1.
Charlotte, North Carolina
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Charlotte /ˈʃɑːrlət/ is the largest city in the state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Mecklenburg County and the second-largest city in the southeastern United States, just behind Jacksonville, Charlotte is the third-fastest growing major city in the United States. In 2014 the estimated population of Charlotte according to the U. S. Census Bureau was 809,958, the Charlotte metropolitan area ranks 22nd-largest in the U. S. and had a 2014 population of 2,380,314. The Charlotte metropolitan area is part of a sixteen-county market region or combined statistical area with a 2014 U. S. Census population estimate of 2,537,990, residents of Charlotte are referred to as Charlotteans. It is listed as a global city by the Globalization. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international hub, and was ranked the 23rd-busiest airport in the world by passenger traffic in 2013. Charlotte has a subtropical climate. The city is located several miles east of the Catawba River and southeast of Lake Norman, Lake Wylie and Mountain Island Lake are two smaller man-made lakes located near the city. The Catawba Native Americans were the first to settle Mecklenburg County and were first recorded in European records around 1567, by 1759 half the Catawba tribe had been killed by smallpox. At the time of their largest population, Catawba people numbered 10,000, Mecklenburg County was initially part of Bath County of New Hanover Precinct, which became New Hanover County in 1729. The western portion of New Hanover split into Bladen County in 1734, Mecklenburg County formed from Anson County in 1762. Further apportionment was made in 1792, with Cabarrus County formed from Mecklenburg and these areas were all part of one of the original six judicial/military districts of North Carolina known as the Salisbury District. The area that is now Charlotte was settled by people of European descent around 1755, Thomas Polk, who later married Thomas Spratts daughter, built his house by the intersection of two Native American trading paths between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers. One path ran north–south and was part of the Great Wagon Road, within decades of Polks settling, the area grew to become Charlotte Town, incorporating in 1768. The crossroads, perched atop the Piedmont landscape, became the heart of Uptown Charlotte, in 1770, surveyors marked the streets in a grid pattern for future development. The east–west trading path became Trade Street, and the Great Wagon Road became Tryon Street, in honor of William Tryon, the intersection of Trade and Tryon—commonly known today as Trade & Tryon, or simply The Square—is more properly called Independence Square. While surveying the boundary between the Carolinas in 1772, William Moultrie stopped in Charlotte Town, whose five or six houses were very ordinary built of logs, local leaders came together in 1775 and signed the Mecklenburg Resolves, more popularly known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. While not a declaration of independence from British rule, it is among the first such declarations that eventually led to the American Revolution
2.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
3.
Pei Cobb Freed & Partners
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Pei Cobb Freed & Partners is an architectural firm based in New York City, with major projects in more than a hundred cities around the world. Its work is noted for excellence in design, the firm provides a full range of architectural services, as well as planning and urban design. Projects designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners have received more than 200 awards for design excellence, in addition, the firm has been recognized numerous times for design excellence in the totality of its practice. The firm has changed twice,1955 – Originally I. M. Pei & Associates, founded by I. M. Pei, Eason H. Leonard. Bank Tower in Los Angeles, First Bank Place in Minneapolis, Jacob K. C. Pei Cobb Freed & Partners has been recognized many times for the totality of its practice. ”In 1968 the American Institute of Architects conferred on the practice its Architectural Firm Award, citing the successful collaboration among the partners, associates. Which has resulted in years of consistently distinguished design. ”Official website Pei Cobb Freed at New York Architecture Images
4.
NASCAR
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The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is an American family-owned and operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto-racing sports events. Bill France Sr. founded the company in 1948 and his grandson Brian France became its CEO in 2003, NASCAR is motorsports preeminent stock-car racing organization. The three largest racing-series sanctioned by this company are the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, the company also oversees NASCAR Local Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour, the Whelen All-American Series, and the NASCAR iRacing. com Series. NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 39 of the 50 US states as well as in Canada. NASCAR has presented exhibition races at the Suzuka and Motegi circuits in Japan, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, NASCAR has its official headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida, and also maintains offices in the North Carolina cities of Charlotte, Concord, and Conover. Regional offices are located in New York City and Los Angeles, with offices in Mexico City. Owing to NASCARs Southern roots, all but a handful of NASCAR teams are based in North Carolina. NASCAR is second to the National Football League among professional sports franchises in terms of television viewers, internationally, its races are broadcast on television in over 150 countries. In 2004, NASCARs Director of Security stated that the company holds 17 of the Top 20 regularly attended single-day sporting events in the world, fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more than any other motor sport, although this sponsorship has declined since the early-2000s. By the time the Bonneville Salt Flats became the location for pursuit of land speed records. Drivers raced on a 4. 1-mile course, consisting of a 1. 5–2. 0-mile stretch of beach as one straightaway, the two straights were connected by two tight, deeply rutted and sand covered turns at each end. Stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, the cars continued to improve, and by the late 1940s, races featuring these cars were being run for pride and profit. These races were popular entertainment in the rural Southern United States, most races in those days were of modified cars. Street vehicles were lightened and reinforced, mechanic William France Sr. moved to Daytona Beach, Florida, from Washington, D. C. in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. He was familiar with the history of the area from the speed record attempts. France entered the 1936 Daytona event, finishing fifth and he took over running the course in 1938. He promoted a few races before World War II, France had the notion that people would enjoy watching stock cars race
5.
Richard Petty
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Richard Lee Petty, nicknamed The King, is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He won the NASCAR Championship seven times, winning a record 200 races during his career, winning the Daytona 500 a record seven times, and winning a record 27 races in the 1967 season alone. Statistically, he is the most accomplished driver in the history of the sport and is one of the most respected figures in motorsports as a whole. He also collected a number of poles and over 700 Top 10 finishes in his 1,184 starts. Petty was the driver to ever win in his 500th race start. He was inducted into the class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2010. Petty is a second generation driver and his father, Lee Petty, won the first Daytona 500 in 1959 and was also a three-time NASCAR champion. His son Kyle is also a well-known NASCAR driver and his grandson, Adam, was killed in a practice crash at New Hampshire International Speedway on May 12,2000, five weeks after Lees death. Adams brother Austin works on day-to-day operations of the Victory Junction Gang Camp, Petty married Lynda Owens in 1958. She died on March 25,2014 at her home in Level Cross, North Carolina at age 72 and they had four children—Kyle Petty, Sharon Petty-Farlow, Lisa Petty-Luck, and Rebecca Petty-Moffit. The family resides in Pettys home town of Level Cross, North Carolina, the Richard Petty Museum was formerly in nearby Randleman, North Carolina but moved back to its original location in March 2014. Petty was born in Level Cross, North Carolina, the son of Elizabeth and Lee Arnold Petty, also a NASCAR driver, and he began his NASCAR career on July 18,1958,16 days after his 21st birthday. His first race was held at CNE Stadium in Toronto, Canada, in 1959, he was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year, after he produced 9 top 10 finishes, including six Top 5 finishes. In Lakewood, Georgia in 1959, Petty won his first race, hours later, Lee was awarded the win. In 1960, he finished 2nd in the NASCAR Grand National Points Race,1963 was his breakout year, winning at tracks like Martinsville and Bridgehampton. Joining in the Chrysler boycott of NASCAR due to the organizing bodys ban of the Hemi engine, Petty Enterprises installed the Hemi in the new compact Barracuda and lettered OUTLAWED on the door. He crashed this car at Southeastern Dragway, in Dallas, Georgia, on February 28,1965, killing a six-year-old boy and injuring seven others. Petty, his father Lee, and Chrysler Corporation faced lawsuits totaling more than $1 million, though Petty, afterwards, a second Hemi Barracuda was built, this time with an altered wheelbase and eventually with Hilborn fuel injection
6.
Dale Inman
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Dale Inman is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup crew chief from Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina. He is best known for being the chief of Richard Petty at Petty Enterprises during three decades. They won 198 races and seven championships together, Inman spent most of his career working for Petty Enterprises. He also was the chief for Terry Labontes 1984 championship. NASCAR. com contributor Rick Houston said that if the best crew chief was settled on statistics and statistics alone and he is credited for starting the main duties of the position including preparation, and driver-pit communication. Inman has the most victories as a NASCAR crew chief mainly for Richard Petty, Inman grew up playing with his first cousins Richard and Maurice Petty. The teenage boys would attend some races and work on Lees car after school, Richard started racing in the late 1950s with Maurice and Inman as part of his pit crew, as they were too young to be his crew chief. In 1960, Petty won his first NASCAR race, by this time Maurice and Inman had become NASCAR mechanics. Maurice had been the mechanic and crew chief at the races, Petty Enterprises had him start concentrating on engine building for the team, and Inman became the crew chief at the races. Petty described him as the sports first official crew chief, in 1967, Petty won a NASCAR-record ten straight races and 27 races during that season with Inman as his crew chief. All 27 victories were in the car that they built in 1966. He departed the team days after winning the 1981 Daytona 500, while being interviewed after winning the race, he told CBS reporter Ned Jarrett that would soon be leaving the team. Inman had been chief for 192 of Pettys 193 victories. He was hired by Rod Osterlund to be the chief for 1980 champion Dale Earnhardt. That June, Osterlund sold the team to J. D, stacy and Earnhardt quit Stacys team in August. He stayed with the team and was the chief for Joe Rutman & Tim Richmond. He returned to Petty Enterprises in 1986 to oversee the business side, in an interview, he said, This is my homecoming and this is where I belong. He continued in his role helping Richard Petty until Petty retired in 1992, after his retirement, Inman helped Petty Enterprises drivers Rick Wilson, John Andretti, and Bobby Hamilton
7.
Plymouth Belvedere
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The Plymouth Belvedere was an American automobile model that was produced by Plymouth from 1954 to 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the 1951 model year. The Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top trim and became a model line with sedans, station wagons. It was also used in a movie called Christine it was a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere, introduced on March 31, the 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook Belvedere is a two-door pillarless hardtop. It was Plymouths first such design and was introduced in response to the 1950 Chevrolet Bel Air, and the Ford Victoria. The Cranbook Belvedere the name for the hardtop version of the Cranbrook. Powering the Belvedere is the Chrysler flathead 217.8 cu in engine with a 7.00,1 compression ratio producing 97 hp. For 1952, Plymouth kept the Cranbrook Belvedere largely unchanged, two-tone color schemes were sable bronze over suede, black over mint green, and gray over blue. Overdrive was made available as optional equipment in the 1952 Plymouth, in overdrive, the engine made three revolutions for each rear wheel revolution against four without overdrive. The engine was a carry over from 1951. Production for 1951 and 1952 totalled 51,266 units, the Belvedere remained a part of the Cranbrook series through the 1953 model year, which saw all Plymouth models completely restyled. Major style changes include a shorter 114 in wheelbase, a windshield, flush rear fenders. In April 1953, Plymouths received the Hy-Drive semi-automatic transmission, the engine was carried over from 1952 with the only enhancement being a slight increase in the compression ratio to 7.10,1, which yielded a rating of 100 hp. A total of 35,1851953 Belvederes were sold, the Belvedere replaced the Cranbrook as the top-line offering for 1954. Now, a model instead of just a two-door hardtop, it was also available as a convertible, two-door station wagon. The two-door hardtop version was now called the Sport Coupe,1954 Belevederes featured full-length rocker sill moldings. Minor styling updates adorned the carry-over body design, for the first time, small chrome tailfins appeared on the rear fenders. In March 1954, Plymouth finally offered an automatic transmission
8.
