As Goes NASCAR, So Goes The Nation

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States once said, “As goes Ohio, so goes the nation.” That saying came to mind when composing this article. We are in an election year and the tension level is beginning to rise a bit, not unlike the rhetoric that is ratcheting up within the ranks of the Sprint Cup Series as we move closer to the Chase for the Championship.

It was in 2004 that the term “NASCAR Dad” was thrust into the American lexicon, as both major political parties sought to attract a large, influential voter base. As influential as NASCAR fans are now perceived by politicians, the sport is indeed an accurate indicator of the state of the union, and a barometer of the country as a whole.

Let’s hearken back to NASCAR’s beginnings in the smoke-filled rooms of the Streamline Inn Motel in Daytona Beach, Fla. It was 1947 and America had emerged victorious following World War II, and along with the returning GI’s who secured freedom for the rest of the world, set to embark in a bold new direction. So to was this newly organized sanctioning body. Racing primarily on dirt tracks as well as on the shore of Daytona Beach itself in the early years, the series sought to take advantage of auto manufacturers returning to producing vehicles instead of tanks, trucks and aircraft. The United States was born again, suddenly a superpower and awash with optimism, much like the racing series that had planted roots in the southeastern United States.

The 1950s ushered in an era of innovation and advancement unequalled even by today’s standards. The American dream was taking shape; 2.5 children, a house in the suburbs and a new car in the driveway. Having fought two major wars in the previous quarter century, the next battle would be fought over the next 45, as the threat of nuclear war gripped the world. No worries though; Duck and Cover joined forces with Rock and Roll, and nobody looked back.

At the same time, NASCAR was growing at about the same pace that highways were being built. Manufacturer interest and involvement was growing by leaps and bounds, with factory teams and drivers ruling the roost. Back then, everybody was getting in on the action, where as today Chevrolet and Ford are the dominant makes (Kyle Busch’s Toyota not withstanding), Hudson and Oldsmobile dominated the first half of the decade. The end of the ’50s saw yards of chrome and tall tail fins. It also brought about high-banked tracks and superspeedways, as Daytona International Speedway was constructed, becoming the crown jewel of NASCAR.

The next decade was the most tumultuous period of the century, as each year gathered more momentum and absurdity, creating a time warp of sorts that could have been imagined only if under the influence of the illicit substances of the day. The Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of a president and civil rights icon, and a war being fought in canopy jungles 10,000 miles away were not events that anyone could have envisioned just a few years earlier. Illegal drug use and the turn-on and tune-out message of the day was the backdrop for this watershed era of just about everything tangible. Music and motion pictures were as eclectic and sublime as the cars being cranked out and raced by the Big Three automakers. Models and designs whose popularity has transcended time established benchmarks for style and performance — and whose influence continues to this day. Naturally, these advancements were the trickle-down result of what was being developed for the track. Chrysler had engineered a 426 cubic-inch race engine know as the Hemi, Ford was making swoopy fastback coupes to wreak havoc on superspeedways and Detroit was all too happy to oblige and promote racing in all of its forms. Gas was cheap and so was horsepower — it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times, a fitting prelude to the decade to follow.

If the ’50s and ’60s were America’s defining years, the 1970s were about as awkward as showing up to a cocktail party wearing sweat pants. Cars became large and less powerful as the years wore on, the music was terrible, gas pumps went dry, a president was forced to resign in humiliation and a general malaise washed over the country.

NASCAR, in effect, followed suit. Races were reduced in length by 10 percent during the 1974 season in response to gas lines and fuel rationing. The only thing more out of control than Richard Petty’s sideburns was Cale Yarborough’s comb-over. Just about everybody was wearing a cowboy hat, as The King and The Silver Fox staged some of the greatest battles in history on the largest tracks in the country, helping to elevate the sport in the public’s consciousness, incrementally, year by year … not unlike everyone’s taxes.

As the most confusing and confounded decade came to a close, the 1980s were a rebirth of sorts. The hope and vision of the ’50s was suddenly recaptured, as the nation turned its frown upside down. The economy picked up, our military was rebuilt and suddenly all systems were a go once again. About the same time the United States was emerging from its slumber, a small upstart cable network named ESPN was making a name for itself by covering stockcar racing and a red-haired Georgia boy name Bill Elliott sped into the record books — and onto the cover of Sports Illustrated —by winning a million dollar bonus in 1985. A year earlier, President Ronald Reagan issued the command to start engines for the Firecracker 400 on July 4th, at Daytona and later would be on hand for Richard Petty’s 200th career win. Finally, NASCAR had arrived, and the public — along with the most powerful man on the planet — had taken notice.

The 1990s began with a conflict in the Middle East and a cultural expansion here at home. Racial divides were bridged with the rising popularity of hip hop and rap music, while country music suddenly had the attention of people who did not frequent barns, line dance or wear large belt buckles. NASCAR was not immune to this either, seeing a huge spike in popularity, gracing a 1994 issue of Sports Illustrated declaring it, “America’s Hottest Sport.”

Companies and advertisers took notice; not just a man’s sport, it featured a fan base that was 40 percent female. This opened the doors to sponsors ranging from coffee and laundry detergent to retail outlets and furniture stores. Pickup trucks were suddenly all the rage, and along with that came a new feeder series that raced vehicles featuring tailgates (but no gun racks). The dot-com revolution was upon us and NASCAR was firing shots of its own revolution, making the push to take the sport to a level never before believed to be possible. The goal was to take stockcar racing to the same level as Major League Baseball and the NFL. A new form of media had emerged, and coverage of the sport was now available at the click of a mouse instead of having to wait for a weekly racing-specific newspaper to be circulated.

The dawning of a new millennium brought fears of doom and computer generated chaos. While these fears proved unfounded, a real tragedy lay just around the corner. The sport was stunned by the loss of it’s biggest star and one of the most legendary names in sports on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500. Dale Earnhardt was a figure who was known far and wide, recognizable to those who had never watched a race in their life. A few months later, America’s own iconic symbols of power and prosperity were attacked, with nearly 3,000 of our friends, family and neighbors perishing on a September morning — guilty only of going to work or traveling to meet loved ones.

The sport, much like the grieving nation where it was founded rebounded, rallying around the memory of those lost, paying tribute and honoring their sacrifice. Some may take offense linking auto racing to one of the darkest hours of our nation’s history, but the irrefutable fact remains that NASCAR racing is as American as apple pie, woven through the heart of the country from California to New York, through the heartland of Kansas, to the Motor City and back down to where it all began at a tiny hotel in Daytona Beach, some 60 years earlier.

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