The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple
auto racing sports events. It was founded by
Bill France, Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is
Brian France, grandson of Bill France, Sr. NASCAR is the largest sanctioning body of
stock car racing in the United States. The three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the
Sprint Cup Series, the
Nationwide Series, and the
Camping World Truck Series. It also oversees
NASCAR Local Racing, the
Whelen Modified Tour, the
Whelen All-American Series, and the
NASCAR iRacing.com Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 US states and Canada. NASCAR has presented exhibition races at the
Suzuka and
Motegi circuits in Japan,
Mexico, and
Calder Park Raceway in Australia.
NASCAR's headquarters are located in
Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains offices in four
North Carolinacities;
Charlotte,
Mooresville,
Concord, and
Conover. Regional offices are also located in New York City, Los Angeles,
Bentonville, Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico City and Toronto. Additionally, owing to its
Southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are still based in North Carolina, especially near Charlotte.
NASCAR is second only to the
National Football League among professional sports franchises in terms of television ratings in the United States. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over 150 countries. In 2004 NASCAR's Director of Security stated that NASCAR holds 17 of the top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world. NASCAR has 75 million fans who purchase over $3 billion annually[
citation needed] in licensed products.
Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport, although this has been in decline since the early 2000s.