Zahner
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Zahner or A. Zahner Company is an architectural metal & glass company located in Kansas City, Missouri. Zahner was founded in 1897 by Andrew Zahner as Eagle Cornice Works, serving the region with decorative cornice works and repair. In 1913, the company became A. Zahner Sheet Metal Company and he also guided the company towards producing works by artists as well as architects. The firm is involved in the development of architectural metal systems as well as patinas, on January 21,2011, companies Zahner and KME announced a joint venture, Zahner-KME. The venture will offer engineering and building services to architects in the European Market, American Heritage Center, in Laramie, Wyoming, designed by Antoine Predock,1993. Weisman Art Museum, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, designed by Frank Gehry,1993, Independence Temple, in Independence, Missouri, designed by Gyo Obata,1994. Museum of Science & Industry, in Tampa, Florida, designed by Antoine Predock,1995, maggies Center, in Dundee, Scotland, designed by Frank Gehry,1995. Experience Music Project, in Seattle, Washington, designed by Frank Gehry,2000, Museum of Glass, in Tacoma, Washington, designed by Arthur Erickson,2002. Flagship Apple Store in Soho, New York City, designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson,2002, robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library, in Pueblo, Colorado, designed by Antoine Predock,2003. Tacoma Art Museum, in Tacoma, Washington, designed by Antoine Predock,2003, pritzker Pavilion, in Chicagos Millennium Park, Illinois, designed by Frank Gehry,2004. DFW Airport Terminal D, in Irving, Texas, turbulence House, New Mexico, designed by Steven Holl,2005. De Young Museum, in San Franciscos Golden Gate Park, California, hunter Museum of American Art, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, designed by Randall Stout,2005. 40 Bond, a project in New York, New York. Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse, Eugene, Oregon, Contemporary Jewish Museum, in San Franciscos Yerba Buena Gardens district, designed by Daniel Libeskind,2008. Trinity River Audubon Center, in Dallas, Texas, designed by Antoine Predock,2008, BOK Center, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, designed by Cesar Pelli,2008. Taubman Museum of Art, in Roanoke, Virginia, designed by Randall Stout,2008,41 Cooper Square, The New Academic Building at Cooper Union, New York, New York, designed by Morphosis,2009. Winspear Opera House, in Dallas, Texas, designed by Foster, wyly Theater, in Dallas, Texas, designed by OMA/REX. Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, designed by Randall Stout,2010, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Charlotte, North Carolina, designed by Pei Cobb Freed,2010
9.
Buffalo Wild Wings
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As of February 2017, it had 1,240 locations across all 50 U. S. states and DC. An alternate nickname in recent usage by the company is B-Dubs, Buffalo Wild Wings was co-founded in 1982 by Jim Disbrow, Scott Lowery, and Bernard Spencer. Disbrow, Lowery, and Spencer came up with the one weekend when they got together in Kent, Ohio. They decided to open up their own restaurant, first in Columbus, Ohio, originally called Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, from which the abbreviation bw-3 was created, in 1990 Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck began to franchise. In 1998, the name was changed to Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, the corporate headquarters was located in Cincinnati, Ohio until 1997 when it moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2010, the company announced an expansion into Canada, in February 2012, Buffalo Wild Wings reported $495 million in total assets. In 2015, Buffalo Wild Wings expanded in the United Arab Emirates when it opened a restaurant in Dubai, the chain is best known for buffalo-style chicken wings along with over a dozen dipping sauces, as well as a complement of other items such as chicken tenders and legs. The chains menu also features appetizers, burgers, tacos, salads, and desserts, along with beer, wine and they are known for their famous Blazin Wing Challenge. They challenge customers to eat 12 of their hottest wings under six minutes, the winners receive a free t-shirt and get their picture on their wall of fame. The restaurants feature an open layout with a bar area and patio seating flanked by over 50 televisions, starting in 2016, the new restaurants being built follow a new type of layout that gives the guests the feeling as if they were actually in a sports stadium. Server uniforms consist of gray shorts and jerseys with the number 82, not only is the chain attributable to its famous wings, beer, and sports, but it is also recognized as a big partner with the organization the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl – NCAA Division I FBS football List of chicken restaurants List of companies in the United States List of S&P400 companies Official website SEC filings
10.
Stonewall station
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Stonewall is a light rail station for the LYNX Blue Line in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The station officially opened for service on Saturday, November 24,2007, regular service with fare collection commenced on Monday, November 26,2007. The station is located along East Stonewall Street between South Brevard Street and South College Street and it has side platforms, which sit on either side of the tracks. The station is located adjacent to the Westin Charlotte and is across Stonewall Street from the Charlotte Convention Center, the station was originally constructed as a station for the Charlotte Trolley. In 1991 when the South College site was chosen as the location for the new Charlotte Convention Center and its demolition became necessary as it would not properly align with the proposed design of the new convention center. As a result, it was demolished in 1991 even though it was a route for a future light rail or trolley line into Uptown. The construction of the replacement span commenced in Spring 1999 and was complete by summer 2001, Stonewall station site plan from CATS Stonewall Station Stonewall Street entrance from Google Maps Street View
11.
Stock car racing
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Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly and most prominently in the United States and Canada, with Australia and New Zealand also having forms of stock car auto racing. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately 0.25 to 2.66 miles, the worlds largest governing body for stock car racing is the American NASCAR, and its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top level series of professional stock car racing. Top level races typically range between 200 to 600 miles in length, top level stock cars reach speeds in excess of 200 mph at speedway tracks and on superspeedway tracks such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Contemporary NASCAR-spec top level cars produce maximum power outputs of 860-900 hp from their naturally aspirated V8 engines, for the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, power output of the competing cars ranged from 750–800 hp. A stock car, in the sense of the term, is an automobile that has not been modified from its original factory configuration. Later the term stock car came to mean any production-based automobile used in racing and this term is used to differentiate such a car from a race car, a special, custom-built car designed only for racing purposes. The actual degree to which the cars conform to standard model specs has changed over the years, are architecturally identical on all vehicles. For example, the NASCAR Sprint Cup series now requires fuel injection, the closest European equivalent to stock car racing is probably touring car racing. In the UK and New Zealand there is a formula called stock cars. In Australia there was a formula that was similar to NASCAR called AUSCAR. The Racecar-Euro Series began in 2009 and was sanctioned by NASCAR as a series in 2012. True stock car racing, which consists of only street vehicles that can be bought by public, is sometimes now called street stock, pure stock, hobby stock, showroom stock. In 1972, SCCA started its first showroom stock racing series, some modern showroom stock racing allows safety modifications done on showroom stock cars. Super stock classes are similar to street stock, but allow for modifications to the engine. Power output is usually in the range of 500–550 horsepower, Tire width is usually limited to 8 in. Some entry level classes are called street stock, and are similar to what is called banger racing in England. Late models are usually the highest class of cars in local racing. Rules for construction of a model car vary from region to region
12.
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series
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The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It is named for the current sponsor, Monster Energy, but has been known by names in the past. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Series, in 1971, when the series began leasing its naming rights to the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, it was referred to as the Winston Cup Series. A similar deal was made with Nextel in 2003, and it became the Nextel Cup Series, Sprint acquired Nextel in 2005, and in 2008 the series was renamed the Sprint Cup Series, which lasted until 2016. In December 2016, it was announced that Monster Energy would become the new sponsor starting in 2017. The championship is determined by a system, with points being awarded according to finish placement. The season is divided into two segments, after the first 26 races,16 drivers, selected primarily on the basis of wins during the first 26 races, are seeded based on their total number of wins. They compete in the last ten races, where the difference in points is greatly minimized and this is called the NASCAR playoffs. The series holds strong roots in the Southeastern United States, with half of the races in the 36-race season being held in that region, the current schedule includes tracks from around the United States. Regular season races were held in Canada, and exhibition races were held in Japan. The Daytona 500, the most prestigious race, had an audience of about 16 million U. S. viewers in 2009. Cup Series cars are unique in automobile racing, the engines are powerful enough to reach speeds of over 200 mph, but their weight coupled with a relatively simple aerodynamic package make for poor handling. The bodies and chassis of the cars are strictly regulated to ensure parity, in 1949, NASCAR introduced the Strictly Stock division, after sanctioning Modified and Roadster division races in 1948. Eight races were run on seven dirt ovals and on the Daytona Beach beach/street course, the first NASCAR Strictly Stock race was held at Charlotte Speedway on June 19,1949. Jim Roper was declared the winner of race after Glenn Dunaway was disqualified for having altered the rear springs on his car. The division was renamed Grand National for the 1950 season, reflecting NASCARs intent to make the more professional. It retained this name until 1971, the 1949 Strictly Stock season is regarded in NASCARs record books as the first season of GN/Cup history. Martinsville Speedway is the track on the 1949 schedule that remains on the current schedule
13.
