Prohibition started it. The good ol’ boys who ran moonshine on the twisting, turning roads of Appalachia had to outpace the Feds--so they modified their cars for speed and maneuverability. Pretty soon, they were racing those "stock cars” on tracks throughout the rural South. Then, in 1948, the sport got official, when mechanic Bill France, Sr., and a couple dozen owners and drivers, meeting in a smoky barroom in Daytona Beach, Florida, founded the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.   Fast-forward 60 years. Today, NASCAR is the second most popular sport in America, ranking just below NFL football in television ratings. An estimated 75 million people--one-third of the U.S. population--call themselves NASCAR fans. Average attendance at a NASCAR weekend tops 150,000. More than $2 billion of NASCAR merchandise is sold every year.   NASCAR: 101 Reasons to Love Stock Car Racing chronicles the whole phenomenal story, from NASCAR’s earliest days, through the reigns of the "King,” Richard Petty, in the ’60s and ’70s and the "Intimidator,” Dale Earnhardt, in the ’80s and ’90s, right up to today’s star drivers. NASCAR’s hottest teams, fastest cars, greatest events, and most unforgettable moments--they’re all here, in this fact-filled, colorful, and thrillingly illustrated book about our new national pastime.