appearances in NASCAR Grand American stockcars, a pony car division that existed between 1968 and 1971, but these results came in races co-sanctioned with SCCA's Trans-Am, where Dan competed regularly for Mercury, and later Plymouth. At about the time Gurney began making occasional appearances in stock cars in the United States, Dan took a Chevrolet Impala to England and entered it in several "saloon car" (sedan) races. In a race at Silverstone in 1962, he led the local Jaguar drivers handily until a wheel broke. When he returned with the same car for a race three months later, the local club's technical inspectors disallowed his entry. Gurney and his protege Swede Savage drove factory-sponsored, AAR built Plymouth Barracudas in the 1970 Trans-Am Series. Cutbacks at Chrysler forced Gurney to cut back to a one-car effort mid-season with Savage driving. In his swan song as a driver, in October 1970 Gurney returned for the season finale at his beloved Riverside, finishing fifth. In 1980, Gurney came out of a 10-year retirement to help old friend Les Richter, the president of Riverside. (Gurney's adoption of the number that became most closely identified with his career, 48, was a nod to Richter's NFL number.) Gurney agreed to drive a second Rod Osterlund Chevrolet for one NASCAR race as teammate to 1979 rookie of the year Dale Earnhardt. For added publicity and supposedly as a condition of allowing Gurney to drive in the race after a 10-year layoff, Richter insisted that Gurney attend the racing school run by former teammate and friend Bob Bondurant (Gurney and Bondurant had shared the GT-class-winning Cobra Daytona coupe at Le Mans in 1964). After Gurney's refresher session, Richter called Bondurant and asked how Gurney had done. "He didn't need a refresher," Bondurant reportedly told Richter. "He was faster than me then, and he still is." Ticket sales surged upon the announcement of Gurney's return. In a Chevy MonteCarlo painted white with blue and carrying his famed number 48, Gurney qualified seventh and easily ran with the leaders. Displaying his usual fluid style, Gurney raced up to second place, and was running third when the input shaft in the transmission let go, something Dan later said he had never seen happen before or since. With Shelby-American Racing Gurney was recruited by Carroll Shelby, who was mounting a Ford-powered challenge to Ferrari's dominance of the FIA 2+ liter GT class in the World Championship of Makes for the 1964 season. Shelby developed the Shelby Daytona Coupe, a derivative of the AC Cobra that had competed the previous year, with a lower drag coupe body. The team of Gurney and Bob Bondurant drove the Shelby Coupe to a GT class win, fourth overall, in the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans and Gurney took it to another class win, third overall, in the RAC Tourist Trophy race.[25] Ford's hopes for edging Ferrari for the Manufacturers' title at the 1000 km Monza season finale were dashed when the event was cancelled. In 1965 Ford teams won the Manufacturers' title for the GT class, although Gurney was only with Shelby for Le Mans and did not finish.[26] Gurney joined the Shelby-American campaign in the Sports Prototype class for 1966, which fielded the new 7 liter GT40 Mk II. Gurney's best finish that year was second place, teamed with Jerry Grant in a Mk II at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Between success with the new Mk II and the older GT40s, Ford secured the World Championship of Makes for sports cars, sealed by a resounding 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.[27] Gurney stayed with Shelby-American for their 1967 World Sportscar Championship campaign. Things were not going smoothly in development of Ford's next Prototype entry. After problems highlighted by the fatal accident of Ken Miles in testing the Mark III "J Car," another iteration was designed but it would not be built in time for the season opener at the 24 Hours of Daytona. After a dismal showing at Daytona with the Mk II, Shelby introduced the Mk IV at the 12 Hours of Sebring with a resounding win.[28] After that demonstration the Mk IVs were held in preparation for Le Mans, with Ford's hopes for a repeat championship resting on the GT40s and GT40-derived Mirages campaigned by other teams in the intervening races. A controversial decision to withhold points from the Mirage win at the Spa 1000 km event from Ford's season credit virtually killed hopes for a repeat championship and gave Le Mans an all-or-nothing aspect for Ford. Four Mk IVs were entered, two with Shelby-American and two with Holman and Moody, Ford's unofficial NASCAR team. Pre-race press chatter about the Mk IV's prospects, and in particular about Shelby's team of Gurney and Indy car driver A.J. Foyt, was negative: the Mk IV was too heavy and put too much demand on its brakes, it was structurally weak, it would be difficult to control, Foyt the oval racer was in over his head, Foyt would try to prove himself in the shadow of sportscar master Gurney, and so on. The static about Foyt was more stereotype than reality, as he had shown his road course mettle with a second-place showing at the grueling 12 Hours of Sebring in a Mk II earlier that year. As it turned out the race went like clockwork for Gurney and Foyt, establishing an early lead and a comfortable margin over the rival Ferraris, driving at a disciplined pace, and establishing a new record of 388 laps. On the podium, Gurney took the magnum of champagne and saw an opportunity for a playfully pointed statement towards journalists he saw crowding around. He shook the bottle and aimed the spritz at the naysayers. Soon he was giving everyone a shower, which became a podium tradition. Ford's factory efforts for the World Sportscar Championship ended that year, as a new engine capacity limit of 3 liters for the Sports Prototype class made their entries ineligible and they had no engines that could be eligible and competitive. Shelby and Gurney independently turned their efforts to the SCCA Trans-Am series for 1968. Shelby and Gurney teamed up again in 1970, with Shelby hired for Gurney's All American Racing team. Cannonball Run In November 1971, Gurney and co-driver Brock Yates won the first competitive running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, known widely as the Cannonball Run, an unofficial, unsanctioned automobile race from New York City to Redondo Beach, California. Gurney and Yates made the run in 35 hours and 54 minutes in a stock 1971 Sunoco-blue Ferrari 365GTB/4 Daytona coupe capable of 175 mph (282 km/h). They averaged approximately 80 mph (130 km/h) over the 2,876 mi (4,628 km) distance, consuming 240 US gal (910 l) of gasoline. Gurney and Yates received no prize for winning; however, the winning car is now part of a private collection and valued at several million dollars.[29][30][31] Full-time team owner Gurney at the 2008 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona Upon his retirement from Formula One, Gurney devoted himself full-time to his role as car maker and team owner. He was the sole owner, Chairman and CEO of All American Racers from 1970 until his son, Justin, assumed the title of CEO in early 2011.