Xfinity Series
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The NASCAR Xfinity Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It is promoted as NASCARs minor league circuit, and is considered a ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organizations top level circuit. Xfinity Series races are held in the same venue as, and a day prior to. The series emerged from NASCARs Sportsman division, which had formed in 1950 as NASCARs short track race division. The sportsman cars were not current model cars and could be modified more and it became the Late Model Sportsman Series in 1968, and soon featured races on larger tracks such as Daytona International Speedway. Drivers used obsolete Grand National cars on larger tracks but by the inception of the format in 1982. Short track cars with relatively small 300 cubic inch V-8 motors were used, drivers used smaller current year models featuring V6 motors. The modern-day Xfinity Series was formed in 1982, when Anheuser-Busch sponsored a newly reformed late-model sportsman series with its Budweiser brand, the series switched sponsorship to Busch in 1984. It was renamed in 1986 to the Busch Grand National Series, Grand National was dropped from the series title in 2003 as part of NASCARs brand identity. Anheuser-Busch dropped the sponsorship in 2007, Nationwide Insurance took over the sponsorship for the 2008 season, the Nationwide sponsorship was a seven-year contract, and did not include the banking and mortgage departments of Nationwide. The sponsorship reportedly carried a $10 million commitment for 2008, with 6% annual escalations thereafter, on September 3,2014, it was announced that Comcast would become the new title sponsor of the series via its cable television and internet brand Xfinity, renaming it the Xfinity Series. In 2016, NASCAR implemented a seven-race Chase system similar to the one used in the NASCAR Cup Series, on March 6,2005, the series held its first race outside the United States, the Telcel-Motorola 200. The race was held in Mexico City, Mexico at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and it was won by Martin Truex Jr. On August 4,2007, the series held its second race outside of the United States, at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec and it was won by Kevin Harvick, while Quebec native Patrick Carpentier finished second. In July 2008, NASCAR announced that the Nationwide Series would not return to Mexico City in 2009, in 2016, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series adopted a playoff format similar to the NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Unlike the NASCAR Cup Series, whose Chase consists of four rounds, after each of the first two rounds, the four Chase grid drivers with the fewest season points are eliminated from the grid and Chase contention. The best-placed driver overall from the four Dash 4 Cash races advances to the Chase, until 2000, the Busch Grand National Series was carried on a number of both cable and broadcast networks that had deals with the series tracks. Most standalone races were aired on TNN, while races that were companion races with Winston Cup dates aired on the airing the Cup race
14.
Camping World Truck Series
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The series is one of three national divisions of NASCAR, ranking as the third tier behind the second-tier Xfinity Series and the top level Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Camping World has served as the sponsor since 2009, it replaced Craftsman. The idea for the Truck Series dates back to 1991, a group of SCORE off-road racers had concerns about desert racings future, and decided to create a pavement truck racing series. They visited NASCAR Western Operations Vice President Ken Clapp to promote the idea, who consulted Bill France Jr. with it, afterwards, Clapp told the four to build a truck before NASCAR considered it. The truck proved to be popular among fans, and NASCAR arranged a meeting in a Burbank, California hotel on April 11,1994, four demonstration races were held during the season at Mesa Marin Raceway had six trucks, Portland Speedway, Saugus Speedway and Tucson Raceway Park. Tucson held four events that winter, which were televised during the Winter Heat Series coverage. Tools line Craftsman served as the sponsor of the series on a deal. In addition, the series $580,000 purse is larger than the Busch Grand National Series fund, while a new series, it garnered immediate support from many prominent Winston Cup Series team owners and drivers. Prominent Cup owners Richard Childress, Rick Hendrick, and Jack Roush owned truck teams, at the end of the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule, Craftsman stopped sponsoring the series. Subsequently, Camping World signed a contract with NASCAR, rebranding the series as the Camping World Truck Series. Teams like Richard Childress Racing, a Cup team with 31 Truck wins, shut down their Truck operations, in RCRs case, thats just how the system works. To cut costs, NASCAR required teams to use sealed engines and this requirement was abandoned for the 2010 season. Starting with the 2011 season, NASCAR implemented a new rule that allows drivers to compete for the championship in only one of the three national touring series in a given season. As the years went on, a number of younger drivers debuted in the series, current NASCAR stars Greg Biffle, Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch each started in the series. And previous champions Johnny Benson, Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday, Ted Musgrave, even though novice drivers play a minimal role in this minor league series, there is no controversy like the disputes over Buschwhackers in the Nationwide Series. A Truck Series field currently consists of 32 trucks, NASCAR uses a knockout qualifying system across the three series. The sessions are three long, In round one, all drivers have 20 minutes to set a time. In the second round, the drivers have 10 minutes to run, and the top 12 advance to the round, the final round
15.
Charlotte Motor Speedway
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Charlotte Motor Speedway, formerly Lowes Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina 13 miles from Charlotte. The complex features a 1.5 mile quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race, and the Bank of America 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. with Marcus G. Smith as track president, the 2,000 acres complex also features a state-of-the-art quarter mile drag racing strip, ZMAX Dragway. It is the only all-concrete, four-lane drag strip in the United States, alongside the drag strip is a state-of-the-art clay oval that hosts dirt racing including the World of Outlaws finals among other popular racing events. Charlotte Motor Speedway was designed and built by Bruton Smith and partner and driver Curtis Turner in 1959, the first World 600 NASCAR race was held at the 1.5 miles speedway on June 19,1960. On December 8,1961, the speedway filed bankruptcy notice, at that point a committee of major stockholders in the speedway was assembled, headed by A. C. Goines and furniture store owner Richard Howard. Goines, Howard, and Robinson worked to secure loans and other monies to keep the speedway afloat. By 1964 Howard become the general manager, and on June 1,1967, the speedways mortgage was paid in full. Smith departed from the speedway in 1962 to pursue business interests, primarily in banking and auto dealerships from his new home of Rockford. He became quite successful and began buying out shares of stock in the speedway, by 1974 Smith was more heavily involved in the speedway, to where Richard Howard by 1975 stated, I havent been running the speedway. In 1975 Smith had become the majority stockholder, regaining control of its day-to-day operations, Humpy Wheeler as general manager in October 1975, and on January 29,1976, Richard Howard resigned as president and GM of the speedway. Together Smith and Wheeler began to implement plans for improvement and expansion of the speedway, in the following years, new grandstands and luxury suites were added along with modernized concessions and restrooms to increase the comfort for race fans. Smith Tower, a 135,000 square feet, seven-story facility was built, the tower houses the speedway corporate officers, ticket office, gift shop, leased offices and The Speedway Club, and exclusive dining and entertainment facility. In 1992, Smith and Wheeler directed the installation of a $1.7 million,1, the track became the first modern superspeedway to host night racing, and was the largest lighted speedway until 1998 when lights were installed around the 2.5 miles Daytona International Speedway. In 1994, Smith and Wheeler added a new $1 million,20,000 square feet garage area to the speedways infield, in 1995, 26-year-old Russell Phillips was killed in one of the most gruesome crashes in auto racing history. From 1997 to 1999 the track hosted the Indycar Series, on lap 61 of the 1999 race, a crash led to a car losing a tire, which was then propelled into the grandstands by another car. Three spectators were killed and eight others were injured in the incident, the race was canceled shortly after, and the series has not returned to the track since
16.
Rick Hendrick
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Joseph Riddick Rick Hendrick III is the current owner of the American NASCAR team, Hendrick Motorsports and founder of the Hendrick Automotive Group and Hendrick Marrow Program. He attended Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia and he is also a retired race car driver himself, driving in only four NASCAR races throughout the course of his NASCAR career. He is the father of Ricky Hendrick, a former NASCAR driver, Hendrick achieved his stock car racing notoriety as as owner, winning 12 NASCAR Cups at the helm of Hendrick Motorsports, which led to his induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2017. Hendrick, born on July 12,1949, in Warrenton, Hendrick, at the age of 14, began drag racing in a self built 1931 Chevrolet. While attending Park View High School in South Hill, Virginia, after high school, he decided to pursue a co-op work study program with North Carolina State University and Westinghouse Electric Company in Raleigh, North Carolina. Afterward, Hendrick opened a small lot with Mike Leith. Leith, an established new-car dealer, was convinced to name Hendrick the general manager of the company. In 1976, he sold his assets to purchase a franchise in Bennettsville, after doing so, he became the youngest Chevrolet dealer in the United States. Hendricks influence increased sales to make the once troubled location become the regions most profitable, the success of Bennettsville was a precursor to the Hendrick Automotive Group, which now has 98 franchises and 10,000 employees across 13 states. Hendrick is also the chairman of the company, Hendrick drove in two races during the 1987 and 1988 Winston Cup Series, with finishes of 33rd and 15th, respectively. He also had a start in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. He also had been a pit crew member for the Flying 11 that Ray Hendrick drove in the 1960s, in 1997, Hendrick began the Hendrick Marrow Program, a non-profit works with the Be The Match Foundation to support the National Marrow Donor Program. It raises funds to add volunteers to the Be The Match Registry and it also provides assistance to recipients with uninsured transplant costs. Afterward, he and his wife, Linda, were honored in 1999 with the Be The Match Foundations Leadership for the Life Award, the award recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary commitment to serve marrow transplant patients. Some of the past patients include U. S. Rep. C. W. Bill Young, baseball great Rod Carew and former Postmaster General William J. Henderson. He takes an approach to the cause after being diagnosed in November 1996 with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Governor Jim Hunt recognized Hendrick in 1996 with The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the award is bestowed upon citizens of the state who have a proven record of extraordinary service. Past recipients include journalist Charles Kuralt, the Rev, billy Graham, artist Bob Timberlake and Hendricks late father, Joe Hendrick, who was presented the award by Gov. Mike Easley in 2004
17.
Pat McCrory
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Patrick Lloyd McCrory is an American businessman and politician who served as the 74th Governor of North Carolina, from 2013 to 2017. McCrory was the Republican nominee for Governor of North Carolina in the 2008 general election and was defeated 50% to 46% by then-Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, after the 2008 election loss, McCrory returned to the private sector. On January 31,2012, he launched his campaign for governor. This prevented transgender people who do not alter their birth certificates from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity, separately, McCrory has filed suit against the federal government, asking a court to find the law constitutional. In 2016, McCrory lost a competitive re-election campaign against state attorney general Roy Cooper, on election night, the race was too close to call, McCrory trailed Cooper by about 5000 votes and tens of thousands of absentee and provisional ballots had not yet been counted. The McCrory campaign filed election protests alleging that voter fraud helped Cooper in 50 counties, on December 5, McCrory conceded the race to Cooper, becoming the first sitting governor of North Carolina to lose a bid for reelection since Charles Manly in 1850. McCrory was born in Columbus, Ohio, the son of Audrey Mona and his family moved to North Carolina when he was a child. He was raised Presbyterian and his family attended First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro and he graduated in 1974 from Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina. He attended Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, where he received degrees in Political Science, McCrory was active in the Student Government Association and was part of a conservative backlash to the growing hippie culture at Catawba in the mid-1970s. In 2001, McCrory gave the keynote address at his alma mater. The college then awarded him a doctorate of legal letters. He currently serves as a member of Catawba Colleges Board of Trustees, in January 2008, after 28 years with Duke Energy, he retired from the company to run full-time for governor. In January 2009, McCrory was named a partner with Charlotte-based McCrory & Company, in January 2010, he was named a Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for Charlotte-based law firm Moore & Van Allen PLLC. He is a 2014 Young Leader Alumni member of the American Swiss Foundation, McCrory began his political career in Charlotte in 1989 when he was elected an At-Large City Councilman. He was re-elected in 1991 and 1993, and served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1993–1995, in 1995, he was elected mayor of the city of Charlotte, succeeding Richard Vinroot, who ran unsuccessfully for the 1996 Republican gubernatorial nomination. At the age of 39, McCrory was the citys youngest mayor, McCrory gained a reputation as a very popular, affable mayor. In the 2007 mayoral election, he defeated seven-term Democratic state Rep. Beverly Earle,61 to 39 percent, McCrory announced in late 2008, shortly after his gubernatorial campaign, that he would not seek an eighth term. McCrory is the city of Charlottes longest-serving mayor, McCrory helped develop Charlottes 25-year transportation and land-use plan
18.
