Since 1949, NASCAR has been a part of our lives. Many drivers have come and gone in the past 60 years that have had race fans on the edge of their seats, creating excitement at every race, at every corner. There is one name that any fan of NASCAR will recognize at the mere mention of the number 3. That name is Dale Earnhardt Sr. Also known as "The Intimidator," Dale entered the NASCAR scene in the 1970s. In 1979, his rookie year, he received the Rookie of the Year honors. The very next year, Dale won his first Winston Cup Championship, making him the only driver to ever take those two honors consecutively. In essence, Dale's success in the very first two years instantly made him a living legend.

Dale quickly became a household name, breaking or setting many new records during his racing career. He also earned a few nicknames. "The Man in Black" and "Darth Vader" also became nearly synonymous to his name. From 1979 until his untimely demise at the Daytona 500 in 2001, Dale Earnhardt had seven Winston Cup Championship wins, tying him with Richard Petty for that record, which still stands to this day.

There was, of course, more to Dale Earnhardt than just winning races, but that life was mostly kept private. At home, Dale was the proud father of four children. His oldest son Kerry was born in 1969. His daughter, Kelley, arrived in 1972 and Dale, Jr. arrived in 1974. He had no more children until 1988 when his wife Teresa gave him Taylor, a second girl, to complete the Earnhardt family.

Dale Earnhardt is truly one of NASCAR's legendary drivers and many race fans still mourn his death. He was not liked by some, but fans and drivers alike respected his driving techniques. He will probably forever be one driver that new and aspiring drivers are compared to when starting their NASCAR careers. His legacy will surely live in the hearts of many forever.

Nascar Corona Series, is held in Mexico. It was a joint venture between Nascar and OCESA. It was a sanctioned series as in the Canada series. However, in 2009, it has been discontinued on the nationwide series. Nascar will not return to Mexico in 2009, for the fifth year. When it started, it was a hit. Since then the crowds have diminished. When this whole series started, it had a general occupancy of 94,000, and as of 2008 the attendance dwindled down to 57,000.

It was always one of the least favorites. However, the popularity, due to lack of attendance, as well as violence in Mexico has diminished this series. The Nascar Corona Series was originally the Desafio Corona Series. Nascars partnership began in 2007. Nascars nationwide series won't return to Mexico, instead it is going to focus on the Corona Series. Drivers compete on all types of tracks and roads throughout Mexico. They are Mexican drivers, teams and sponsors.

Five new tracks have been added and opened in Mexico recently. The independent sponsors, are having a hard time, both in the Canadian and Mexico Series, due to the great expense. They are trying to make it easier and more affordable. Nascar is hoping to get the Mexican population more involved and interested in stock car racing. Trying to get the fans excited and interested in this very exciting and dangerous sport.

In the past, those that followed what is known today as The Sprint Cup Series of Nascar, knew it to be the "Stock Series" followed by the "Grand National Series." The name goes on through many changes. R.J. Tobacco Company leased the rights and renamed the series "Winston Cup Series." The Nextel Cup Series came about in 2004 but was soon referred to by many as just plain "Nascar."

With over 17.8 television viewers in 2008, Nascar was ranked one of the five most popular professional sports in America. With engines that are capable of reaching 200 miles per hour with a weight that is a bit more than that of your average car, handling is a bit harder to manage. Head out to the track and see why Nascar continues to win over fans. One may only need to attend as few as two races before becoming a fan of this event.

There is so much available for the Nascar fan. There is the life sized portraits of cars, players and more that you can put on your wall and get that feeling like you are a part of it all. You can order certain channels that allow you to be part of the crew for a real life experience. With today's technology it is amazing how much we can "be in the drivers seat" so to speak.

Anyone who even just sits and watches Nascar on television might stop and appreciate the high definition and surround sound that makes all of this such a great experience. It truly is the next best thing after being there. Whether you sit in the stands or sit on the couch, the Nascar Sprint Cup Series is worthy of some attention.

Nascar racers take a big risk every time they get into their car and take to the track. Due to the incredible speed and high number of cars, it is probable that an accident will occur. There have been many accidents that have caused extensive damage totaling cars and bringing injury to the driver. Over the years, safety measures have been added to all aspects of the race, as they have discovered ways to help drivers be safe.

One way to ensure of the safety of all the drivers is too have a wall surrounding the track that can absorb the impact of one or more race cars. There have been many versions of this wall. The latest technology is the “steal and foam energy reduction wall.” This type of wall is considered soft. Instead of reflecting vehicles off the wall, they take the impact a spare the car and driver a lot of shock.

There are many precautions taken for the safety of the drivers. The major ones are having an alternate exit switch, carbon monoxide filtering system, third roof flap, head and neck restraints, and more. As technology advances, cars are getting faster and drivers are getting more daring. One the other hand, as technology advances, so does the ability to counter the dangers of Nascar racing. Another very important way to help driver safety is to make racers aware of the dangers and ways to avoid injury. Nascar drivers are required to go through safety seminars. Awareness is perhaps the most important aspect of being safe.

Daytona International Speedway is by far the most infamous racetracks of all time. It holds its legendary race there in February each month, the Daytona 500. The track was opened in 1959, which is only 12 years after the incorporation of NASCAR itself. The opening crowd in 1959 during the first Daytona 500 only held 40,000 fans.

The founder of NASCAR, William France, also built this incredible track which now holds, besides the Daytona 500, many events each year including the Pepsi 400, which is now the Coke Zero 400. The popularity of the track has caused the racetrack to create an attraction for Florida tourists called the Daytona 500 experience, which is an extension of the speedway that gives fans an opportunity to see what the track is like when a sporting event is not going on.

Bristol Motor Speedway is another popular track of the Sprint NASCAR series. It is a short track with high banking, that has been a staple of the Cup Series since 1961 and now holds over 160,000 spectators because of the addition of the backstretch. The resurfacing of the track from asphalt to concrete in 1992 has added to its charm as well.

Watkins Glen International is hard to describe how it fits into the NASCAR series, but it does. It is one of the two road courses that NASCAR has on its schedule each year and is located in upstate New York. The Glen also hosts many other types of races each year besides NASCAR. It is a road style racetrack that has been in existence since 1948. It has the same flare as the street races of previous sport car eras.