[32] The team won 78 races (including the Indianapolis 500, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Daytona) and eight championships, while Gurney's Eagle race car customers also won three Indianapolis 500 races and three championships. In 1978, Gurney wrote an open memo to other race car owners with what is now known as the "White Paper" in which Gurney called for a series controlled more by the owners or "actual participants" than under the USAC banner. After much debate, CART was formed with Gurney and other owners like Roger Penske, Pat Patrick, and Bob Fletcher. CART began its first full season of competition in March 1979 and thus the first split in open wheel racing began. AAR withdrew from the CART series in 1986, but enjoyed tremendous success with Toyota in the IMSA GTP series, where in 1992 and 1993 Toyota Eagles won 17 consecutive races, back-to-back Drivers' and Manufacturers' Championships, and wins in the endurance classics of Daytona and Sebring. The team returned to CART as the factory Toyota team in 1996, but left again after the 1999 season when Goodyear withdrew from the series and Toyota ended their relationship with the team. In 2000, Dan campaigned a Toyota Atlantic car for his son, Alex Gurney under the AAR banner. In 1990, Gurney was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Sebring International Raceway Hall of Fame, and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1991.[33] Death Gurney died of complications from pneumonia; he was 86 years old. All American Racers announced the news on their website: "With one last smile on his handsome face, Dan drove off into the unknown just before noon today, January 14, 2018. In deepest sorrow, with gratitude in our hearts for the love and joy you have given us during your time on this earth, we say 'Godspeed.'"[34] Gurney was survived by his wife, Evi, six children, and 8 grandchildren.[35][36] As per his final wishes, his memorial service and funeral were private. Racing record Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 WDC Pts 1959 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246 Ferrari 155 2.4 V6 MON 500 NED FRA Ret GBR GER 2 POR 3 ITA 4 USA 7th 13 1960 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P48 BRM P25 2.5 L4 ARG MON NC 500 NED Ret BEL Ret FRA Ret GBR 10 POR Ret ITA USA Ret NC 0 1961 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 718 Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 MON 5 BEL 6 FRA 2 GBR 7 GER 7 ITA 2 USA 2 4th 21 Porsche 787 NED 10 1962 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 804 Porsche 753 1.5 F8 NED Ret MON Ret FRA 1 GBR 9 GER 3 ITA Ret USA 5 RSA 5th 15 Autosport Team Wolfgang Seidel Lotus 24 BRM P56 1.5 V8 BEL DNS 1963 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON Ret BEL 3 NED 2 FRA 5 GBR Ret GER Ret ITA 14 USA Ret MEX 6 RSA 2 5th 19 1964 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 MON Ret NED Ret BEL 6 FRA 1 GBR 13 GER 10 AUT Ret ITA 10 USA Ret MEX 1 6th 19 1965 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 RSA Ret MON BEL 10 FRA Ret GBR 6 NED 3 GER 3 ITA 3 USA 2 MEX 2 4th 25 1966 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1F Climax FPF 2.8 L4 MON BEL NC FRA 5 GBR Ret NED Ret GER 7 MEX 5 12th 4 Weslake 58 3.0 V12 ITA Ret USA Ret 1967 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1F Climax FPF 2.8 L4 RSA Ret 8th 13 Eagle T1G Weslake 58 3.0 V12 MON Ret NED Ret BEL 1 FRA Ret GBR Ret GER Ret CAN 3 ITA Ret USA Ret MEX Ret 1968 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake 58 3.0 V12 RSA Ret ESP MON Ret BEL FRA GBR Ret GER 9 ITA Ret 21st 3 McLaren M7A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 CAN Ret USA 4 MEX Ret Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT24 Repco 740 3.0 V8 NED Ret 1970 Bruce McLaren Motor Racing McLaren M14A Ford Cosworth DFV 3.0 V8 RSA ESP MON BEL NED Ret FRA 6 GBR Ret GER AUT ITA CAN USA MEX 24th 1 Non-Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 1960 Owen Racing Organisation BRM P48 BRM P25 2.5 L4 GLV Ret INT Ret LOM DNS OUL 6 Yeoman Credit Racing Team Cooper T51 Climax FPF 2.5 L4 SIL 7 1961 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 718 Porsche 547/3 1.5 F4 LOM GLV PAU BRX Ret VIE SYR 2 NAP LON SOL 3 KAN DAN MOD 3 FLG OUL DNA LEW VAL RAN NAT RSA Louise Bryden-Brown Lotus 18 Climax FPF 1.5 L4 AIN 14 SIL 5 1962 Porsche System Engineering Porsche 804 Porsche 753 1.5 F8 CAP BRX LOM LAV GLV PAU AIN INT NAP MAL CLP RMS SOL 1 KAN MED DAN OUL MEX DNA RAN NAT 1963 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 LOM GLV PAU IMO SYR AIN INT DNA ROM SOL KAN DNA MED AUT OUL Ret RAN 1964 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT7 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 DMT NWT SYR AIN Ret INT Ret SOL DNA MED RAN 1965 Brabham Racing Organisation Brabham BT11 Climax FWMV 1.5 V8 ROC Ret SYR SMT 9 INT MED RAN 1967 Anglo American Racers Eagle T1G Weslake 58 3.0 V12 ROC 1 SPC INT SYR OUL ESP 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class Pos. 1959 Italy Scuderia Ferrari France Jean Behra Ferrari 250 TR/59 S 3.0 129 DNF DNF 1960 United States B.S. Cunningham United States Walt Hansgen Jaguar E2A S 3.0 89 DNF DNF 1961 West Germany Porsche System Engineering Sweden Jo Bonnier Porsche 718/4 RS Coupe S 2.0 262 DNF DNF 1962 Italy Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia Sweden Jo Bonnier Ferrari 250 TRI/61 E 3.0 30 DNF DNF 1963 United States North American Racing Team United States Jim Hall Ferrari 330 LMB P +3.0 126 DNF DNF 1964 United States Shelby-American Inc. United States Bob Bondurant Shelby Cobra Daytona GT +3.0 334 4th 1st 1966 United States Shelby American United States Jerry Grant Ford GT40 Mk.II P +5.0 257 DNF DNF 1967 United States Ford Motor Company United States Shelby-American Inc. United States A. J. Foyt Ford Mk IV P +5.0 388 1st 1st NASCAR results (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.) Grand National Series NASCAR Grand National Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 NGNC Pts 1962 Holman-Moody 0 Ford CON AWS DAY 4 DAY DAY 27 CON AWS SVH HBO RCH CLB NWS GPS MBS MAR BGS BRI RCH HCY CON DAR PIF CLT ATL BGS AUG RCH SBO DAY CLB ASH GPS AUG SVH MBS BRI CHT NSV HUN AWS STR BGS PIF VAL DAR HCY RCH DTS AUG MAR NWS CLT ATL 77th 472 1963 28 BIR GGS THS RSD 1* NA - 0 DAY 5 DAY DAY 5 PIF AWS HBO ATL HCY BRI AUG RCH GPS SBO BGS MAR NWS CLB THS DAR ODS RCH CLT BIR ATL DAY MBS SVH DTS BGS ASH OBS BRR BRI GPS NSV CLB AWS PIF BGS ONA DAR HCY RCH MAR DTS NWS THS CLT SBO HBO RSD 1964 Wood Brothers Racing 121 Ford CON AUG JSP SVH RSD 1* DAY NA - 12 DAY 10 DAY 14 RCH BRI GPS BGS ATL 36 AWS HBO PIF CLB NWS MAR SVH DAR LGY HCY SBO CLT GPS ASH ATL CON NSV CHT BIR VAL PIF DAY ODS OBS BRR ISP GLN LIN BRI NSV MBS AWS DTS ONA CLB BGS STR DAR HCY RCH ODS HBO MAR SVH NWS CLT HAR AUG JAC 1965 121 RSD 1* DAY DAY DAY PIF ASW RCH HBO ATL GPS NWS MAR CLB BRI DAR LGY BGS HCY CLT CCF ASH HAR NSV BIR ATL GPS MBS VAL DAY ODS OBS ISP GLN BRI NSV CCF AWS SMR PIF AUG CLB DTS BLV BGS DAR HCY LIN ODS RCH MAR NWS CLT HBO CAR DTS NA - 1966 AUG RSD 1* DAY DAY DAY CAR BRI ATL HCY CLB GPS BGS NWS MAR DAR LGY MGR MON RCH CLT DTS ASH PIF SMR AWS BLV GPS DAY ODS BRR OXF FON ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB AWS BLV BGS DAR HCY RCH HBO MAR NWS CLT CAR NA - 1967 Stroppe Motorsports 16 Mercury AUG RSD 14 DAY DAY DAY AWS BRI GPS BGS ATL CLB HCY NWS MAR SVH RCH DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS MGY DAY TRN OXF