A different Nascar

Screvier20 · Jul 26, 2011

Create a world were Nascar's old Speedway Division(open-wheel with stock engines), Grand American Division(competitor to the Trans Am Series), and Convertible Division are still around. Speedway Division ran for two seasons(1952-1953), Grand American Division ran for four seasons(1968-1971), and Convertible Division ran for four seasons(1956-1959). Keep the Sportsman division(now the Nationwide) as Nascar's short track race division. Keep the Cup, Truck, and Modifieds series the same.

I see Speedway Division evolve into series like the Atlantic Championship. Grand American Division evolve into the top Touring car series in the United States. Convertible Division evolve into series like the ARCA but with Convertibles.

Schedule

Cup series runs 30 races with 26 Ovals and 4 road courses
Sportsman division runs 25 races all short-tracks
Truck series runs 23 races all Ovals
Modified series runs 20 races with 18 Ovals and 2 road courses
Grand American Division runs 18 races all road courses
Convertible Division runs 17 races with 14 Ovals and 3 road courses
Speedway Division runs 15 races with 10 Ovals and 5 road courses

Screvier20 · Jul 26, 2011

POD is Mid-1953 when nascar would continue to run the Speedway Division with add 3 races to the 1954 season all in the midwest. Speedway Division big break would in 1955 when AAA drop its sanctioned of National Championship with the USAC taking over in 1956. From 1956 to 1960 their was a war between the USAC National Championship and Nascar's Speedway Division with USAC National Championship winning because of Indianapolis 500. But ever after losing the war Speedway Division had won the south ever if its a poor second to the Grand National Series. Speedway Division would the day before Daytona 500 in the Daytona 250. Speedway Division would move to the Daytona road course when it opened in 1962.

Nascar would the Convertible Division in 1956. Convertible Division would see many more Grand National Series drivers run in it than the Speedway Division. Convertible Division would see much growth in the 1960's nascar's third most popular after Grand National and Speedway series. The Convertible Division saw the most growth in the Northeast.

With the growing popularly of road racing in the 1960's Nascar added the Grand American Division in 1968 to be a competitor to SCCA's Trans Am Series. From 1968-1972 Trans Am Series was on top but by 1973 Grand American Division was taking over it would not to 1980 that Grand American comes out on top.

Screvier20 · Jul 26, 2011

By the 1970's Nascar's top 3 series grow greatly with Grand National(becoming Winston Cup in 1972) leading the way with Speedway Division and Grand American Division close behind. Convertible Division falling off in the 70's. Along with Nascar's Sportsman division and Modified division running the short-tracks.

In 1972 with Winston becoming the title sponsor of the Grand National Division the season was shortened from 48 races to 31 races. All of Nascar's Divisions would have season was shortened in 1972.

Grand National Division top team Petty Enterprises would entered the Grand American Division full time with driver Pete Hamilton. Pete Hamilton would wins 3 titles in Grand American Division. Roger Penske in 1972 entered both the Grand National and Grand American Divisions full time under the Penske Racing South. Penske Racing South got off to a fast start in Grand American winning races and championships but got off to very slow start in Grand National(Winston Cup).

Screvier20 · Jul 26, 2011

The Nascar's Speedway Division was formed in 1952 it got off to slow start. But in 1956 with a new sanctioning USAC for the National Championship Nascar would push the Speedway Division hard become the number one open-wheel series in the United States. With the USAC having the Indianapolis 500 it would come on top.

Speedway Division would control open-wheel racing in the Southeast during the 1960's and 1970's. In 1978 with a split between USAC and some of its car owners saw formation of the rival CART series. Nascar would again make push with Speedway Division beginning in 1978. By the Stability returned to the National Championship now run CART in 1982 the Speedway Division got a major win with Anheuser-Busch sponsoring the Division.

From 1982-1995 CART would still not take Speedway Division seriously even with Anheuser-Busch sponsoring the Division. Speedway Division becoming Nascar second most popular series by 1995. The racing would be shock when Tony George, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway move the fame of the Indianapolis 500 to Nascar's Speedway Division which saw the exclusion of many of CART's top teams from that event. Tony George become very close with Nascar in 1994 with the Brickyard 400.

Screvier20 · Jul 27, 2011

Nascar's Convertible Division was formed in 1956. The Convertible Division strong growth in the 1960's but flat lined during 1970's and 1980's. Most of growth for Convertible Division was in the Northeast about 35% of drivers are from Northeast. By the 90's the Convertible Division would some growth but remained very slow.

Nascar's Sportsman division would remain nascar's late model short-track series running short-tracks across the United States about 25 races a year. The Sportsman division joins the Cup series 6 times years running their race the day before the Cup race.(Bristol, Martinsville, and Richmond).

Nascar's Modified division runs 20 races year nationwide mostly running short-tracks the division also runs 2 road courses and joining the Cup series at New Hampshire and running the legend tracks at Atlanta, Charlotte, and Texas. Nascar also runs three Regional Modified divisions with short schedules in the West, North, and South.

Screvier20 · Jul 27, 2011

Nascar's Grand American Division by 1980 had replace SCCA's Trans Am Series as americas top road racing series. By the 1980's three teams dominate the series Petty Enterprises, Penske, and Dan Gurney's team. By 1984 new team would the series Roush Racing would come major power within a year.

Petty Enterprises would not see the decline they did in OTL with two Cup cars by 1980 one car in Grand American, one car in Convertible Division and two cars in the Modified division.

Nascar's newest series the Truck series witch runs both short-tracks and large Ovals like the Cup series Formed in 1995.

TheMann · Jul 27, 2011

NASCAR wasn't ever going to be able to accomplish all of this, in large part because friends of Big Bill France and Bill France Jr. did it for him. The founder of IMSA, John Bishop, did it with help from the France family. USAC was formed by Tony Hulman and his friends after the AAA got out of sanctioning racing after the disaster at Le Mans in 1955. The SCCA was connected to IMSA by 1970 and well-established. NASCAR isn't physically able to handle all of those at once, which is why there are multiple sanctioning bodies.

Screvier20 · Aug 10, 2011

Going to completely restart this thread.

In 1965 Richard Petty and Petty Enterprises went drag racing because of Nascar banning Hemi engine. What if Richard Petty continue drag race until 1971 season along with running Nascar full time. Would it add to Richard Petty's legend maybe put him on the same level as A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. I don't believe Richard Petty is at the same level because he only ran Nascar A. J. Foyt ran both Nascar and Indycar and Mario Andretti ran F1, Nascar, and Indycar. Ever if Richard Petty won 200 races in Nascar top series plus one won in Nascar's old Convertible Series and three wins in the K&N Pro Series West.

Edit: 1971 would Richard Petty's last season drag racing because of Nascar going to the shorter schedule begin in 1972.