Charlotte Convention Center
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The Charlotte Convention Center is a convention center located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It opened in 1995 and attracts more than half a million each year. It was designed by Thompson, Ventulett, Stainback & Associates and it has 280,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space. The ballroom spans 35,000 square feet with seating for up to 1,800 guests. Pre-function areas extend the space by 15,000 square feet. There is also more than 90,000 square feet of meeting space in 46 rooms. The LYNX and the Charlotte Trolley lines pass straight through the center of the convention center, the convention center was recently expanded to include an additional ballroom since the NASCAR Hall of Fame is connected to the convention center
19.
Belk
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Belk, Inc. is an American department store chain founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina with 300 locations in 16 states. Belk stores and Belk. com offer apparel, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, home furnishings, Belk was founded in 1888 by William Henry Belk in Monroe, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The store was first called New York Racket and then Belk Brothers, after Belk made his brother, physician Dr. John Belk, Belk bought in volume to pass savings on and sold at fixed prices, then a relatively unusual practice. The business grew steadily, relying on sales and advertising to grow the business. Beginning in 1921 with the Leggett Bros. stores of South Boston, Virginia and this complex story is chronicled in a book published by Belk – Belk, Inc. The Company and the Family That Built It – about the evolution of the company and this structure allowed Belk to expand quickly and permitted local variation, but resulted in a diluted brand identity since most stores were co-branded. For example, the heirs of John G. Parks, majority owners of the Parks-Belk chain, sold their interests to Proffitts, a competitor. The Belks quickly sold their stake as well, although Belk would later purchase the stores back as part of its acquisition of the entire Proffitts chain. This move accelerated the trend of consolidating the stores ownership under the Belks. Slowly, Belk eliminated the dual brands, completing the process with a chain-wide Belk rebranding in the fall of 2010, on July 5,2005, Belk completed the purchase of 47 Proffitts and McRaes department stores from Saks Incorporated, primarily in Tennessee and Mississippi. Belk converted the 39 Proffitts and McRaes stores to the Belk nameplate on March 8,2006, just over a year later, Belk purchased 38 Parisian department stores from Saks on October 2,2006. Four Parisian stores in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, plus a store under construction at the time in Michigan, were sold by Belk to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. Integrating the larger, more upscale Parisian stores proved a challenge for Belk, during the fourth quarter of 2005, Belk completed the sale of its private-label credit card division, Belk National Bank, to GE MoneyBank. Consumers were issued new Belk credit cards replacing the old ones issued by BNB, All new Belk cards are now issued by GE Money Bank. On October 3,2010, the News & Observer reported that Belk planned to update its logo, on October 12 at SouthPark Mall, Belk introduced the new logo, its first since 1967. The chain embarked on a $70 million marketing campaign that replaced the old slogan All for You. with a new slogan, sixty stores got new signs in the first phase, with the remainder getting new signs throughout 2011. Advertisements for Belk & Co. jewelry continue to use a variation of the old logo, on April 3,2015, news reports revealed that Belk was exploring strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company. On August 24,2015, Belk announced that it had entered into a merger agreement to be acquired by New York-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners
20.
Talladega Superspeedway
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Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the city of Lincoln. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, the track currently hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles like the Daytona International Speedway, at its peak, Talladega had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators, although its current capacity is 80,000 spectators. During the 1960s, William Bill France, Sr. wanted to build a faster and longer than Daytona International Speedway. After failed attempts to reason with local government in Orange County, North Carolina with the Occoneechee Speedway, he attempted to find a new spot for a race track and make his idea a reality. After failing to secure a location near the research triangle around Raleigh and he would end up breaking ground on an old airfield on May 23,1968. The track was named the Alabama International Motor Speedway, the name would remain for twenty years until 1989 when the facilitys name was changed to Talladega Superspeedway. The track opened on September 13,1969 at a cost of $4 million, after the first race, Talladega hosted two Cup Series races a year, one of which would become part of the 10-race NASCAR Cup Series Chase for the Championship. Since its opening year, Talladega has hosted many races and has been repaved four times, Talladega also has had many first-time winners, such as Larry Schild, Sr. Richard Brickhouse, Brian Vickers, and Brad Keselowski. A 4-mile infield road course was in operation from the founding until 1983. In the 1970s, six IMSA GT Championship races were held at the speedway, in May 2006, Talladega started to re-surface the track and the apron. Construction started on May 1 and lasted until September 18, the first race on the resurfaced race track was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race on October 7. In December 2013, the ISC announced removal of the 18, 000-seat Allison Grandstand on the backstretch, the 4, 000-ft backstraightway was renamed the Alabama Gang Superstretch in time for the 2014 Aarons 499 held in the spring. Speeds in excess of 200 mph are commonplace at Talladega, Talladega has the record for the fastest recorded time by a NASCAR vehicle on a closed oval course, with the record of 216.309 mph set by Rusty Wallace on June 9,2004. Buddy Baker was the first driver to run at a speed over 200 mph, Bill France himself invited Chrysler to come on down to run a 200 lap for publicity for the April race. The car was fully Nascar inspected and certified, Nascar sanctioned the event and Bill Gazaway was there with the official timing equipment. Bakers 200mph lap was set while driving the No.88 Chrysler Engineering Charger Daytona and it is currently undergoing restoration in Detroit, after being found in the late 1990s in Iowa
21.
Times Square
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It stretches from West 42nd to West 47th Streets. One of the worlds busiest pedestrian areas, it is also the hub of the Broadway Theater District, Times Square is one of the worlds most visited tourist attractions, drawing an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily, many of them tourists, the southern triangle of Times Square has no specific name, but the northernmost of the two triangles is called Father Duffy Square. Since 2008, the booth has been backed by a red, sloped, triangular set of stairs, which is used by people to sit, talk, eat. When Manhattan Island was first settled by the Dutch, three small streams united near what is now 10th Avenue and 40th street and these three streams formed the Great Kill. From there the Great Kill wound through the low-lying Reed Valley, known for fish and waterfowl, the name was retained in a tiny hamlet, Great Kill, that became a center for carriage-making, as the upland to the south and east became known as Longacre. Before and after the American Revolution, the area belonged to John Morin Scott, scotts manor house was at what is currently 43rd Street, surrounded by countryside used for farming and breeding horses. By 1872, the area had become the center of New Yorks horse carriage industry, the locality had not previously been given a name, and city authorities called it Longacre Square after Long Acre in London, where the horse and carriage trade was centered in that city. William Henry Vanderbilt owned and ran the American Horse Exchange there, in 1910 it became the Winter Garden Theatre. The first theater on the square, the Olympia, was built by cigar manufacturer, by the early 1890s this once sparsely settled stretch of Broadway was ablaze with electric light and thronged by crowds of middle- and upper-class theatre, restaurant and cafe patrons. In 1904, New York Times publisher Adolph S. Ochs persuaded Mayor George B, mcClellan, Jr. to construct a subway station there, and the area was renamed Times Square on April 8,1904. Just three weeks later, the first electrified advertisement appeared on the side of a bank at the corner of 46th Street, the north end later became Duffy Square, and the former Horse Exchange became the Winter Garden Theatre. The New York Times, according to Nolan, moved to spacious offices west of the square in 1913. The old Times Building was later named the Allied Chemical Building in 1963, now known simply as One Times Square, it is famed for the Times Square Ball drop on its roof every New Years Eve. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway Association, headed by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, chose the intersection of 42nd Street and Broadway to be the Eastern Terminus of the Lincoln Highway. This was the first road across the United States, which originally spanned 3,389 miles coast-to-coast through 13 states to its terminus in Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Times Square grew dramatically after World War I and it became a cultural hub full of theatres, music halls, and upscale hotels. Times Square quickly became New Yorks agora, a place to gather to await great tidings and to celebrate them, advertising also grew significantly in the 1920s, growing from $25 million to $85 million over the decade
22.
IRacing
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IRacing is a subscription based racing simulation released by iRacing. com Motorsport Simulations in 2008. Official races, special events, league races, and practice sessions are all hosted on the services servers, the service simulates realistic cars, tracks, and racing events, and enforcing rules of conduct modeled on real auto racing events. IRacing only allows the use of a cockpit view. As with real auto racing, the driver only has a view from behind the steering wheel, most users use a force feedback steering wheel with gas, brake, and clutch pedals, as well as H-Pattern shifters and/or sequential shifters. A gamepad can be used, though it is discouraged and puts the user at a competitive disadvantage, the gameplay is developed to mimic auto racing in as much detail as possible. When a user begins their iRacing Career, they start with a Rookie level license in both Oval and Road categories. In order to advance onto the D level license and beyond, as the user achieves the higher level licenses, they qualify to compete in different official series. Drivers can participate in practice, qualifying, license time trials, the week between each season is referred to as week thirteen, and has its own set of series which change track each day. During Week 13 drivers cannot complete time-trials, and so add to their licence level. Week 13, in general, has a relaxed attitude, with and emphasis on fun. Week 13 is often plagued with issues, as the purpose of the week is for the implementation of software updates. There are also non-standard series, examples of which are the four-week Rookie series, IndyCar, Skip Barber and Grand-Am Premier series, races that are organized by members do not have to follow any official schedule. If not qualified for the license for a series, drivers can still participate in practice sessions. Earning a higher license involves both participation in competitions on a drivers current highest license level and achievement of a safety record. The requirements for advancing and the licenses themselves are category-specific — in other words, Racing within the service is managed by a sanctioning body called FIRST. The detailed rules for competition are published in the FIRST Sporting Code. IRacing run several different official series, but members are free to organize their own online sessions that are hosted on servers run by iRacing. In 2012, iRacing increased the ability for users to run their own seasons through Leagues where, for a fee, users manage their own league, recruit/accept drivers, any member-organized sessions are free from the license level restrictions
23.