FDA ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL BGS CLB SVH DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS CLT CAR AWS NA - 1968 Wood Brothers Racing 121 Ford MGR MGY RSD 1* DAY BRI RCH ATL HCY GPS CLB NWS MAR AUG AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS DAY ISP OXF FDA TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB BGS AWS SBO LGY DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS AUG CLT CAR JFC NA - 1969 Mercury MGR MGY RSD 26 DAY DAY DAY CAR AUG BRI ATL CLB HCY GPS RCH NWS MAR AWS DAR BLV LGY CLT MGR SMR MCH KPT GPS NCF DAY DOV TPN TRN BLV BRI NSV SMR ATL MCH SBO BGS AWS DAR HCY RCH TAL CLB MAR NWS CLT SVH AUG CAR JFC MGR TWS NA - 1970 Petty Enterprises 42 Plymouth RSD 6 DAY DAY DAY RCH CAR SVH ATL BRI TAL NWS CLB DAR BLV LGY CLT SMR MAR MCH RSD HCY KPT GPS DAY AST TPN TRN BRI SMR NSV ATL CLB ONA MCH TAL BGS SBO DAR HCY RCH DOV NCF NWS CLT MAR MGR CAR LGY NA - Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 NWCC Pts 1980 Osterlund Racing 48 Chevy RSD 28 DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR ATL ONT NA - Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1962 Holman-Moody Ford 7 27 1963 11 5 1964 Wood Brothers Racing Ford 20 14 Complete USAC Championship Car results Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Pos Points 1962 TRE INDY 20 MIL LAN TRE SPR MIL LAN SYR ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0 1963 TRE INDY 7 MIL LAN TRE SPR MIL 3 DUQ ISF TRE 16 SAC PHX 12th 580 1964 PHX TRE INDY 17 MIL LAN TRE SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0 1965 PHX TRE INDY 26 MIL LAN PPR TRE IRP ATL LAN MIL 3 ISF MIL 12 DSF INF TRE SAC PHX 26th 230 1966 PHX TRE INDY 27 MIL LAN ATL PIP IRP LAN SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0 1967 PHX TRE INDY 21 MIL LAN PIP MOS MOS IRP LAN MTR MTR SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC HAN PHX RIV 1 - 0 1968 HAN LVG 16 PHX TRE INDY 2 MIL MOS 1 MOS 1 LAN PIP CDR NAZ IRP IRP LAN LAN MTR MTR SPR MIL DUQ ISF TRE SAC MCH HAN PHX RIV 1 7th 1,800 1969 PHX HAN INDY 2 MIL LAN PIP CDR 2 NAZ TRE IRP 1 IRP 21 MIL SPR DOV DUQ ISF BRN 2 BRN 1 TRE SAC KEN 3 KEN 4 PHX RIV 3 4th 2,280 1970 PHX SON 1 TRE INDY 3 MIL LAN CDR MCH IRP SPR MIL ONT 18 DUQ ISF SED TRE SAC PHX 11th 1,000 Indy 500 results Year Chassis Engine Start Finish 1962 Thompson Buick 8th 20th 1963 Lotus Ford 12th 7th 1964 Lotus Ford 6th 17th 1965 Lotus Ford 3rd 26th 1966 Eagle Ford 19th 27th 1967 Eagle Ford 2nd 21st 1968 Eagle Ford 10th 2nd 1969 Eagle Ford 10th 2nd 1970 Eagle Offy 11th 3rd The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing.[1] The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948,[2] and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018.[3] The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.[4] Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Europe. Contents 1 History 1.1 Early stock car racing 1.2 Significant people 1.2.1 William France Sr. 1.2.2 Erwin "Cannonball" Baker 1.2.3 Bob "Barky" Barkhimer 1.2.4 Wendell Scott 1.3 Founding 2 Sanctioned series 2.1 National series 2.1.1 Cup Series 2.1.2 Xfinity Series 2.1.3 Camping World Truck Series 2.1.4 ARCA Menards Series 2.2 International series 2.2.1 Pinty's Series 2.2.2 PEAK Mexico Series 2.2.3 Whelen Euro Series 2.3 Regional racing series 2.3.1 Weekly Series 2.3.2 Whelen Modified Tour 2.3.3 ARCA Menards Series East and West 2.3.4 AutoZone Elite and other divisions 2.4 Online racing series 2.4.1 eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series 2.4.2 eNASCAR Ignite Series 3 Driver safety 4 Criticism 5 Global expansion 6 NASCAR.com 7 Subsidiaries and 'sister' organizations 7.1 NASCAR Digital Media 7.2 International Speedway Corporation 7.3 ARCA 7.4 Grand-Am 7.5 IMSA 7.6 Education 8 NASCAR in culture 9 See also 10 Notes 11 References 12 External links History Early stock car racing 1985 photo of Junior Johnson, 1950s NASCAR driver who began as a bootlegging driver from Wilkes County, North Carolina In the 1920s and 1930s, Daytona Beach supplanted France and Belgium as the preferred location for world land speed records.[5][6] After a historic race between Ransom Olds and Alexander Winton in 1903, 15 records were set on what became the Daytona Beach Road Course between 1905 and 1935. Daytona Beach had become synonymous with fast cars in 1936.[7] Drivers raced on a 4.1-mile (6.6 km) course, consisting of a 1.5–2.0-mile (2.4–3.2 km) stretch of beach as one straightaway, and a narrow blacktop beachfront highway, State Road A1A, as the other. The two straights were connected by two tight, deeply rutted and sand covered turns at each end.[8] Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition,[9][10] when drivers ran bootleg whiskey made primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States. Bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling,[10] as well as increased cargo capacity.[11] The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 dried up some of their business, but by then Southerners had developed a taste for moonshine, and a number of the drivers continued "runnin' shine", this time evading the "revenuers" who were attempting to tax their operations.[1] The cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, and they are most closely associated with the Wilkes County region of North Carolina. Most races in those days were of modified cars. Street vehicles were lightened and reinforced.[12][13] Significant people William France Sr. Main article: Bill France Sr. Mechanic William France Sr., moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, D.C., in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He was familiar with the history of the area from the land speed record attempts. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing fifth. He took over running the course in 1938. He promoted a few races before World War II. France had the notion that people would enjoy watching stock cars race. Drivers were frequently victimized by unscrupulous promoters who would leave events with all the money before drivers were paid.[citation needed] On December 14, 1947, France began talks with other influential racers and promoters at the Ebony Bar at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, that ended with the formation of NASCAR on February 21, 1948.[14] Erwin "Cannonball" Baker Main article: Erwin Baker The first Commissioner of NASCAR was Erwin "Cannonball" Baker, a former stock car, motorcycle, and open-wheel racer who competed in the Indianapolis 500 and set over one hundred land speed records. Baker earned most of his fame for his transcontinental speed runs and would prove a car's worth by driving it from New York to Los Angeles. After his death, the famous transcontinental race the 'Cannonball Run' and the film that was inspired by it were both named in his honor. Baker is enshrined in the Automotive Hall of Fame, the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame. This level of honor and success in each diverse racing association earned Baker the title of "King of the Road".