by Lorianne Twill

Created on: April 23, 2008

"Dad, why are you standing next to your car holding the steering wheel?"

My dad and I were sifting through old black and white photographs from his racing heyday. I was having a hard time believing the skinny guy with the black frame glasses and long side burns was my dad. He took the photo from me, a faint smile on his face.

"It was the middle of a race, I went to make a turn, and the wheel came off in my hands. The car kept going straight, right into the wall." He chuckles. "I was in such a hurry doing last minute tuning on the car before the race, I forgot to tighten down the bolt on the steering column."

Americans have a proud history of souping up and adding more power to all types of racing vehicles, from cars to lawnmowers to barstools (yes, those latter two do really exist). Even in the 1960s when my dad was racing his '64 Ford Galaxy on local tracks in southern California, the cars that ran in the races were not exactly the same as the "normal" cars driving down the street. The drivers and crews made as many modifications as possible to the cars while still trying to adhere (mostly) to the rules at the tracks.

The sport of auto racing started out as improving car performance, basically trying to figure out a way to make a car go faster than it is supposed to. Some legends say this was born from necessity bootleggers needing to make a fast getaway with their booty when being chased by local police. Whatever the true origin, organized auto racing under the NASCAR name began in 1949 with creator Bill Frantz Sr.'s "strictly stock" racing series. This truly was a pure stock class, with the definition of stock being just as the car rolled off the factory assembly line with all its stock, no aftermarket, pieces. As NASCAR grew in popularity, different classes of cars were added and different sets of rules were created. What started as the "strictly stocks" in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1949 has become today's multi-million dollar, nationwide Sprint Cup. Anyone sitting down on a Sunday afternoon to watch the week's race can plainly see that these cars are anything but stock, from the stick-on decals that pose as front headlights to the up-turned rear spoiler.

As in any competition, the competitors constantly look for any opportunity to gain an advantage over one another. One team makes a discovery, whether it be in chassis tuning or car design, implements the idea and starts winning every race. Other teams scramble to keep up, and the great technology race has

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>