A Short History Of NASCAR
You will doubtless have heard of NASCAR, but do you know what it means and how much do you know about it? In this short article I will give you a short history of NASCAR.
NASCAR is an acronym for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Amazingly, it was begun as a family business in 1947 by Bill France Sr. and is still family owned and family managed. It is by far the largest sanctioning business for stock car racing in the United States and the three chief racing series that it sanctions are: the Sprint Cup, the Nationwide Series and the Camping World Truck Series. In fact, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,500 races at more than a 100 race tracks in thirty-nine states.
For historical reasons which we will go into later, NASCAR’s headquarters are in Florida, but its roots are firmly set in North Carolina, where it has no less than four regional offices. They are at Concord, Conover, Mooresville and Charlotte, where the vast majority of NASCAR teams are still based.
A few more surprising statistics about NASCAR are that NASCAR is viewed more often than any other sport in the United States with the sole exception of professional football and it is broadcast in more than 150 countries world wide. NASCAR also holds seventeen of the top twenty attended one-day sporting events in the world and its 75,000,000 devotees spend $3,000,000,000 every year on licensed articles. This is such an remarkable show of allegiance, that more Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR than any other motor sport.
Daytona Beach became the headquarters of NASCAR more or less by luck, because in the Twenties and Thirties, Daytona was the most successful surface in the world for attaining new world land speed records. Previously beaches in France and Belgium had been used, but maybe the wind on these Atlantic facing beaches was too unpredictable.
Anyway, eight consecutive world land speed records were established in Daytona between 1927 and 1935. Bonneville Salt Flats, Daytona Beach became associated with high speed cars and also became a lure for racers and enthusiasts alike.
In fact, stock car racing has its origins in the moonshine running of the Prohibition years, when bootleggers ran their moonshine from the Appalachians down south to the consumers. The drivers tuned up their cars to escape the police and became understandably proud of them. After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, drivers still ran the moonshine, but now it was to get out of paying revenue.
By the late Forties, drivers of these souped up cars were holding races between themselves. They were particularly popular in the Southern United States, principally in North Carolina. Bill France Sr. was an auto mechanic who moved from Washington DC to Daytona to avoid the Great Depression in 1935 and the stage was set, the players were in place.
Bill France entered the Daytona races in 1936 but only finished fifth. He took over running the race track in 1938 and began promoting races before the war. It was from there that he launched what was to become the huge family business called NASCAR that has employed most of his family ever since and given enjoyment to many millions of fans worldwide for more than sixty years.
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on quite a few subjects, but is at present concerned with thinking about the Poconos International Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.
What Sort Of Cars Are NASCAR Cars?
Stock car racing was really born out of the inclination of owners of modified stock (meaning: ‘off the sales lot’) cars to show off their vehicles, craftsmanship and driving expertise. The need to ‘soup up’ these stock cars came from the wish to escape the law enforcement agencies chasing them when they were running moonshine or said another way, bootlegging.
For the period of Prohibition, a lot of moonshine whiskey was being produced in isolated regions of the Appalachians and in particular the Allegheny Mountains, from where it was transported by private carriers in their own stock cars often to the southern states. Many of these drivers tuned up their cars in order to have more chance of escape.
When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, this bootlegging continued in order to circumvent paying duty, but it slowly died out. However, the fire had already been lit and the drivers of these cars liked to race them in their spare time for pride and reward, particularly in the southern states and particularly in North Carolina, where most of the stock car teams are still to be found.
NASCAR was established by Bill French in 1947 when he crafted the first set of uniform rules and a championship points system so that an overall winner of all the season’s races could be worked out.
However, the conditions in the early days were pretty crude. The cars were often second-hand and worn and the track was just earth and dust. Under these conditions the cars quickly fell apart, so NASCAR allowed competing cars to be customized or strengthened. Safety aspects for the drivers were also introduced. Nowadays, the NASCAR instruction manual clearly defines all the modifications that are allowed on contending cars.
These days it is a mistake to call NASCAR cars ‘stock cars’; they are anything but stock cars. NASCAR cars are hand made. The frames are different from stock cars in that they are manufactured from tubes for strength; the tin is sheet steel and the engine blocks start as just that – a bare block. What the engineers do with it after that is a closely guarded secret.
The safety of the driver is also taken very seriously. The driver is shielded from harm by a heavy roll cage. Strong round and square tubes make up the car’s framework, while thinner tubing is employed at the front and back ends to soak up the impact of crashes by crushing gradually. These are called clips and the front clip will also allow the engine to fall away under the car, rather than be forced straight back into the driver.