[15] Bob "Barky" Barkhimer Main article: Bob Barkhimer In the early 1950s, the United States Navy stationed Bill France Jr., at the Moffett Federal Airfield in northern California. His father asked him to look up Bob Barkhimer in San Jose, California. Barkhimer was a star of midget car racing from the World War II era, and later ran about 22 different speedways as the head of the California Stock Car Racing Association. Young Bill developed a relationship with Bob Barkhimer and his partner, Margo Burke. He went to events with them, stayed weekends with them and generally became very familiar with racing on the west coast. "Barky", as he was called by his friends, journeyed to Daytona Beach and met with Bill France Sr. In the spring of 1954, NASCAR became a stock car sanctioning body on the Pacific Coast under Barky. Wendell Scott Main article: Wendell Scott Wendell Scott was the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR's highest level. He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina, January 30, 2015.[16] Logo used from 1976 to 2016 Founding On March 8, 1936, a collection of drivers gathered at Daytona Beach, Florida. The drivers brought coupes, hardtops, convertibles, and sports cars to compete in an event to determine the fastest cars, and best drivers. Throughout the race, the heavier cars got bogged down in the sand, while the lightweight Fords navigated the ruts of the course, eventually claiming the top 6 finishes for the race. Of the 27 cars that started the event, only 10 managed to survive the ordeal, as officials halted the event 10 miles (16 km) short of the scheduled 250-mile (400 km) distance. Driver Milt Marion was declared the winner, and a young Bill France placed 5th at the end of the day.[17] By early 1947, Bill France saw the potential for a unified series of racing competitors. France announced the foundation of the "National Championship Stock Car Circuit", otherwise known as NCSCC.[18] France approached the American Automobile Association, or AAA, in hopes of obtaining financial backing for the venture. When the AAA declined support of the venture, France proceeded to announce a set of rules and awards for the NCSCC. France declared that the winner of the 1947 NCSCC season would receive $1000.00 and a trophy. The season would begin in January 1947 at the Daytona Beach track, and conclude in Jacksonville the following December. Nearly 40 events were logged during the season, and attendance often exceeded the venue's capacity. The competitors were paid as promised, and by the end of the season, driver Fonty Flock was declared the season champion after winning 7 events of the 24 that he entered. Bill France delivered the $1000 and 4-foot high trophy to Flock at the end of the season, along with $3000 in prize money to other drivers who competed throughout the season.[19] The Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, where NASCAR was founded At the end of the 1947 season, Bill France announced that there would be a series of meetings held at the Streamline Hotel in Florida, beginning on December 14, 1947. At 1:00 pm, France called to order the 35 men who represented the NCSCC on the top floor of the hotel. The meeting was the first of four seminars in which France would outline his vision of an organized group of race car drivers.[20] The name originally chosen for the series was National Stock Car Racing Association; when it was pointed out that that name was already in use by a rival sanctioning body, "National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing", proposed by mechanic Red Vogt, was selected as the organization's name.[21] NASCAR was founded by William France, Sr. on February 21, 1948 with the help of several other drivers of the time.[2] The original plans for NASCAR included three distinct divisions: Modified, Roadster, and Strictly Stock. The Modified and Roadster classes were seen as more attractive to fans. It turned out that NASCAR fans wanted nothing to do with the roadsters, which fans perceived as a Northeast or Midwest series.[citation needed] The roadster division was quickly abandoned, while the modified division now operates as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. The Strictly Stock division was put on hold as American automobile manufacturers were unable to produce family sedans quickly enough to keep up with post-World War II demand.[22] The 1948 schedule featured 52 Modified dirt track races. The sanctioning body hosted its first event at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948. Red Byron beat Marshall Teague in the Modified division race. Byron won the 1948 national championship. Things had changed dramatically by 1949, and the Strictly Stock division was able to debut with a 20-mile (32 km) exhibition in February near Miami. The first NASCAR "Strictly Stock" race ever was held at Charlotte Speedway, although this is not the same track as the Charlotte Motor Speedway that is a fixture on current NASCAR schedule. The race was held on June 19, 1949 and won by driver Jim Roper when Glenn Dunaway was disqualified after the discovery of his altered rear springs. Initially, the cars were known as the "Strictly Stock Division" and raced with virtually no modifications on the factory models. This division was renamed the "Grand National" division beginning in the 1950 season. Over a period of more than a decade, modifications for both safety and performance were allowed, and by the mid-1960s, the vehicles were purpose-built race cars with a stock-appearing body. Richard Petty's 1970 426 C.I. Plymouth Superbird on display. Early in NASCAR's history, foreign manufacturers had shown interest in entering the series; the British car manufacturer, MG, found a few of its vehicles entered, with some placing. For example, on August 16, 1963 in the International 200, Smokey Cook drove an MG to a 17th-place finish.[23][24] The first NASCAR competition held outside of the U.S. was in Canada, where on July 1, 1952, Buddy Shuman won a 200-lap race on a half-mile (800 m) dirt track in Stamford Park, Ontario, near Niagara Falls. Sanctioned series National series Cup Series The start of the 2015 Daytona 500. Main article: NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) is the sport's highest level of professional competition. It is consequently the most popular and most profitable NASCAR series. Since 2001, the Cup Series season has consisted of 36 races over 10 months. Writers and fans often use "Cup" to refer to the NCS and the ambiguous use of "NASCAR" as a synonym for the series is common. The 2021 NCS Champion is Kyle Larson. The record for most championships is 7, held by three drivers: Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jimmie Johnson. Johnson has the record for most consecutive with five consecutive Cup Series drivers' championships from 2006 to 2010. Previously, the most consecutive championships had been three in a row by Cale Yarborough in the late 1970s, the only other time when a driver has won three or more NASCAR Cup Series championships in a row. The Cup Series had its first title sponsor in 1972. R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which had been banned from television advertising, found a popular and demographically suitable consumer base in NASCAR fans and engaged NASCAR as a promotional outlet. As a result of that sponsorship, the Grand National Series became known as the Winston Cup Series starting in 1971,[25] with a new points system and some significant cash benefits to compete for championship points. In 1972, the season was shortened from 48 races (including two on dirt tracks) to 31.