Series History

• All-time drivers

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was founded in December 1947 at the Streamline Hotel in Daytona Beach, Fla. The sanctioning body's prime purpose was to bring stability, credibility and uniformity to the previously unstructured sport.

The "Modified" was the vehicle of choice for racing purposes at that time. A modified consisted of pre-WWII coupes and sedans fitted with highly-modified engines, usually Ford flatheads, but in some cases, Mercury, Cadillac and Lincoln engines.

Jack Ingram

The inaugural NASCAR season of 1948 featured modifieds exclusively. The "Strictly Stock" division, later known as the Sprint Cup Series, came about in mid-1949. Also, during that year, NASCAR created the "Sportsman" Division -- also known as the "Special Modified" class -- in response to car owners concerned about the mounting costs of building a first-class modified. Today's Nationwide Series is a direct descendant of that early Sportsman class.

The inaugural season for the new division came in 1950. The Sportsman Division cars looked just like the modifieds, but mechanically they were "mostly stock." Factory cylinder heads, stock carburetor manifolds and stock rear ends were required. A battery ignition was allowed, but no magnetos. On the other hand, modifieds were allowed quick-change rear ends, hi-rise manifolds with multiple carburetors and exotic ignition systems.

A Sportsman Division race was held on Daytona Beach for the first time in 1951.

The event drew more than 100 entries, showing the popularity of the class. The Sportsman cars were paired with the modifieds for Daytona's 1952 race. The highest-finishing Sportsman car was driven by Tommy Moon, who finished 12th. Three Sportsman cars were among the top-30 finishers as they competed against their more powerful cousins.

For the first several seasons, the division competed east of the Mississippi River. Ohio's Mike Klapak scored a "three-peat," winning the Sportsman championship, from 1950-52. The division soon spread westward with Californian Danny Graves taking the title in 1954. Among other NASCAR luminaries who have laid claim to the Sportsman title include Ralph Earnhardt, back-to-back titlist Ned Jarrett, Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton, NASCAR Sprint Cup veteran Morgan Shepherd and perennial favorite Red Farmer, who won three consecutive championships from 1969-71.

One of the more unusual occurrences in racing history took place during the 1961 Sportsman Division season. Dick Nephew and Bill Wimble, both drivers from New York State, tied for the national championship, finishing with 5,578 points each. NASCAR President Bill France Sr., declared them co-champions and each driver was given a championship trophy. First and second-place point-fund money was pooled, with NASCAR making up the difference assuring each driver a full share of the champion's money.

New York racing legend Rene Charland took four consecutive titles in the 1960s and since then has been known simply as "The Champ." The official name of the series was changed to the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division in 1968, the year Joe Thurman won the title. Later-day stars Gene Glover, Butch Lindley and Tommy Ellis are among drivers who won Late Model Sportsman championships.

Many great short-track drivers had success in this division over the years. L.D. Ottinger and Lindley both scored back-to-back championships in the 1970s. The Permatex Corporation became a series sponsor in the late 1960s sponsoring, among other events, the series' premier event, the Permatex 300 at Daytona International Speedway each February. Short-track ace Bill Dennis won three consecutive Permatex 300s from 1972-74; in 1974 in a race that traditionally featured many top premier series stars. It was unusual for a Sportsman regular to beat premier series regulars on a superspeedway, but Dennis wheeled a Junie Donlavey-prepared Mercury to all three victories.

The division secured a title sponsor in 1982 when Anheuser-Busch came on board. The name was changed to the Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series with the Busch brand taking over in 1984 and making it known as the NASCAR Busch Series. On Oct. 3, 2007, Nationwide Insurance announced that it would become the title sponsor of the series beginning in 2008.

The first event of the series was the Goody's 300 held on Feb. 13, 1982, at Daytona. The race was won by Dale Earnhardt, who drove a Pontiac to victory and became the series' first winner. Among the drivers competing in that first event were Ingram, Dale Jarrett, Harry Gant, Geoffrey Bodine and Northeast modified star Bob Park.

Darrell Waltrip (17) and Jack Ingram battle for position at Darlington in 1985.

The first season consisted of 29 events on 14 different tracks. The superspeedways of Daytona, Charlotte, Dover, Rockingham and Darlington were included.