The Charlotte Observer
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The Charlotte Observer is a newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. It has the largest circulation in North Carolina and South Carolina and it is owned by The McClatchy Company. The Observer primarily serves Charlotte and Mecklenburg County and the counties of Iredell, Cabarrus, Union, Lancaster, York, Gaston, Catawba. It publishes local sections for each of these counties and for specific neighborhoods within Mecklenburg. The newspapers circulation covers over 40 counties in North and South Carolina, home delivery service in outlying counties has declined in recent years, with delivery times growing later as the paper has outsourced circulation services outside the primary Charlotte area. Circulation at The Charlotte Observer has been declining for many years, the most recent period showed that Charlotte Observer circulation totaled 155,497 daily and 212,318 Sunday. In addition to its main bureau in Charlotte, the paper operates six regional bureaus in Hickory, Gastonia, Concord, Monroe, and Cornelius and it has offices in the state capitals of North and South Carolina, Raleigh and Columbia, respectively. The Observer also has an office in Washington, D. C, the newspaper has an online presence and its staff also oversees a popular NASCAR news website, and a corresponding syndicated feature, Thats Racin. The papers television partner is WCNC-TV, the Observer employs approximately 700 employees, down from over 1,200 at its peak, mostly in its downtown Charlotte office. The paper was founded in 1886 and it was purchased by Knight Newspapers in 1955. Knight merged with Ridder Publications to form Knight Ridder in 1974, the Observer eventually became the fourth-largest newspaper in the Knight Ridder chain. In 1959, The Observer purchased The Charlotte News, Charlottes afternoon newspaper, all operations were merged except editorial content, which was fused in 1983. The Observer ended circulation of the afternoon News in 1985, the paper has won five Pulitzer Prizes. McClatchy purchased most of Knight Ridders newspapers, including The Observer, as of spring 2008, it is the fifth-largest newspaper in the McClatchy chain. McClatchys share value has been in decline since the purchase, the stock has lost over 95% of its value, far worse than many remaining newspaper companies. 1988 — Editorial cartooning, Doug Marlette 1988 — Meritorious public service, staff, For its investigation into the misuse of funds by Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and their PTL ministries. 2014 — Editorial cartooning, Kevin Siers The Charlotte Observer prices are, daily, $1.25 and Sunday/Thanksgiving Day, price is higher outside Mecklenburg and adjacent counties or states. Jack Betts Richard Oppel List of newspapers in North Carolina Official website Charlotte Five Thats Racin Stepp, the Charlotte Observer at McClatchy McClatchys falling stock price since purchasing The Charlotte Observer
24.
Atlanta
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Atlanta is the capital of and the most populous city in the U. S. state of Georgia, with an estimated 2015 population of 463,878. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, home to 5,710,795 people, Atlanta is the county seat of Fulton County, and a small portion of the city extends eastward into DeKalb County. In 1837, Atlanta was founded at the intersection of two lines, and the city rose from the ashes of the American Civil War to become a national center of commerce. Atlantas economy is considered diverse, with dominant sectors that include logistics, professional and business services, media operations, Atlanta has topographic features that include rolling hills and dense tree coverage. Revitalization of Atlantas neighborhoods, initially spurred by the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, has intensified in the 21st century, altering the demographics, politics. Prior to the arrival of European settlers in north Georgia, Creek Indians inhabited the area, standing Peachtree, a Creek village located where Peachtree Creek flows into the Chattahoochee River, was the closest Indian settlement to what is now Atlanta. As part of the removal of Native Americans from northern Georgia from 1802 to 1825, the Creek ceded the area in 1821. In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build the Western, the initial route was to run southward from Chattanooga to a terminus east of the Chattahoochee River, which would then be linked to Savannah. After engineers surveyed various possible locations for the terminus, the zero milepost was driven into the ground in what is now Five Points. A year later, the area around the milepost had developed into a settlement, first known as Terminus, and later as Thrasherville after a merchant who built homes. By 1842, the town had six buildings and 30 residents and was renamed Marthasville to honor the Governors daughter, later, J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad, suggested the town be renamed Atlantica-Pacifica, which was shortened to Atlanta. The residents approved, and the town was incorporated as Atlanta on December 29,1847, by 1860, Atlantas population had grown to 9,554. During the American Civil War, the nexus of multiple railroads in Atlanta made the city a hub for the distribution of military supplies, in 1864, the Union Army moved southward following the capture of Chattanooga and began its invasion of north Georgia. On the next day, Mayor James Calhoun surrendered Atlanta to the Union Army, on November 11,1864, Sherman prepared for the Union Armys March to the Sea by ordering Atlanta to be burned to the ground, sparing only the citys churches and hospitals. After the Civil War ended in 1865, Atlanta was gradually rebuilt, due to the citys superior rail transportation network, the state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. In the 1880 Census, Atlanta surpassed Savannah as Georgias largest city, by 1885, the founding of the Georgia School of Technology and the citys black colleges had established Atlanta as a center for higher education. In 1895, Atlanta hosted the Cotton States and International Exposition, during the first decades of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of unprecedented growth. In three decades time, Atlantas population tripled as the city expanded to include nearby streetcar suburbs
25.
Daytona Beach, Florida
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Daytona Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It lies about 51 miles northeast of Orlando,86 miles southeast of Jacksonville, in the 2010 U. S. Census, it had a population of 61,005. It is a city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL metropolitan statistical area. Daytona Beach is also a city of the Fun Coast region of Florida. The city is known for its beach where the hard-packed sand allows motorized vehicles to drive on the beach in restricted areas. This hard-packed sand made Daytona Beach a mecca for motorsports, and this was replaced in 1959 by Daytona International Speedway. The city is also the headquarters for NASCAR, other events include the NASCAR Coke Zero 400 race in July, Bike Week in early March, Biketoberfest in late October, and the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race in January. The area where Daytona Beach is today was inhabited by the indigenous Timucuan Indians who lived in fortified villages. The Timucuas were nearly exterminated by contact with Europeans through war, enslavement and disease, the Seminole Indians, descendants of Creek Indians from Georgia and Alabama, frequented the area prior to the Second Seminole War. During the era of British rule of Florida between 1763 and 1783, the Kings Road passed through present-day Daytona Beach, the road extended from St. Augustine, the capital of East Florida, to Andrew Turnbulls experimental colony in New Smyrna. In 1804 Samuel Williams received a grant of 3,000 acres from the Spanish Crown. This land grant encompassed the area that would become Daytona Beach, Williams built a slave-labor-based plantation to grow cotton, rice and sugar cane. His son Samuel Hill Williams would abandon the plantation during the Second Seminole War, the area now known as the Daytona Beach Historical District was once the Orange Grove Plantation, a citrus and sugar cane plantation granted to Samuel Williams in 1787. The plantation was situated on the west bank of the channel known as the Halifax River,12 miles north of Mosquito Inlet. Williams was a British loyalist from North Carolina who fled to the Bahamas with his family until the Spanish reopened Florida to non-Spanish immigration, after his death in 1810, the plantation was run by his family until it was burned down in 1835. In 1871, Mathias Day, Jr. of Mansfield, Ohio and he built a hotel around which the initial section of town arose. In 1872, due to troubles, Day lost title to his land, nonetheless, residents decided to name the city Daytona in his honor. In 1886, the St. Johns & Halifax River Railway arrived in Daytona, the line would be purchased in 1889 by Henry M. Flagler, who made it part of his Florida East Coast Railway
26.
Alabama
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Alabama is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Alabama is the 30th-most extensive and the 24th-most populous of the U. S. states. At nearly 1,500 miles, Alabama has one of the nations longest navigable inland waterways, Alabama is nicknamed the Yellowhammer State, after the state bird. Alabama is also known as the Heart of Dixie and the Cotton State, the state tree is the longleaf pine, and the state flower is the camellia. The largest city by population is Birmingham, which has long been the most industrialized city, the oldest city is Mobile, founded by French colonists in 1702 as the capital of French Louisiana. From the American Civil War until World War II, Alabama, like many states in the southern U. S. suffered economic hardship, like other southern states, Alabama legislators disenfranchised African Americans and many poor whites at the turn of the century. Following World War II, Alabama grew as the economy changed from one primarily based on agriculture to one with diversified interests. The state economy in the 21st century is based on management, automotive, finance, manufacturing, aerospace, mineral extraction, healthcare, education, retail, in the Alabama language, the word for a person of Alabama lineage is Albaamo. The word Alabama is believed to have come from the Alabama language, the words spelling varies significantly among historical sources. As early as 1702, the French called the tribe the Alibamon, other spellings of the name have included Alibamu, Alabamo, Albama, Alebamon, Alibama, Alibamou, Alabamu, Allibamou. Sources disagree on the words meaning, some scholars suggest the word comes from the Choctaw alba and amo. The meaning may have been clearers of the thicket or herb gatherers, the state has numerous place names of Native American origin. However, there are no correspondingly similar words in the Alabama language, an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican proposed it meant Here We Rest. This notion was popularized in the 1850s through the writings of Alexander Beaufort Meek, experts in the Muskogean languages have not found any evidence to support such a translation. Indigenous peoples of varying cultures lived in the area for thousands of years before the advent of European colonization, trade with the northeastern tribes by the Ohio River began during the Burial Mound Period and continued until European contact. The agrarian Mississippian culture covered most of the state from 1000 to 1600 AD, with one of its major centers built at what is now the Moundville Archaeological Site in Moundville, Alabama. This is the second-largest complex of the classic Middle Mississippian era, after Cahokia in present-day Illinois, Analysis of artifacts from archaeological excavations at Moundville were the basis of scholars formulating the characteristics of the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex. Contrary to popular belief, the SECC appears to have no links to Mesoamerican culture
27.
Lincoln, Alabama
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Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 6,266 and it was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War. Lincoln is located at 33°35′35″N 86°8′20″W and it is home to Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, employing over 4,000 people. The famed Talladega Superspeedway race track is located near the city. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the city has an area of 21.5 square miles. Lincoln has three schools in the Talladega County Board of Education, Lincoln Elementary School, Charles R. Drew Middle School. The first graduate of Lincoln High School was the famous Cities Service Company CEO Burl S. Watson, the Birmingham Supplementary School Inc. a part-time Japanese school, has its offices at the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC facility in unincorporated Talladega County, near Lincoln. It holds its classes at the Shelby-Hoover campus of Jefferson State Community College in Hoover, the school first opened on September 1,2001. As of the census of 2000, there were 4,577 people,1,831 households, the population density was 214.6 people per square mile. There were 2,297 housing units at a density of 107.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 71. 90% White,27. 05% Black or African American,0. 31% Native American,0. 07% Asian,0. 07% from other races,0. 70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 22. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5. 9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was out with 22. 9% under the age of 18,8. 3% from 18 to 24,28. 4% from 25 to 44,28. 8% from 45 to 64. The median age was 39 years, for every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males, the median income for a household in the city was $34,053, and the median income for a family was $36,900. Males had an income of $29,407 versus $24,102 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,442, about 9. 4% of families and 13. 4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17. 6% of those under age 18 and 26. 1% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 6,266 people,2,478 households, the population density was 294.2 people per square mile
28.