[25] 1972 is often acknowledged as the beginning of NASCAR's "modern era". The next competitive level, called Late Model Sportsman, gained the "Grand National" title passed down from the top division and soon found a sponsor in Busch Beer. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (bottom), and team in victory lane in 2004 In 2004, Nextel Communications took over sponsorship of the premier series, and formally renamed it the Nextel Cup Series. A new championship points system, the "Chase for the Nextel Cup," (renamed "Chase for the Sprint Cup" in 2008) was also developed, which reset the point standings with ten races to go, making only drivers in the top ten or within 400 points of the leader eligible to win the championship. In 2007, NASCAR announced it was expanding "The Chase" from ten to twelve drivers, eliminating the 400-point cutoff, and giving a ten-point bonus to the top twelve drivers for each of the races they have won out of the first 26. Wins throughout the season would also be awarded five more points than in previous seasons. In 2008, the premier series title name became the Sprint Cup Series, as part of the merger between Nextel and Sprint. In 2011, NASCAR announced a number of major rules changes, the most significant being abandoning the points system. The winner of a race now receives 43 points, with one-point decrements for each subsequent position (42 for second, 41 for third, and so on). The winner also receives 3 bonus points, and single bonus points are awarded to all drivers who lead a lap, plus the driver who leads the most laps. Another significant change involves the qualifying process for the Chase. The number of qualifying drivers will remain at 12, but only the top 10 will qualify solely on regular-season points. The remaining two Chase drivers will be the two drivers in the next 10 of the point standings (11th through 20th) with the most race wins in the regular season. In 2014, NASCAR announced another revamp to the Chase format, expanding the Chase pool to 16 drivers, and eliminating four drivers after every three races, leaving four drivers to compete for the championship at the season finale at Homestead. In addition, wins were given an increased emphasis, with the 16 drivers with the most wins (15 if the points leader is winless; points leader will receive an automatic berth) gaining a spot in the chase. If there are fewer than 16 winners, the remaining spots will be filled based on the conventional points system.[26][27] Monster Energy became the title sponsor in 2017, which changed the series' name to Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.[28] With Monster Energy's title sponsorship, NASCAR also abandoned "The Chase" name and now refers to the last 10 races simply as "the playoffs" similar to most other sports. After the 2019 season, NASCAR declined an offer from Monster Energy to remain the title sponsor of the top series.[29] On December 5, NASCAR revealed their new sponsorship model. Instead of a singular title sponsor, four "premier partners" (Coca-Cola, Xfinity, Busch Beer and GEICO) would be closely affiliated with the top series, which was simply renamed the NASCAR Cup Series.[30] Xfinity Series The Busch (now Xfinity) Series field following the pace car at the O'Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway in 2007. Main article: NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series is the second-highest level of professional competition in NASCAR. The most recent series champion is Daniel Hemric in 2021. The modern incarnation of this series began in 1982, with sponsorship by Anheuser-Busch Brewing's Budweiser brand. In 1984 it was renamed to the Busch Grand National Series, then later just the Busch Series. The Anheuser-Busch sponsorship expired at the end of 2007, being replaced by Nationwide Insurance from 2008 to 2014, and the series is now sponsored by Comcast through its Xfinity brand.[31] The Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series at Road America in 2011, using the Car of Tomorrow design. The season usually has fewer races than the Cup Series, and the prize money is significantly lower. However, over the last several years, a number of Cup Series drivers have run both the Xfinity and Cup Series events each weekend, using the Xfinity race as a warm-up to the Cup event at the same facility. Furthermore, several drivers not only participated in both Cup and Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity events on the same weekend but also began to compete in both series on a full-time basis. Kevin Harvick was the first Cup series driver to compete full-time in the Busch Series and win a title, actually doing so twice; in 2001, he did this for Richard Childress Racing but only did so out of necessity as Dale Earnhardt's death forced him into the Cup series ahead of RCR's intended schedule for him. His win in 2006, where he raced three separate cars for RCR and his own race team, was the first of five consecutive titles in NBS/NNS that were won by Cup series regulars. The practice received criticism because it was thought to give the Cup Series teams an unfair advantage, and that the presence of the Cup Series drivers squeezes out Nationwide Series competitors who would otherwise be able to qualify. These dual-series drivers have been labeled "Buschwhackers", a play on words which combines the original series sponsor's name with the notion of being bushwhacked. In May 2007, NNS director Joe Balash confirmed that NASCAR was exploring options to deal with the Buschwhacker controversy. One of the most often-cited proposals was for Cup Series drivers participating in the Nationwide Series to receive no points for their participation in a Nationwide race. In 2007, NASCAR chairman Brian France indicated that all options, except an outright ban of Cup competitors, were still being considered.[32] On January 11, 2011, NASCAR.com reported that beginning with the 2011 season, drivers would be allowed to compete for the championship in only one of NASCAR's three national series in a given season, although they could continue to run in multiple series.[33] This change was officially confirmed by France in a press conference less than two weeks later, and has remained in the NASCAR rules ever since.[34] Beginning in 2010, the Nationwide cars adapted somewhat to the current "Car of Tomorrow" (or COT) design used by Cup cars, with different bodies from the Cup Series. In 2016, the Chase format was extended to both the Xfinity and Truck Series. Instead of the four-round, 10-race format used in the Cup Series, the Chase in each of the two supporting series consists of three rounds and seven races in all, with each preliminary round consisting of three races. The Xfinity Series Chase involves 12 drivers instead of the 16 participating in the Cup Series Chase. Four drivers are eliminated at the end of each preliminary round of the Chase in the Xfinity Series, which also mirrors the Cup Series Chase. This means that four drivers are eligible for the series title entering the final race, as in the Cup Series.