The Racing Twenties

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While automobile racing is a sport that is firmly ingrained in American culture now, it wasn't always the mature sport we see today. The motorsport that tests a driver's precision, reflexes, and car is only around 110 years old. There is a decade in racing history that many NASCAR fans never think about, and that is the 'Roaring Twenties'. The 1920s really laid the groundwork for the fierce competition seen in the 1930s with innovation in car technology, skilled racing teams, and new championship events. Of course, this innovation wasn't without consequences, as auto racing isn't the safest sport. NOT COMPLETE

While this period is interesting in the development of auto racing, it wasn't a new sport at the time. The first race occurred in 1894 as a local competition in France, put on by a Paris magazine. This Paris-Rouen race was an overall test of a driver's skill and the quality of their 'horseless carriages'. The following year saw the first organized races, and they quickly crossed the Atlantic Ocean. Chicago had its own race in 1895. By 1900 there was an international competition, known as the Gordon Bennett Cup. The cup was awarded for five years before it was eclipsed by the Grand Prix, which was organized by the Automobile Club de France. The Grand Prix, held in 1906, was the first race to be driven on a circuit rather than a straight road. This was because a previous event had resulted in too many dead drivers and pedestrians. NOT COMPLETE

Stock Car racing, which is the current-day NASCAR, came from the 'Noble Experiment' of the 1920s. Prohibition was supposed to stop the transportation of alcohol, but it also started a large criminal movement around brewing alcohol, known as bootlegging. To transport ...

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