International Motorsports Hall of Fame
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Although people of many nationalities have been inducted the majority of inductees chosen are American drivers who competed in domestic series. Only two non-Americans have been inducted since 2003 and it was founded in 1982 by Bill France, Sr. the founder of NASCAR, and is currently located in Lincoln, Alabama, adjacent to Talladega Superspeedway. To be nominated, the person must be retired from their specialty in motorsports for at least five years unless approved on special means and they are voted on by a 150-member panel from the American auto racing media. Due to the opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, there was no class of 2010, Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Long Beach Motorsports Walk of Fame NASCAR Hall of Fame Official website
29.
Michigan
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Michigan /ˈmɪʃᵻɡən/ is a state in the Great Lakes and Midwestern regions of the United States. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, Michigan is the tenth most populous of the 50 United States, with the 11th most extensive total area. Its capital is Lansing, and its largest city is Detroit, Michigan is the only state to consist of two peninsulas. The Lower Peninsula, to which the name Michigan was originally applied, is noted to be shaped like a mitten. The Upper Peninsula is separated from the Lower Peninsula by the Straits of Mackinac, the two peninsulas are connected by the Mackinac Bridge. The state has the longest freshwater coastline of any political subdivision in the world, being bounded by four of the five Great Lakes, as a result, it is one of the leading U. S. states for recreational boating. Michigan also has 64,980 inland lakes and ponds, a person in the state is never more than six miles from a natural water source or more than 85 miles from a Great Lakes shoreline. What is now the state of Michigan was first settled by Native American tribes before being colonized by French explorers in the 17th century, the area was organized as part of the larger Northwest Territory until 1800, when western Michigan became part of the Indiana Territory. Eventually, in 1805, the Michigan Territory was formed, which lasted until it was admitted into the Union on January 26,1837, the state of Michigan soon became an important center of industry and trade in the Great Lakes region and a popular immigrant destination. Though Michigan has come to develop an economy, it is widely known as the center of the U. S. automotive industry. When the first European explorers arrived, the most populous tribes were Algonquian peoples, which include the Anishinaabe groups of Ojibwe, Odaawaa/Odawa, the three nations co-existed peacefully as part of a loose confederation called the Council of Three Fires. The Ojibwe, whose numbers are estimated to have been between 25,000 and 35,000, were the largest, French voyageurs and coureurs des bois explored and settled in Michigan in the 17th century. The first Europeans to reach what became Michigan were those of Étienne Brûlés expedition in 1622, the first permanent European settlement was founded in 1668 on the site where Père Jacques Marquette established Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan as a base for Catholic missions, missionaries in 1671–75 founded outlying stations at Saint Ignace and Marquette. Jesuit missionaries were received by the areas Indian populations, with relatively few difficulties or hostilities. In 1679, Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle built Fort Miami at present-day St. Joseph, in 1691, the French established a trading post and Fort St. Joseph along the St. Joseph River at the present day city of Niles. The hundred soldiers and workers who accompanied Cadillac built a fort enclosing one arpent, cadillacs wife, Marie Thérèse Guyon, soon moved to Detroit, becoming one of the first European women to settle in the Michigan wilderness. The town quickly became a major fur-trading and shipping post, the Église de Saint-Anne was founded the same year
30.
Detroit
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Detroit is the most populous city in the U. S. state of Michigan, the fourth-largest city in the Midwest and the largest city on the United States–Canada border. It is the seat of Wayne County, the most populous county in the state, the municipality of Detroit had a 2015 estimated population of 677,116, making it the 21st-most populous city in the United States. Roughly one-half of Michigans population lives in Metro Detroit alone, the Detroit–Windsor area, a commercial link straddling the Canada–U. S. Border, has a population of about 5.7 million. Detroit is a port on the Detroit River, a strait that connects the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The Detroit Metropolitan Airport is among the most important hubs in the United States, the City of Detroit anchors the second-largest economic region in the Midwest, behind Chicago, and the thirteenth-largest in the United States. Detroit and its neighboring Canadian city Windsor are connected through a tunnel and various bridges, Detroit was founded on July 24,1701 by the French explorer and adventurer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac and a party of settlers. During the 19th century, it became an important industrial hub at the center of the Great Lakes region, with expansion of the American automobile industry in the early 20th century, the Detroit area emerged as a significant metropolitan region within the United States. The city became the fourth-largest in the country for a period, in the 1950s and 1960s, suburban expansion continued with construction of a regional freeway system. A great portion of Detroits public transport was abandoned in favour of becoming a city in the post-war period. Due to industrial restructuring and loss of jobs in the auto industry, between 2000 and 2010 the citys population fell by 25 percent, changing its ranking from the nations 10th-largest city to 18th. In 2010, the city had a population of 713,777 and this resulted from suburbanization, corruption, industrial restructuring and the decline of Detroits auto industry. In 2013, the state of Michigan declared an emergency for the city. Detroit has experienced urban decay as its population and jobs have shifted to its suburbs or elsewhere, conservation efforts managed to save many architectural pieces since the 2000s and allowed several large-scale revitalisations. More recently, the population of Downtown Detroit, Midtown Detroit, paleo-Indian people inhabited areas near Detroit as early as 11,000 years ago. In the 17th century, the region was inhabited by Huron, Odawa, Potawatomi, for the next hundred years, virtually no British, colonist, or French action was contemplated without consultation with, or consideration of the Iroquois likely response. When the French and Indian War evicted the Kingdom of France from Canada, the 1798 raids and resultant 1799 decisive Sullivan Expedition reopened the Ohio Country to westward emigration, which began almost immediately, and by 1800 white settlers were pouring westwards. By 1773, the population of Detroit was 1,400, by 1778, its population was up to 2,144 and it was the third-largest city in the Province of Quebec
31.
Richmond, Virginia
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Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond Region and it was incorporated in 1742, and has been an independent city since 1871. As of the 2010 census, the population was 204,214, in 2015, the population was estimated to be 220,289, the Richmond Metropolitan Area has a population of 1,260,029, the third-most populous metro in the state. Richmond is located at the line of the James River,44 miles west of Williamsburg,66 miles east of Charlottesville. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, the city is located at the intersections of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64, Major suburbs include Midlothian to the southwest, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west and Mechanicsville to the northeast. The site of Richmond had been an important village of the Powhatan Confederacy, and was settled by English colonists from Jamestown in 1609. The present city of Richmond was founded in 1737 and it became the capital of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the American Civil War, Richmond served as the capital of the Confederate States of America, the city entered the 20th century with one of the worlds first successful electric streetcar systems. The Jackson Ward neighborhood is a hub of African-American commerce. Richmonds economy is driven by law, finance, and government, with federal, state. Dominion Resources and MeadWestvaco, Fortune 500 companies, are headquartered in the city, in 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid. The settlement was laid out in April 1737, and was incorporated as a town in 1742, Richmond recovered quickly from the war, and by 1782 was once again a thriving city. A permanent home for the new government, the Virginia State Capitol building, was designed by Thomas Jefferson with the assistance of Charles-Louis Clérisseau, after the American Revolutionary War, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center. The legacy of the canal boatmen is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag, on April 17,1861, five days after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, the legislature voted to secede from the United States and joined the Confederacy. Official action came in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its capital to Richmond. It became the target of Union armies, especially in the campaigns of 1862. The Seven Days Battles followed in late June and early July 1862, during which Union General McClellan threatened to take Richmond, three years later, as March 1865 ended, the Confederate capitol became indefensible. On March 25, Confederate General John B, gordons desperate attack on Fort Stedman east of Petersburg failed
32.
Kansas City, Kansas
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Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas, the county seat of Wyandotte County, and the third-largest city of the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the Unified Government, Wyandotte County also includes the independent cities of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 145,786 residents and it is situated at Kaw Point, which is the junction of the Missouri and Kansas rivers. In October 1872, old Kansas City, Kansas, was incorporated, the first city election was held on October 22 of that year, by order of Judge Hiram Stevens of the Tenth Judicial District, and resulted in the election of Mayor James Boyle. The mayors of the city after its organization were James Boyle, C. A. Eidemiller, A. S. Orbison, Eli Teed, in June 1880, the Governor of Kansas proclaimed the city of Kansas City a city of the second class with Mayor McConnell present. In March 1886, new Kansas City, Kansas, was formed through the consolidation of five municipalities, old Kansas City, Armstrong, Armourdale, Riverview, the oldest city of the group was Wyandotte, which was formed in 1857 by Wyandot Native Americans and Methodist missionaries. In the 1890s, the city saw a growth in population as a streetcar suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, from which it takes its name. It was one of the nations 100 largest cities for many U. S. Census counts, from 1890 to 1960, including 1920, when it had a population of over 100,000 residents for the first time. As with adjacent Kansas City, Missouri, the percentage of the citys most populous ethnic group, in 1997, voters approved a proposition to unify the city and county governments creating the Unified Government of Wyandotte County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 128.38 square miles. Neighborhoods of Kansas City, Kansas, include the following, Downtown Argentine − former home to the silver smelter for which it was named, Armourdale − formerly a city, it was consolidated with the city of Kansas City in 1886. Armstrong − a town absorbed by Wyandotte, bethel − a neighborhood located generally along Leavenworth Rd. between 72nd and 77th Streets. It was never incorporated as a municipality, Fairfax District − an industrial area along the Missouri River. Nearman Piper Pomeroy − a late-19th—early-20th-century Train Depot, Trading Post, Saw Mill, Riverview Rosedale − merged with Kansas City in 1922. Stony Point Strawberry Hill Turner − community around the Wyandotte-Johnson County border to the Kansas River north-south, unless otherwise stated, normal figures below are based on data from 1981 to 2010 at Downtown Airport. The warmest month of the year is July, with a 24-hour average temperature of 81.0 °F, the summer months are hot, but can get very hot and moderately humid, with moist air riding up from the Gulf of Mexico. High temperatures surpass 100 °F on 5.6 days of the year, the coldest month of the year is January, with an average temperature of 31.0 °F. Winters are cold, with 22 days where the high is at or below the mark and 2.5 nights with a low at or below 0 °F
33.