Fourteen different drivers won events in that inaugural season with Ingram winning the championship. It was his fourth Sportsman title in a series which saw the "Ironman" score three championships in a row in the mid 1970s. Ingram would eventually win a total of five titles before his retirement in 1991. Early Nationwide Series stars consisted mainly of short-track drivers such as standouts Tommy Houston, Ellis and Jimmy Hensley.

Future premier series stars, fresh from the former NASCAR Goody's Dash Series training ground, found the NASCAR Nationwide Series an important stepping stone to the top. Dale Jarrett, Michael Waltrip, Phil Parsons and Rob Moroso progressed from the 4-cylinder Dash Series to the Nationwide Series and to the Cup Series in just a few seasons.

Second-generation drivers Davey Allison, Larry Pearson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnny Benson Jr., Randy LaJoie and Chuck Bown, rose to NASCAR Nationwide Series stardom in the 1980s. As the series gained in popularity, it became not just a supplementary league but a true training ground for the Cup Series. Future Cup Series champions Matt Kenseth and Bobby Labonte cut their racing teeth in the Nationwide Series as its schedule evolved from mainly short tracks to include more superspeedways as the years progressed.

More recently Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer have emerged from Nationwide Series competition to secure stardom on the Cup Series and veterans such as Jason Keller, Mike Wallace, Jason Leffler and Bobby Hamilton Jr. have become household names while making the Nationwide Series their career destination.

Milestones in the history of the series:

• 1950 -- The origin of the series traces back to this year when it is known as the NASCAR Sportsman Division. Drivers frequently compete in three to four races per week -- approximately 60 races per year -- throughout the East Coast. Some of the notable names claiming championships include: Ralph Earnhardt (1956) and Ned Jarrett (1957-58).

• 1968 -- The NASCAR Sportsman Division undergoes its first name change, now known as the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured the first of two consecutive series titles in 1998.

• 1982 -- NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Division is consolidated into a national touring series. The inaugural season consists of 29 races and is renamed the NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series.

• Feb. 13, 1982 -- First race of the new touring series is held at Daytona International Speedway -- the Goody's 300. Mike Porter takes the pole position and Dale Earnhardt wins the inaugural race in a Pontiac. This race also marks the first superspeedway event in the history of the series.

• Feb. 20, 1982 -- Series competes in its first short track race, the Eastern 150 at Richmond International Raceway. Tommy Houston wins the event.

• March 28, 1982 -- Diane Teel becomes the first female driver to start a series race, competing at Martinsville Speedway and finishing 26th.

• Oct. 31, 1982 -- The series championship comes down to the final race of the season at Martinsville between Jack Ingram and Sam Ard. Ingram, despite a 26th-place finish, holds off Ard, who finishes sixth, to claim the first series title by 49 points.

• Oct. 8, 1983 -- Ard establishes a series record with four consecutive wins during the season -- South Boston Speedway (9/17); Martinsville (9/24); Orange County Speedway (10/1); and Charlotte Motor Speedway (10/8). The series record still stands.

• 1984 -- One of the most important milestones in series history as Anheuser-Busch switches its series sponsorship from its Budweiser brand to Busch. The NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series is renamed the NASCAR Busch Grand National Series.

• May 26-27, 1984 -- Bobby Allison becomes the first driver to sweep a race weekend at Charlotte. He wins the Mello Yello 300 on Saturday and comes back the next day to win the World 600 in NASCAR's top division.

• Oct. 20, 1984 -- Ard clinches his second consecutive series title, becoming the first driver in history to win back-to-back championships.

• 1985 -- Ingram captures his second series title, joining two-time champ Ard as the only champions in the four-year old series.

• July 6, 1986 -- The series' first road course race is held at Road Atlanta and is won by Darrell Waltrip.

• 1987 -- Larry Pearson, son of the legendary David Pearson, wins his second consecutive series championship, joining Ard as the only drivers at this stage to win back-to-back titles.

• 1989 -- The Raybestos Rookie of the Year award is established, with Kenny Wallace claiming the inaugural honor. Wallace edges Bobby Hamilton for the award en route to a sixth-place finish in the championship. Ingram earns the achievement of first driver in the series to earn $1 million in his career.

• 1992 -- Joe Nemechek earns the championship in the closest battle in series history. He defeats runner-up Bobby Labonte by just three points for the crown. The margin remains the closest in series history. Jeff Gordon becomes the first driver to win $100,000 in a series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

• 1995 -- The series name is altered slightly, changing to NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division.