[35] Similar to Cup, starting in 2017 "The Chase" moniker was dropped and the final seven races are now referred to as the Xfinity Playoffs. Even with restrictions limiting points earnings to one national series, Cup drivers were still running and winning a vast majority of Xfinity series races through 2015. Starting with the 2015 season finale, NASCAR began to add additional restrictions in regards to Cup drivers running Xfinity races. Beginning in the 2020 season, Cup drivers with more than three years of experience in the top series were limited to five races per season. Furthermore, those same drivers are ineligible to run the regular season finale, NXS playoff races, or Dash 4 Cash races.[36] Camping World Truck Series Main article: NASCAR Camping World Truck Series The Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway in 2018. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series features modified pickup trucks. It is one of the three national divisions of NASCAR, together with the Xfinity and Cup Series. The most recent series champion is Ben Rhodes (racing driver) in 2021 In 1994, NASCAR announced the formation of the NASCAR SuperTruck Series presented by Craftsman. The first series race followed in 1995. In 1996, the series was renamed the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to emphasize Craftsman's involvement. The series was first considered something of an oddity or a "senior tour" for NASCAR drivers, but eventually grew in popularity and has seen drivers move straight to the Cup Series without running a full season in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition. These include Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards (who both ran for Roush Racing). In addition, veteran drivers who have had only moderate success at the other two levels of the sport have revitalized their careers in the truck series, including Ron Hornaday Jr., Todd Bodine, Mike Skinner, and Johnny Benson. Beginning in 2009, the series became the Camping World Truck Series.[37] In 2019, per a branding request made by Camping World, the series was rebranded as the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series.[38] As noted previously, the Chase format was extended to the Truck Series in 2016. The format is identical to that used in the Xfinity Series, except that only eight drivers qualify for the Chase (instead of 12 in the Xfinity Series) and only two drivers are eliminated at the end of each preliminary round (instead of four in the Xfinity Series). As in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series, four drivers are eligible for the series title entering the final race.[35] Similar to Cup, starting in 2017 "The Chase" moniker was dropped and is now simply referred to as the Truck Series Playoffs. On May 8, 2018, NASCAR and Camping World announced the Truck Series title sponsor would be moved to Camping World subsidiary Gander Outdoors starting in 2019. The contract through 2022 is scheduled to continue as planned.[39] The series was renamed again in 2020 to the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series before returning to the Camping World Truck Series name in 2021.[40][41] ARCA Menards Series Main article: ARCA Menards Series The ARCA Menards Series is a racing series that races at big touring series tracks and local racing series tracks. It is primarily a Midwestern United States series. NASCAR acquired the series on April 27, 2018 after being privately owned for 60 years. International series Pinty's Series Main article: NASCAR Pinty's Series NASCAR Pinty's Series cars at Autodrome Chaudiere in 2015 The NASCAR Pinty's Series is a NASCAR racing series in Canada that derives from the old CASCAR Super Series (founded in 1981 and bought out by NASCAR in 2006). The new series has races through six of Canada's provinces for a total of 13 events with TV coverage on TSN. Many drivers are content running in Canada while others move up to bigger NASCAR series including J. R. Fitzpatrick and D. J. Kennington. The cars are a bit different from the cars seen in America, being more akin to a late model, though steel tube-framed silhouette bodies powered by V8 engines is still the norm. PEAK Mexico Series Main article: NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series In December 2006, NASCAR also announced the creation of a new series in Mexico, the NASCAR Corona Series (now PEAK Mexico Series), replacing the existing Desafío Corona Series, to begin in 2007.[42] Main article: NASCAR Mexico T4 Series In 2004, NASCAR also began to sanction a mini stock racing series in Mexico, known as the Mexico T4 Series. Whelen Euro Series Main article: NASCAR Whelen Euro Series In early 2012, NASCAR announced that it would sanction the existing European-based Racecar Euro Series as a "NASCAR Touring Series".[43] On July 1, 2013, with partnership from NASCAR Whelen Engineering, the series was renamed the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.[44] Regional racing series Main article: NASCAR Roots In addition to the six main national series, NASCAR operates several other racing divisions under the NASCAR Roots banner.[45][46] Weekly Series Main article: NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Many local race tracks across the United States and Canada run under the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series banner, where local drivers are compared against each other in a formula where the best local track champion of the nation wins the Whelen All-American Weekly Series National Championship. The Whelen All-American series is split into four car divisions as well as state and track championships separately. Each division champion receives a point-fund money payout and even more goes to the National champion (driver with most points out of the four division winners). The Whelen All-American Series is the base for stock car racing, developing NASCAR names such as Clint Bowyer, Jimmy Spencer, Tony Stewart, the Bodine brothers, and many others along the way.[47] Whelen Modified Tour Main article: NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour The Whelen Modified Tour races open-wheel "modified" cars in Northern and Southern divisions. This is NASCAR's oldest division, and the modern division has been operating since 1985 as the Winston Modified Series and later in 1994 as the Featherlite Trailers Modified Series. ARCA Menards Series East and West Main articles: ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West The ARCA Menards Series' feeder divisions, which consists of East and West divisions, race pro-stock cars that are similar to older Nationwide Series cars, although they are less powerful. The east division was originally divided into the Busch North series, which raced in Northeastern states, and the Busch East Series, which raced throughout Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. The west division was originally known as the Winston West Series and raced throughout Southwestern and Coastal Pacific states. In 2008, the series came together in east and west divisions under sponsorship from Camping World as the Camping World Series. K&N Filters took over the sponsorship in 2010. 