NASCAR: The Rise, Fall, and the Chase that Caused the Decline

Up until the late 1970's, NASCAR was a southern boys game.  Then a large snow front moved through the eastern seaboard of the United States leaving tens of thousands of potential fans to watch the first Daytona 500 to be broadcast from green to checkers.  When Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison crashed and got into a fight on the last lap, NASCAR was reborn. Through the 1980's and 1990's, Petty, Waltrip, Allison, and Earnhardt all became household names.  Tracks grew larger, attendance soared, television deals added more zeros to the price tag.  Prospective drivers like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart began leaving the chase for Indianapolis behind in favor of Daytona, Bristol, and Darlington.  In 2001, Fox Sports and ...

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