International Speedway Corporation
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International Speedway Corporation is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR and IndyCar race tracks. The company has played an important, though controversial, role in the modernization of the sport, a decade later, France decided to build another superspeedway, this time on a 2, 000-acre site near Talladega, Alabama and after its completion Talladega Superspeedway became NASCARs fastest track. These two tracks were the fastest on the schedule until the advent of restrictor plates in 1988. In 1968, the company assumed its current name to reflect its more ambitious scope, two years later, ISC created the Motor Racing Network, a play-by-play radio network for NASCAR races, with MRNs first race coverage coming at the 1970 Daytona 500. The early 1980s saw NASCARs popularity increase, not only among fans, companies like Ford, General Motors, Winston and Gatorade were willing to put up advertising dollars and holding auto races became a much more profitable venture. To capitalize on this, the company began pursuing expansion through the purchase of existing tracks, the following year they partnered with Corning Glass Works to purchase the Watkins Glen International road course in upstate New York. In 1987, Bill France, Sr. stepped down as president of the company with Jim France replacing him, two years later, ISC incorporated its food service company, Americrown. ISC began looking for ways to change this in the late 1990s, Homestead-Miami Speedway was built in 1995 by Ralph Sanchez and Wayne Huizenga and in 1997 ISC and Penske Motorsports partnered with the tracks owners. Chairman Bill France, Jr. cited the companys attractive markets as one of the reasons for going ahead with the deal. The new company retained the ISC name, with Penskes son Gregory Penske joining the board of directors, not all of the new tracks from the Penske merger fit into the companys plans however, as Nazareth was soon closed down and Rockingham was sold. The merger also gave ISC a 90% stake in Homestead-Miami Speedway, in 2007, ISC bought out its partners in the company to take control of both tracks. In 2001, ISC would continue its trend towards modern facilities by constructing Kansas Speedway near Kansas City, in 2003, Lesa Kennedy took over from Jim France the role of president of the company. On June 1,2009, John R. Saunders took over as President of ISC, mr. Saunders held the position of Executive Vice President of Operations prior to becoming President. Today, the company owns 13 active tracks which collectively hold 19 of the 36 events on the schedule of NASCARs premier competition, twelve of the thirteen host a Sprint Cup race. In addition to the car racing that NASCAR is famous for, ISC tracks also host IRL IndyCar races, Grand-Am, IMSA GT and SCCA sports car races, WKA go-kart races. Besides NASCAR, other stock car series like IROC and ARCA use their tracks, the companys other holdings include the Motor Racing Network, a radio network that broadcasts NASCAR events, and Americrown, a food service business that operates concession stands at its tracks. In 2005, ISC partnered with Speedway Motorsports, Inc. to form Motorsports Authentics, although ISC is controlled by the France family, it is separate from NASCAR. About 35% of the stock in ISC is owned by the heirs of NASCAR founder Bill France, Lesa Kennedy is CEO and Jim France is Chairman
34.
Speedway Motorsports
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Speedway Motorsports, Inc. is an American corporation that owns and manages racing facilities that host NASCAR, IndyCar Series, NHRA, World of Outlaws and other motor racing series. The companys headquarters are located at Charlotte Motor Speedway, in the suburbs of Charlotte, SMI owns nine racing facilities with a combined seating capacity of approximately 885,000. In addition to operating racetracks, SMI owns Performance Racing Network, Legends Cars International, and co-owns Motorsports Authentics. Speedway Motorsports didnt officially incorporate until 1994, bruton Smith began building SMI in the 1950s when he worked as a race promoter and eventually built Charlotte Motor Speedway in 1959. Smith left the business in the early 1960s to pursue other business ventures. He became very successful and by 1975 had owned majority shares in CMS, a year later he appointed H. A. Smith began to expand CMS, adding additional grandstands and facilities including condominiums, in 1990, Smith began to acquire additional speedway properties beginning with Atlanta Motor Speedway. As he did with Charlotte, Smith began expanding seating and facilities at Atlanta, in 1992, lights were added to CMS, making it one of the first speedways to offer night racing, and the company developed the Legends car racing circuit, now called U. S. Smith incorporated Speedway Motorsports in December 1994, and in February 24th,1995 took the public by offering shares of stock. In 1996, SMI began to expand, acquiring two additional facilities, Bristol Motor Speedway and Sonoma Raceway. A year later, the finished construction of the $250 million,150,000 seat Texas Motor Speedway. Between 1993 and 1998, SMI had increased its seating capacity from 176,000 to 551,000. In 1999 SMI outbid rival International Speedway Corporation to purchase Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Smith had outbid ISC by $15 million to make a total $215 million purchase. That same year, SMI sold the rights of its flagship Charlotte Motor Speedway to Lowes. Until 1999, Speedway Motorsports was the top track owner in the motorsports industry and that year, International Speedway Corporation, then the second largest track owner, acquired Penske Motorsports, then the third largest track owner. The $623 million deal propelled ISC to the top track owner, Smith then turned his attention towards securing two NASCAR dates at each of his facilities. As of 2011, only four SMI owned tracks hold two NASCAR dates, SMI purchased North Wilkesboro Speedway and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2007, and in 2008 purchased Kentucky Speedway. Today SMI owns nine racing facilities, eight of which are used to host major racing series including NASCAR, IndyCar, as of December 31,2009, the combined total permanent seating capacity was approximately 885,000
35.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is an automobile racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, in the United States. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 and it is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles west of Downtown Indianapolis. Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named and it has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000 with infield seating raising capacity to an approximate 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world, considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a 2. 5-mile-long rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its construction. A modern infield road course was completed in 2000, incorporating part of the oval, including the mainstretch, in 2008, and again in 2014, the road course layout was modified to accommodate motorcycle racing, as well as to improve competition. Altogether, the current grounds have expanded from an original 320 acres on which the speedway was first built to cover an area of over 559 acres. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, in addition to the Indianapolis 500, the speedway also hosts NASCARs Brickyard 400 and Lilly Diabetes 250. From 2000 to 2007, the hosted the Formula One United States Grand Prix. On the grounds of the speedway is the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, which opened in 1956, the museum moved into its current building located in the infield in 1976. Also on the grounds is the Brickyard Crossing Golf Resort, which opened as the Speedway Golf Course in 1929. The golf course has 14 holes outside of the track, along the backstretch, the speedway also served as the venue for the opening ceremonies for the 1987 Pan American Games. Fisher began thinking of a means of testing cars before delivering them to consumers. At the time, racing was just getting started on horse tracks, Fisher noticed how dangerous and ill-suited the makeshift courses were for racing and testing. He also argued that spectators did not get their moneys worth, Fisher proposed building a circular track 3 to 5 miles long with smooth 100–150-foot-wide surfaces. Such a track would give manufacturers a chance to test cars at sustained speeds, Fisher predicted speeds could reach up to 120 mph on a 5-mile course. He visited the Brooklands circuit outside London in 1907, and after viewing the banked layout, in December 1908, he convinced James A. Allison, Arthur Newby, and Frank W. Wheeler to join him in purchasing the property for $72,000. Construction of the started in March 1909. Fisher had to downsize his planned 3-mile oval with a 2-mile road course to a 2. 5-mile oval to leave room for the grandstands
36.
Pocono Raceway
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Pocono Raceway also known as the Tricky Triangle, is a superspeedway located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania at Long Pond. From 1971 to 1989, and again since 2013, the track has hosted an Indy Car race, currently sanctioned by the IndyCar Series. Pocono is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation, the dominant track owners in NASCAR. It is run by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon and Nicholas, both of whom are members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II. Mattco also owns South Boston Speedway in South Boston, Virginia, outside of the NASCAR races, Pocono is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools. The triangular oval also has three separate sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections, designed by the 1959 and 1962 Indy 500 winner Roger Ward, Pocono Raceway has a unique design. Each turn is modeled after turns at 3 different tracks, Turn One was modeled after the now defunct Trenton Speedway, Turn Two is like Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and Turn 3 is similar to The Milwaukee Mile. It could be said to be a tri-oval, but the turns are more severe than those of a more typical tri-oval such as Daytona. They have been likened somewhat to the turns of road courses. An additional complication is that the three turns are not identical, nor are any of the three straights identical in length, the banking of each turn is considerably less than on many other long ovals. For its unique characteristics, Pocono is sometimes referred to as a roval, others refer to Pocono as a modified road course due to the use of shifting gears to handle the range between the slowest curve and the fastest straightaway. The odd design makes the setup of the car and the ability to make chassis adjustments even more crucial here than at many other tracks. Often it is the difference between a performance and a poor performance. Drivers tend to love the track or hate it, largely depending on how well it suits their driving style. In 1991 some drivers in NASCAR experimented with shifting gears down the mammoth 3,740 foot long frontstretch. The ratios for third gear and fourth gear were set so that third was used for most of the circuit, the method provided a better RPM range around the track, improved overall lap times
37.
Dover International Speedway
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Dover International Speedway is a race track in Dover, Delaware, United States. Since opening in 1969, it has held at least two NASCAR races, in addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the Verizon IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1 mile concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns, the speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports. The track, nicknamed The Monster Mile, was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc. with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the tracks capacity moved to 135,000 seats, in 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called The Monster Makeover, after the 2014 season, the tracks capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats. In 1966, Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc. began construction on Dover Downs International Speedway, the race track was completed three years later, and would have its first race on July 6,1969. The inaugural race, known as the Mason-Dixon 300, was won by Richard Petty, during the 1971 racing season, the speedway removed all the events not sanctioned by NASCAR to help keep focus on the two NASCAR Winston Cup Series races, which were 500 miles each. Eleven years later, Dover Downs International Speedway added a NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series event, in 1986, the speedway added 3,200 seats to its 10,333 seat grandstand. Dover Downs International Speedway continued adding seats each year until 2001, a second Xfinity Series race was also added to the speedways schedule during the 1986 season. Eight years later, Delaware General Assembly passed legislation to allow slot machines at horse racing venues. In 1995, Dover Downs International Speedway became the second NASCAR racing venue to be paved with concrete instead of asphalt, during the same year, Dover Downs slots opened on December 29. Two years later, the changed the race distances of its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races to 400 miles. In 1998, Dover Downs International Speedway added an Verizon IndyCar Series event to the schedule, during the 2000 racing season, Dover Downs International Speedway added a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event. Kurt Busch won the inaugural Truck Series race from the pole position, in the following year, the speedways capacity was expanded to 135,000 seats, the largest of any mid-Atlantic sports stadium. After the gaming side of Dover Downs separated, Dover Motorsports, Inc. was created to operate the speedway, which caused the speedway to become Dover International Speedway in 2002. On May 26,2006, Dover International Speedway announced a capital improvement project called The Monster Makeover. During the first stage of the improvement project in 2007, the built an new 12-suite skybox complex
38.