2019 was the last season for both of the series before they are to go under the ARCA banner in 2020 as part of the unification of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West and the ARCA Menards Series. The series became known as the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West starting in 2020, meaning 2019 was also K&N's last year as the series title sponsor. AutoZone Elite and other divisions Main articles: NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southeast Series; NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series; NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series; and NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Midwest Series In the past, NASCAR also sanctioned the AutoZone Elite Division, which raced late-model cars that were lighter and less powerful than Cup Series cars, and was originally split into four divisions: Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Midwest. At the end of 2005, NASCAR announced that the AutoZone Elite Division would be discontinued after the 2006 season due to having trouble securing NASCAR-sanctioned tracks to successfully host AutoZone Elite Division events, plus escalating costs of competing and downsizing of the Division in recent years. In 2003, NASCAR standardized rules for its AutoZone Elite and Grand National divisions regional touring series as to permit cars in one series to race against cars in another series in the same division. The top 15 (Grand National) or 10 (AutoZone Elite) in each series will race in a one-race playoff, called the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, to determine the annual AutoZone Elite and Grand National champions. This event has been hosted at Irwindale Speedway in California since its inception. Many drivers move up through the series before reaching the Cup Series. In 2002, over 9,000 drivers had licenses from NASCAR to race at all levels. The winners of the All-American Series National Championship, the K&N Pro Series East and West championships, the two Whelen Modified and Grand National Divisions, and the three national series are invited to Las Vegas in December to participate in Champions Week ceremonies. Online racing series eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series Main article: eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series In 2010, NASCAR officially sanctioned its first sim racing eSports series, partnering with iRacing to form the NASCAR iRacing.com Series. This sim racing series is made of up of five "Amateur Series" divisions, the NASCAR iRacing.com Pro Series, and the PEAK Antifreeze NASCAR iRacing Series (NPAiS), one of iRacing's World Championship Series. Each year, the champion of the NASCAR iRacing.com World Championship Series is invited to NASCAR's Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway to receive $10,500 prize money and NASCAR championship trophy at the track. In 2018, iRacing announced a new, sanctioned qualifying ladder system for the NPAiS, the Road to Pro Series, using virtual Chevrolet and Toyota Camping World Trucks. At the same time, the NASCAR iRacing Pro Series would switch to using the Xfinity Series Camaro, Mustang and Camry models, in order to replicate the progression to the real life Cup series cars used in the NPAiS.[48] In 2020, Coca-Cola became the entitlement sponsor of the series and it was renamed the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series. With the sponsorship, the prize pool increased to $300,000. Additionally, six races will be televised on NBCSN.[49] eNASCAR Ignite Series The series was created as a developmental league by NASCAR and iRacing for aspiring gamers ages 13–16. The simulator begins with US Legends cars before moving to Modified Tour cars.[50] Driver safety Unbalanced scales.svg The neutrality of this section is disputed. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until conditions to do so are met. (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) 2008 Dodge Charger "Car of Tomorrow", driven by Kurt Busch Main articles: Safety in NASCAR, Death of Dale Earnhardt, and Car of Tomorrow Although NASCAR frequently publicizes the safety measures it mandates for drivers, these features have historically only been adopted long after they were initially developed, and only in response to an injury or fatality.[51] Fire-retardant driver suits were required only years after the death of Fireball Roberts, who died from complications of burns suffered in a crash when flames engulfed his car during a Charlotte race.[52][53] Only after the deaths of Adam Petty, Kenny Irwin and Tony Roper in 2000 and Dale Earnhardt in 2001 did NASCAR revisit the idea of decreasing the G-forces a driver sustained during a crash.[54] Other examples of available safety features that were slow to be implemented include the "kill switch" throttle, which was mandated after the death of Adam Petty, along with the requirements of an anti-spill bladder in fuel cells. The impact-absorbing "SAFER Barrier" had been in use as early as 1998, but NASCAR hesitated to install those walls out of concerns that they may bring about unintended consequences of aggravating the crashes, and possibly because of the effort needed to clean up the debris from the damaged walls.[55] Dale Earnhardt fatally suffered a fracture to the base of his skull after his car slammed into the concrete wall in the 2001 Daytona 500. Earnhardt's death prompted NASCAR to implement the SAFER barrier and consider drastic improvements to the safety of the drivers. One of these would require all drivers to use the "HANS device" (Head And Neck Support Device), a device that keeps the driver's neck from going forward in a wreck. The mandate came about in October after Blaise Alexander, racing for the ARCA series, died in a crash that resulted in the same injuries sustained as Earnhardt.[56] NASCAR redesigned the racing vehicle with safety improvements, calling it the Car of Tomorrow, which debuted in 2007. The car had a higher roof, wider cockpit, and the driver seat was located more toward the center of the vehicle.[51] The death of Dale Earnhardt has been seen as a "wake-up" call for NASCAR.[57] NASCAR has been far more aggressive with safety changes since Earnhardt's death,[51] and as of 2021, no NASCAR driver has been involved in a fatal accident since.[54] Criticism Main article: Criticism of NASCAR NASCAR has been the target of criticism on various topics from various sources. Some critics note the significant differences between today's NASCAR vehicles and true "stock" cars.[58] Others frequently cite the dominance of the France family in NASCAR's business structure, policies, and decision making. Recently, the increased number of Cup drivers competing consistently in the Xfinity Series races has been hotly debated. Another general area of criticism, not only of NASCAR but other motorsports as well, includes questions about fuel consumption,[59] emissions and pollution, and the use of lead additives in the gasoline. Originally scheduled for 2008, NASCAR adopted the use of unleaded fuel in all three of its top series in 2007.[60] In 2011, NASCAR switched to E15 "green" fuel (15% ethanol and 85% gasoline) for all three touring series.[61] As NASCAR has made moves to improve its national appeal, it has begun racing at new tracks, and ceased racing at some traditional ones – a sore spot for the traditional fan base. Most recently, NASCAR has been challenged on the types and frequency of caution flags, with some critics[62][63][64] suggesting the outcome of races is being manipulated, and that the intention is not safety, as NASCAR claims, but closer racing. There have been a few accidents involving fans during races and even some off the tracks, but no spectator has ever been killed during a race in an accident relating to the race,[65][66][67] although a fan was killed by a lightning strike in 2012 after the 2012 Pennsylvania 400 at Pocono was called short due to the storm.