France officially formed NASCAR sixty years ago

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Sixty years ago Thursday, the intent of Bill France Sr. became clear. Determined to bring organization to the long-disjointed sport of stock car racing, France had his newly formed sanctioning body -- the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing -- incorporated.

It became official, on Feb. 21, 1948. NASCAR had been born.

Incorporation was actually prefaced by NASCAR's first-sanctioned event, on Feb. 15, 1948. That race was run on a "beach-road" course that used both the Atlantic shoreline and a portion of State Road A1A, with Red Byron winning.

"Big Bill" France, of course, wanted everyone to win. One of his basic tenets was that for NASCAR to survive -- much less thrive -- everyone involved would need to benefit.

France had talked about that two months earlier, during the now-famous meeting in December 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla., which resulted in NASCAR's formation. Retrospect makes some of his words from that meeting seem prophetic, such as the following:

"Stock car racing has got distinct possibilities ... and we do not know how big it can be if it's handled properly. I believe stock car racing can become a nationally recognized sport by having a National Point Standing. We must try to get track owners and promoters interested in building stock car racing up. We are all interested in one thing and that is, improving the present conditions."

France and his fledgling sport took a huge step toward all of the above, on Feb. 21, 1948.