WHY ARE THEY CALLED “STOCK CARS?
Jim Hunter, VP of communications, NASCAR: Stock means stock, as in right out of a dealer’s inventory. Cool. I’ll take a No.8. It doesn’t work that way anymore. Typical. When Big Bill France founded NASCAR in 1948, his idea was to race American-made family sedans. A driver could buy a Ford or Chevrolet from a dealer on Saturday and race it in NASCAR competition on Sunday. Drag it out! Most of the cars still had hood ornaments, AM radios and front seats that stretched all the way across. Stylin! Donald Davidson, historian, Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Early NASCAR inspectors were adamant that all parts had to be original. They would have a rule book in one hand and a shop manual in the other. If they saw, say, a carburetor that wasn’t available to the general public, they’d disqualify the car. Sticklers. Kyle Busch, driver, No.5 Busch Series car: Incidentally, if a guy rolled his car, he and his family wouldn’t have a ride home. They’d have to hitch with a guy who made it through the rac