[68] It was revealed in 2008 that a wrongful death lawsuit against NASCAR stemming from the crash of a company plane was settled for $2.4 million.[69][70] For years, NASCAR had been under criticism for allowing the Confederate flag to be flown during races. Former chairman Brian France tried to ban the flying of Confederate flags at race tracks in 2015, which caused anger among fans.[71] It had previously asked fans to voluntarily stop flying the flag after the 2015 Charleston church shooting, but this did not end the practice. Bubba Wallace, the only African-American NASCAR top-circuit driver, drove the 2020 spring Martensville race in a car with Black Lives Matter livery, and appeared in an anti-racism video with a number of white drivers.[72] On June 10, 2020, in the wake of protests related to the murder of George Floyd, NASCAR announced that the display of the Confederate flag will be prohibited from all of its events and properties.[71] Global expansion In 2006, Toyota announced they would be joining NASCAR's ranks.[73] Toyota generated early success winning several races off performances from Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.[74] Any increase in foreign competition is expected to raise the price of putting a car on the track.[73] Another topic on the NASCAR circuit is the increase in foreign born drivers and the effects they may have on the future of NASCAR.[75] Juan Pablo Montoya, Patrick Carpentier, and Dario Franchitti are among the foreign-born big names who have crossed over from Formula One and the Indy racing circuit.[76] These drivers have made an impact on NASCAR not only by winning races and dominating road courses, but by expanding NASCAR's point of view.[74] NASCAR included a race at the Mexican road course Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the Nationwide Series schedule from 2005 through 2008, as well as a race in Montreal, Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve from 2007 through 2012, with the Camping World Truck Series adding a date at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2013. There has been talk of possible expansion with exhibition races in Japan and a return to Canada.[77] Expanding into international markets could increase NASCAR's popularity and allow foreign sponsors and manufacturers to get involved in the sport.[78] Some think this could be a very positive move for NASCAR, which has seen its television ratings drop 21 percent between 2005 and 2007.[79] During the same 2-year period, NASCAR also saw the greatest drop in tickets prices observed in over a decade.[79] In 2010, NASCAR saw television ratings drop 10% from the year before, which was down 33% off its peak in 2005.[80] Some think that an increase in international diversity would translate into growth and generate greater opportunities for NASCAR fans.[76] NASCAR.com In October 2000, Turner Sports acquired the digital rights to NASCAR, and subsequently took over its website, which features news, information, and interactive features (such as RaceView and RaceBuddy) surrounding its series. While NASCAR had extended Turner's contract to operate the site through 2016, the association announced in January 2012 that it would take operation of the site back in-house in 2013. As a result, a new NASCAR.com was launched on January 3, 2013, which features a multimedia-oriented design enhanced to provide a higher level of fan interaction, and provide an improved second screen experience for viewers on mobile devices.[81][82] On May 7, 2019, NASCAR announced a sports betting content partnership with The Action Network to provide editorial content and analysis to NASCAR.com, including recommended picks and value bets.[83] NASCAR said the partnership was intended to prepare for the spread of legal sports betting in the U.S. following the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the federal PASPA sports betting prohibition. NASCAR previously struck an exclusive deal with sports data solutions provider Genius Sports to develop an official NASCAR gaming offering for legal sportsbooks.[84] Subsidiaries and 'sister' organizations NASCAR Digital Media NASCAR Digital Media is a television production company located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The company is a subsidiary of NASCAR and produces programs designed to promote the sport of professional stock car racing. It also manages the NASCAR website, as well as some websites related to the sport such as Racing-Reference and Jayski's Silly Season Site (as of 2019, after ESPN.com stopped hosting the website).[85] International Speedway Corporation While originally not officially connected to NASCAR, International Speedway Corporation (ISC) was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1953 to construct and manage tracks at which NASCAR holds competitions. In May 2019, it was announced that NASCAR would purchase ISC and inherit 12 tracks.[86] On October 18, 2019, the acquisition of ISC by NASCAR was completed. This made the company a division within NASCAR.[87] ARCA The Automobile Racing Club of America was purchased by NASCAR in 2018.[88] Grand-Am The Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am) was a sanctioning body of sports car racing. While it was founded independently of NASCAR by several members of the France family, NASCAR took over Grand-Am, but allowed it to operate autonomously. The series merged with the American Le Mans Series in 2014 as a part of NASCAR's purchase of IMSA. IMSA Main article: International Motor Sports Association Education NASCAR Technical Institute located in Mooresville, North Carolina, is the country's first technical training school to combine a complete automotive technology program and a NASCAR-specific motor sports program, and is the exclusive educational partner of NASCAR. NASCAR Kinetics was established in 2009 with the mission of connecting college students nationwide to NASCAR, and mentored its last round of students in 2013. NASCAR in culture Movies about NASCAR racing include Days of Thunder (1990), Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005), Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006), Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), and Logan Lucky (2017). NASCAR drivers have made appearances in many television series and TV movies, including The Cleveland Show,[89] Sullivan & Son, and Last Man Standing.[90] NASCAR partnered up with popular Roblox game Jailbreak, and the partnership was launched on November 5. See also Sports portal List of the closest NASCAR Cup Series finishes Criticism of NASCAR List of foreign-born NASCAR race winners List of NASCAR champions List of NASCAR drivers List of NASCAR race tracks List of NASCAR seasons List of NASCAR series List of NASCAR teams NASCAR Angels NASCAR dad NASCAR Hall of Fame NASCAR in Australia NASCAR Rookie of the Year NASCAR rules and regulations NASCAR Video Games NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers
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