The bodies of NASCAR cars are not easy to make, often taking ten days to finish. However, NASCAR rules encompass the general body shape and they provide thirty templates to make constructing a NASCAR car a little easier.
But it does not stop there. There are different regulations and templates for different types of races on different tracks, because the cars that compete on superspeedways are not the same as those used for short tracks or endurance races.
Owen Jones, the writer of this article writes on many subjects, but is at present involved with thinking about the Poconos Raceway in Pennsylvania. If you would like to know more or check out some great offers, please go to our website at Poconos Vacations.
All About Biking And Stuff Related To This FunSport
Bike rides are fun activities enjoyed adults and kids alike. Believed to have been discovered during the 1860s by the French father and son team of carriage-makers Pierre and Ernest Michaux, bicycles come today in a number of different types. The popularity of bicycles may be attributed to the number of benefits that may be derived from their use. Nonetheless, wearing safety gears, such as Giro bike helmets for example, is always a must when riding bikes.
Mountain bikes, road bikes, touring bikes, and hybrid bicycles are the four general types of bicycles. Those bikes designed especially for mountain tracks are called mountain bikes. Their notable features are fat tires, wide handlebars, and lots of gears. These special features allow bikers to use them comfortably on rough terrains. On the other hand, bikes with thin tires, drop handle bars and are light weight are commonly referred to as road bikes. These bicycles are especially designed to run at high speeds on smooth surfaces.
Next are touring bicycles which are similar to road bikes and are more comfortable to use. Their distinguishing features are mudguards, drop handlebars, pannier racks for carrying luggage, and longer wheelbase. Finally are hybrid bicycles which are a combination of mountain and road bikes. That is, they can run on rough terrains but they do not show good results in the case of an over bumpy ground. Aside from these general types, other kinds of bicycles include racing bikes, BMX, and tandem bicycles. As was said, each of these types is designed for specific terrains. Nonetheless, wearing protective gears such as Giro bike helmets when riding any of these bikes is a must to ensure safety while doing a bike ride.
As was said, the popularity of bicycle riding may be attributed to benefits that can be derived from the practice of said sport. In term of health benefits, cycling minimizes the risk of coronary heart disease by giving the heart, blood vessels and lungs a workout. Also, cycling allows the user to build trimmer and toner muscles by riding a few miles everyday. Moreover, bicycle riding alleviates stress, anxiety, and depression through the pleasure and satisfaction a person may acquire while cycling. Bicycle riding also provide environmental benefits. It is non-polluting as it does not use any form of fuel to be operated, hence, is one of the most environment-efficient modes of transportation. The use of bicycles also reduces noise pollution as they are considerably quieter than other modes of transportation.
Bicycle riding is indeed a fun sport. But as was aforementioned, various safety gears should always be donned when practicing said sport. Among these must have gears are bike helmets. Studies show that helmets reduce head injuries by 60% and brain injuries by 58% in the event of a crash. The market today offers a multitude of bike helmet brands and among these are Giro bike helmets. Also, cyclists are recommended to wear bright or colored clothing when biking during the day and reflective clothing when doing bike rides during the night. To protect the feet, footwear that fully encloses the toes and heels should be worn while cycling gloves are necessary to protect the hands. Lights and reflectors are also necessary especially when biking at night or in hazardous weather conditions. Other bike safety gears that bikers should have are horns, bells, and brakes.
Bicycles and bike rides are indeed interesting to learn. With the many benefits that can be acquired from bike rides, it can’t be denied that this sport is one of the most loved by individuals. As such, bikers should always equip themselves with gears such as Giro bike helmets that would provide them safety when doing their bike rides.
Michael Leonard is a sports enthusiast from New Zealand. One of the many sports activities he enjoys doing is bicycle riding. Along with his bike, Michael always wears his Giro bike helmets whenever he rides his bike.
Minimizing Risk For Accidents By Getting The Right Type Of Helmet
Helmets are protective gears worn on ones head from the purpose of protecting the head from various injuries in case of accidents. Helmets have been known to be used way back the ancient times with the Assyrian soldiers in 900BC considered as the oldest known users. From being used as protection from sword blows and arrows, helmets have evolved throughout the centuries and are now being used for various purposes. Brands like Bell bike helmets and Giro helmets are some of the well known manufacturers of helmets being used for recreational activities, dangerous work activities, transportation and sports
Injuries which can greatly affect our heads can happen anywhere and anytime. No matter if you are simply doing an errand or participating in dangerous sports like skating, biking, cycling, or climbing, accidents can always occur. This is a fact which many of us usually overlook and usually causes forgetting to wear helmets for protection. Thus, understanding and realizing how important it is to choose and use the right type of helmet is very important.
