19 June 1949: The first NASCAR ‘Strictly Stock’ race takes place at Charlotte Speedway

The first NASCAR race took place at the Charlotte Speedway in North Carolina. Stock car racing had its origins in the era of Prohibition, when illegal alcohol was distributed by fast cars across the United States. In order to outrun the police, many bootleggers modified their otherwise ordinary or ‘stock’ cars and over time began to organise events and compete against one another. Mechanic Bill France Sr. moved to the spiritual home of automobile racing at Daytona Beach in Florida in 1935. He...