1001 NASCAR Facts
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For nearly 70 years, NASCAR has been the premier sanctioning body for organized Stock Car Racing in the United States. During that time, the sport has grown from a Southern, regional series to a global brand with its races telecast in more than 100 countries around the world. Author John Close details the earliest races of the 20th Century that laid the groundwork for the formation of NASCAR through today's modern events at mega-race stadiums across the country. Presented in an easy-to-read decade-by-decade «Fact Format,» this books allows you to spend a couple of minutes or hours at a time learning about the Cars (and Trucks), Personalities, Tracks, and Milestones of NASCAR, America's most popular and attended form of motorsports. Close, a longtime NASCAR journalist, author, team member, and race-day Spotter, also includes dozens of rare and informative photos that take you from the famed «Beach Course» at Daytona to the high banks of today's NASCAR tracks. A must read for any NASCAR, Stock Car Racing, and American Motorsports fan, the book will provide hours of interesting entertainment as it uncovers rare information and statistical anomalies.
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38 Born in Wauseon, Ohio, in 1878, Barney Oldfield was the first great American race car driver. In 1902, the young bicycle racer agreed to drive Henry Ford’s famous 999 race car, a lofty proposition given Oldfield had never driven a car much less raced one. Undaunted, Oldfield and the 999 defeated a host of challengers during the next two years. He was the first driver to average faster than a mile a minute in a race car, turning the trick in 59.6 seconds at Indianapolis in 1903. In 1910, he set the world land speed record by piloting a Blitzen Benz to 131.724 mph on the sands at Daytona Beach. That made Oldfield a star to the American public and led to acting roles and endorsements. Oldfield later became the first to turn a lap at more than 100-mph average at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1916. An advocate for safety, Oldfield was a pioneer in the use of driver safety restraints, roll cage use, and tire development. Oldfield retired in 1918 but stayed connected to motorsports until his death in 1946.
39 The son of a Michigan governor, William Durant wasn’t dreaming of an automotive empire when he took over the Buick Car Company in 1904, but that’s exactly what happened. He used Buick as the cornerstone to General Motors Holding Company, founded September 16, 1908. By combining Buick, Oldsmobile, and later Cadillac and Oakland (Pontiac), Durant formed the first automotive super-company. A self-made millionaire, Durant believed that avoiding duplication was the automobile’s ticket to profitability. It is said that Durant was prepared to spend $8 million to acquire the Ford Motor Company in 1909, but that deal never happened. Later, with finances stretched to the limit, Durant was forced out of General Motors in 1910 only to return to the business a year later after partnering with Louis Chevrolet. By 1914, Durant had bought out Chevrolet and set his sights on taking back General Motors. In 1916, Durant had acquired enough stock to again become president of GM and during the next four years grew the car company to a staggering size. Durant lost control of General Motors again in 1920. His next automotive project, Durant Motors, lasted through the 1920s before falling victim to the Great Depression in 1933. Having lost millions on stock investments when the stock market crashed in 1929, Durant declared bankruptcy in 1935. In the end, the man who created General Motors worked as a bowling alley manager before his death in 1947.
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