Helmet’s used for recreational activities and sports are considered the most common type of helmets. Some of the most popular brands in this category are the Bell bike helmets and Giro bike helmets. These kinds of helmets have different designs and functions depending on the demands of the sports. Sports helmets should fit properly and in most cases should fully cover the head of the player. This is specifically important in cycling, mountain biking, climbing and skiing wherein the risk of having head injuries are highest. Other than the ones mentioned, sports like cricket, equestrian, bull riding, football and hockey are other types of sports which require the use of helmets.
Other than Bell bike helmets and Giro bike helmets, Bell and Giro brands are also known to create occupational helmets. These occupational helmets are never optional and are always necessitated by various safety regulations. Hard hats are the most common examples of occupational helmets which are normally seen and are required in construction sites. These are important in order to protect workers and site inspectors from light weight to heavy debris that may accidentally fall off. Like in construction sites, mining sites also require the use of hard hats. The welder’s helmet is another type of occupational helmet which mostly serve as protection for the welders’ eyes. Finally, we have the diving helmet worn by professional divers who are engaged in surface supplied diving.
Other than sports and occupational helmets, the two other types of helmets are the combat helmets and emergency and protective troop helmets. The direct descendants of the helmets used by our forefathers are usually known as combat helmets and are used mainly for military purposes. The PHG helmet is an example of a combat helmet which aircraft pilots used as mask against poison gases as well as for head protection. Protective troop helmets on the other hand the type of helmets used in emergency situations like fires and riots. . They are instrumental in protecting the wearers against like firefighters, SWAT teams and Riot guards from any kind of attack, thereby safeguarding his/her life.
Accidents can never be avoided and may happen anytime. Thus, we have to be always prepared and always wear protective gears like Bell bike helmets in whatever risky activity, sports or work we are in to.
Rick Walters is a motorcycle aficionado from Michigan. Rick considers safety as one of his top priorities thus he usually use Bell Bike helmets to ensure his maximum protection when biking.
The Sound System Of The 2011 MINI Countryman
When flying in an airplane, there is always a passion to sit in a much nicer seat. It could be the aisle or the window, it all depends on you. Then there’s the first class area (with the appropriate cost upgrade).
What I have come to realize is that the 2011 MINI Countryman has the same type of luxurious seating.
Sonic Seating is what I call it.
I have listened to a few really nice car systems in my life. Maybe not the best, but more than a couple and the sheer auditory pleasure I received when driving the 2011 MINI Countryman created a visceral reaction.
From the deep, but not metal grating and rattling bass to the clear and sharp highs I have not figured out how you can create such clear sound inside of a production vehicle.
Trust me, you will wonder if the engineers with MINI didn’t watch Spinal Tap and become excited enough to put down their beers and declare “We shall make an audio system that goes to 11!” and stomp off together at midnight to accomplish this feat.
Maybe this isn’t what happened but this is the way I like to think it went down.
For me there are only 3 type of seats in cars. Premium Sonic, First Class, and Coach. While I got to review the 2011 MINI Countryman S I would definitely say that the seats would be considered Premium Sonic seats.
MINI Connected
While the speakers delivered the premium sound, the MINI Connected (using my iPhone 3GS) was … less than an 11 I have to admit.
I spent two days and about 200 miles running all over Orange County listening to radio, streaming podcasts and music downloaded to my phone and my biggest complaint was that ‘finding’ the music I wanted to listen to was a little annoying.
If you don’t want to hassle with finding your music I would suggest creating some big lists of your favorite music because once you are using the MINI Connected you won’t be able to access things outside of a list.
If I had to choose between the sound system, and making MINI Connected’s menu better, I would keep the incredible sound and be subjected to creating a few lists rather than the reverse.
Well, honestly, the system allows you to play MP3 cd’s and burning Cd’s with similar music is probably the easiest (one for hard rock, one for ambient etc.) solution if you don’t mind having a dozen Cd’s stored in your car.
Considering the great connection with the iPhone I could have used Pandora, Rdio or now Spotify and just streamed the music as an alternative. I happen to have the AT&T No Limit data plan – your ability to select this option might be limited.
If you want to know more about MINI Cooper Orange County then click here. If you don’t live directly in Orange County then you can click here for Irvine MINI news.