• Oct. 19, 1996 -- Houston, a 15-year series veteran, makes his final start at the season finale at North Carolina Speedway. Houston, who finishes 39th that day, concludes his career with a series-record 417 starts.

• 1997 -- Randy LaJoie becomes the third driver in history to win back-to-back championships, joining Ard and Larry Pearson. LaJoie also becomes the first driver to earn $1 million in a single season. It's the third consecutive series championship for BACE Motorsports owner Bill Baumgardner, who replaces 1995 champion Johnny Benson with LaJoie. No other team owner has won three titles in a row in this series.

• March 15, 1997 -- The series travels to the West Coast for to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, marking the first race west of the Mississippi River in series history. California Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and Gateway International Raceway in Illinois are added to the series schedule in 1997.

• Sept. 5, 1998 -- Dick Trickle, at 56 years, 11 months, becomes the oldest driver to win a series race, at Darlington Raceway.

David Gilliland's victory at Kentucky in 2006 is one of the biggest stories in series history.

• October 17, 1998 -- The Petty racing legacy is extended to a fourth generation as Adam Petty, son of Kyle, makes his series debut at Gateway. Petty finishes 27th.

• Jan. 1999 -- Final attendance figures are announced for the 1998 season and the numbers reveal that more than 2 million fans attended races that year.

• June 27, 1999 -- At Watkins Glen International, Bill Lester makes history as the first black driver to start a series race. He finishes 21st after starting 24th.

• July 4, 1999 -- Casey Atwood, at 18 years, 11 months, wins at The Milwaukee Mile, becoming the youngest winner in series history. Atwood easily eclipses the mark set by Rob Moroso, who was 19 years, nine months when he won previously at Myrtle Beach Speedway on July 2, 1988.

• Nov. 11, 1999 -- NASCAR announces a six-year television contract with NBC Sports and Turner Sports (a joint venture) and an eight-year agreement with FOX and its FX cable network, beginning with the 2001 season.

• Nov. 13, 1999 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. is crowned the 1999 series champion, becoming the fourth driver to win consecutive titles and second in a row.

• Nov. 2000 -- Jeff Green earns his first series championship and enhances the family racing legacy. Coupled with his brother David's title in 1994, the Greens became the first brothers to win series titles. For the first time in series history, three rookies (Kevin Harvick, Ron Hornaday and Jimmie Johnson) finish in the top 10 in the final driver point standings.

• 2001 -- As a result of increased broadcast and cable coverage on NBC/TNT and FOX/FX, the series enjoys tremendous increases in television ratings and viewership and firmly establishes itself as the No. 2 motorsports series in the United States.

• Nov. 3, 2001 -- Harvick wins the series championship making his car owner, Richard Childress, the first owner to win titles in all three of NASCAR's national series.

• 2002 -- Greg Biffle captures the series title, becoming the first driver to win championships in this series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He also becomes the first driver in series history to win more than $2 million in a single season.

• 2003 -- Brian Vickers becomes the youngest champion (20) in the history of NASCAR's top three divisions when he clinches the series title in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Childress takes the owner's championship; it is the first time in series history that the driver title and car owner title are won by different teams. The term "Grand National" is dropped from the series name.

• 2004 -- Martin Truex Jr. wins the series championship in his first full season of competition. Nineteen-year-old Kyle Busch shatters all series Raybestos Rookie records on his way to a second-place championship finish.

• 2005 -- Truex becomes the fifth driver to win consecutive series championships and the sixth overall to win multiple titles. He also wins the historic race in Mexico City, the series' first points race outside the United States. Truex earns in excess of $3.1 million, a series record.

• 2006 -- Harvick wins his second championship in dominating fashion, but arguably the biggest story came on June 17 when David Gilliland, a part-time driver with a part-time team, won at Kentucky Speedway and rocketed to the top of series lore during the 25th anniversary of Anheuser-Busch's sponsorship. The ESPN family of networks, led by ESPN2, becomes the exclusive television home of the series for the next eight years.

• Oct. 3, 2007 -- Nationwide Insurance announces it will become the series' title sponsor beginning in 2008 after Anheuser-Busch steps aside following 26 years of sponsorship. Fittingly, Missouri native Carl Edwards claims the final A-B driver title while Childress earns the owner crown. Juan Montoya wins in Mexico City while Harvick claims a wild inaugural series race in Montreal. Jason Keller eclipses Houston's all-time starts mark (422) and also surpasses $11 million in winnings.