Bowman Gray Stadium
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Bowman Gray Stadium is a NASCAR sanctioned 1⁄4-mile asphalt flat oval short track and longstanding football stadium located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racings most legendary venues, and is referred to as NASCARs longest-running weekly race track, Bowman Gray Stadium is part of the Winston-Salem Sports and Entertainment Complex and is home of the Winston-Salem State University Rams football team. It was also the home of the Wake Forest University football team from 1956 until Groves Stadium opened in 1968, Bowman Gray Stadium was a popular venue for high school football in the 1970s and 1980s. Reynolds High Schools shared Bowman Gray Stadium as their field for high school football until the two schools built their own facility in 1994. The first NASCAR-sanctioned event took place on May 18,1949 and was won by Fonty Flock, the track was opened by NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins, and remains operated by members of the Hawkins family to this day. In 2015, Bowman Gray celebrated its 1, 000th NASCAR sanctioned race The first Grand National event took place in 1958, other winners include Glen Wood, Rex White, David Pearson, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Junior Johnson and Marvin Panch. The Grand National Series first raced at the track in 1958, Bowman Grays nickname, the Madhouse, is largely attributed to the racing antics that take place on the tight, quarter mile bull ring. In 2014, Bowman Grays promoter, Gray Garrison described the events at BGS as part racing, part religion, while this is partially the reason for the nickname, it actually originated from a qualifying format the track used in the 1950s called the mad scramble. Currently, the features four divisions, the modifieds, sportsman, street stock. The football history of the stadium is also quite storied, Wake Forest University played home games in the stadium from its move to Winston-Salem in 1956, until the 1968 season when Groves Stadium opened. Players such as Brian Piccolo, the 1964 ACC Player of the Year who led the nation in rushing and scoring, Piccolo later became famous as the teammate of Gale Sayers with the Chicago Bears, and the subject of the 1971 film Brians Song. The Winston-Salem high schools of R. J. Reynolds High, Bowman Grays weekly racing tradition continues as part of the Whelen All-American Series, with races Saturday evenings from the end of April through August. Weekly races include the modified, sportsman, street stock and stadium stock divisions, the History Channel show MadHouse was taped at the track during the 2009 season. The showed aired in January 2010 and ran through April 2010, spectators listen to the officials during the races on frequencies 461.200 MHz,463.625 MHz, and 466.600 MHz on a scanner or race radio. Many, if not all of the drivers also communicate via a radio during the race. Most of them use a frequency between 450-470 MHz, but there are exceptions, modified and sportsman car counts were thin during the latter part of the 1950s and the track combined the two and let the V6s run with the V8s and named it the Modified-Sportsman Division. Leading into the 1968 season, the dropped the sportsman cars and title. The Amateur Division was the division to the modified-sportsman and ran from 1950 to mid-1958, where the division dissolved
39.
Rockford Speedway
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Rockford Speedway is a 1/4 mile short track high banked asphalt oval located in Loves Park, Illinois on Illinois Route 173. Rockford Speedway is the only racetrack running under NASCAR sanction in Illinois and it hosts weekly local-level events during the summer racing season as well as occasional regional- and national-level events. Notable special events at the track include trailer races, endurance races, the Spring Classic, ALl-Star 100, Bahama Bracket Nationals, the track was built in 1947 by a farmer and group of investors. Hugh Deery eventually bought into the speedway and was the owner by 1966. It is run by his widow, Jody Deery and it opened in 1948 as a midget car racing venue. Despite a death in the pits at the several weeks after opening, on June 16,1948. Rockford Speedway is known for being the first track to develop an economical late model program as well as being an early adopter of the short track Saturday night racing program, over the years the track has also hosted concerts. On August 17,1980, as a part of Rockford Speedway Jam 1980, the track is an asphalt-paved nominal 1/4 mile. The measured length of the track is 0.29167 miles and it is highly banked at the turns and relatively flat on the front and back stretches. It is banked at 22 degrees in the 50-foot -wide corners, inside the 1/4 mile oval track is a figure eight track. The tracks offer two programs during much of the season. On Saturdays it hosts a NASCAR-sanctioned Whelen All-American Series late model race, along with All American Sportsmen, American Short Trackers and Road Runners. On Wednesday nights it hosts The Road Runner Super Summer Series, Bandits, Winged Women on wheels, Figure 8s, Legends, Minicups, Bandoleros, Track champions include seven-time champions Bobby Wilberg and John Knaus. Travis Kvapil started racing at Rockford at age 16 and was the 1994 track champion in the American Short Tracker division, rich Bickle was the tracks sportsman rookie of the year in 1980. Several notable people started their careers at Rockford. NASCAR crew chief Chad Knaus was his fathers crew chief for his race car. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series official John Darby got his start at Rockford in 1971 as an owner of a street stock, in 1976 he became crew chief for a late model that he owned which won the 1977 championship. He stopped owning the racecar in 1982 and became a track official and he moved up the NASCAR ranks as a technical official, and by 1994 he was the director for the NASCAR Busch Series
40.
Associated Press
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The Associated Press is an American multinational nonprofit news agency headquartered in New York City that operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. The AP is owned by its contributing newspapers and radio and television stations in the United States, all of which stories to the AP. Most of the AP staff are members and are represented by the Newspaper Guild, which operates under the Communications Workers of America. As of 2007, news collected by the AP was published and republished by more than 1,700 newspapers, in addition to more than 5,000 television, the photograph library of the AP consists of over 10 million images. The AP operates 243 news bureaus in 120 countries and it also operates the AP Radio Network, which provides newscasts twice hourly for broadcast and satellite radio and television stations. Many newspapers and broadcasters outside the United States are AP subscribers, as part of their cooperative agreement with the AP, most member news organizations grant automatic permission for the AP to distribute their local news reports. The AP employs the inverted pyramid formula for writing that enables the news outlets to edit a story to fit its available publication area without losing the storys essentials. Cutbacks at rival United Press International in 1993 left the AP as the United States primary news service, although UPI still produces and distributes stories and photos daily. Other English-language news services, such as the BBC, Reuters, some historians believe that the Tribune joined at this time, documents show it was a member in 1849. The New York Times became a member shortly after its founding in September 1851, initially known as the New York Associated Press, the organization faced competition from the Western Associated Press, which criticized its monopolistic news gathering and price setting practices. The revelations led to the demise of the NYAP and in December 1892, when the AP was founded, news became a salable commodity. The invention of the press allowed the New York Tribune in the 1870s to print 18,000 papers per hour. During the Civil War and Spanish–American War, there was a new incentive to print vivid, Melville Stone, who had founded the Chicago Daily News in 1875, served as AP General Manager from 1893 to 1921. He embraced the standards of accuracy, impartiality, and integrity, the cooperative grew rapidly under the leadership of Kent Cooper, who built up bureau staff in South America, Europe and, the Middle East. He introduced the telegraph typewriter or teletypewriter into newsrooms in 1914, in 1935, AP launched the Wirephoto network, which allowed transmission of news photographs over leased private telephone lines on the day they were taken. This gave AP a major advantage over other media outlets. While the first network was only between New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, eventually AP had its network across the whole United States, in 1945, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Associated Press v. The decision facilitated the growth of its main rival United Press International, AP entered the broadcast field in 1941 when it began distributing news to radio stations, it created its own radio network in 1974
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Fox NASCAR
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Fox NASCAR, also known as NASCAR on Fox, is the branding used for broadcasts of NASCAR races produced by Fox Sports and have aired on the Fox network in the United States since 2001. Throughout its run, FOXs coverage of NASCAR has won thirteen Emmy Awards, Fox and FX would alternate coverage of all races held during the first half of the season, while NBC and TNT would air all races held during the second half. For balance, the network that did not air the 500 in a year during the contract would air Daytonas summer night race. Valued at $2.4 billion, Fox/FX held the rights to this contract for eight years. During the first half of the season, FX served as the broadcaster of the Busch Series, airing all but the most prestigious races. FX was also home to most of the NASCAR Cup Series night races, the All-Star Race, should a Fox-scheduled race be rained out on their scheduled race day and rescheduled to resume the following Monday, FX would simulcast the race with some of Foxs affiliates. Fox Sports Net covered the 2001 Gatorade Twin 125s at Daytona International Speedway, the rights would be divided as follows, Fox became the exclusive broadcaster of the Daytona 500 and also hold the rights to the first thirteen points paying races. In addition, the network carried the Sprint Unlimited and two Truck Series races, Fox did not air any races of what is now the Camping World Truck Series from 2010 to 2013, with all 25 races instead airing on Speed. Foxs 2011 coverage ended with the STP400 at Kansas Speedway, TNT carried six NASCAR Cup Series races during the month of June and the first half of July, including the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona. In 2013, in particular, the network aired Pocono Raceway, Michigan International Speedway, Sonoma Raceway, Kentucky Speedway, the Coke Zero 400, and New Hampshire Motor Speedway. ESPN and ABC carried the final seventeen NASCAR Cup Series races from the Brickyard 400 through the end of the season, after the 2009 season, all the Truck races aired on Speed/FS1 – with the exception of the 2014 Talladega race, which aired on Fox. Fox had previously held rights to three races under its initial 2001–06 contract. Under the current deal, Fox broadcasts ten points races over the air, NBC also airs the remaining races in the Xfinity Series from the Subway Firecracker 250 through Homestead-Miami. Chase Races on NBC is a lead in to NBC Sunday Night Football, the Camping World Truck Series remains exclusively on Fox Sports 1, with the Talladega race broadcast on Fox. Chris Myers – host Jeff Gordon – analyst Darrell Waltrip – analyst Michael Waltrip – analyst For all of its broadcasts, for the 2001 to 2007 races held at Daytona International Speedway, the infield media center situated next to Gatorade Victory Lane was used instead. If the race is delayed to a Monday, the Hollywood Hotel studio is usually not used, with the exception of the 2012 Daytona 500, which was delayed by one day. This was because Myers also hosted a talk-show for Fox Sports Radio, John Roberts filled in for Myers for this particular race, and had also filled in for Myers the previous week for the Budweiser Shootout as Myers was on bereavement leave. However, if a Saturday night race is rained out to Sunday then the studio will be in use for the delayed coverage, prior to 2015, if the Hotel was no longer available, Jeff Hammond could be shifted to substitute for a pit reporter or analyst if necessary
