Nascars Original Speedway is a motorsport that was formed in 1953 and is one of the longest-running motorsport events in Australia. The name itself is a combination of three words: NASCAR, Australia and Speedway. We’ll let you in on a little secret: this race wasn’t originally called the Nascar, it was originally called the Saloons (Australian for ‘Sports Cars’) and it was first staged at the Adelaide Speedway in South Australia.
History
The very first Nascar was formed in 1941 and became an official sport in 1947. The organisation started out as a way for NASCAR drivers to travel around the United States while on tour. The series eventually became so popular that it attracted large numbers of spectators, which led to the formation of local NASCAR franchises. In 1953, the World Series of NASCAR racing began, with the season finale being held in Adelaide, South Australia. One of the greatest American drivers of all time, Lee Wallace, won the first ever NASCAR race held in Australia (and the name Nascar was changed to reflect this). The series went on to establish itself in other countries, too, and is still going strong today.
The Grand Prix Of Adelaide
Before we begin our guide to what is Nascars Original Speedway, let’s take some time to look at one of the oldest speedways in the world. Situated in the heart of the city, the grand old Adelaide Oval is the Mecca for sporting events and concerts. One of the world’s great sporting arenas, it’s also the home of the Adelaide Rush, the cross-town rivals of the Adelaide Crows.
The history of this great venue dates back to 1909, when it was first built. Up until World War II, the grand old oval featured a range of sports, from rugby to cricket and even some American football. After the war, the stadium was bought by the city and subsequently used for the annual Royal Adelaide Show. The name ‘Adelaide Oval’ was retained for the venue even after the Royal Adelaide Show was discontinued in the 1980s.
In the 1800s, cricket had become a huge sport in Adelaide, with teams from the city competing against each other all over Australia. The game underwent a revival in the 1930s and 1940s and the Adelaide Oval was one of the main locations for matches. Crowds of up to 40,000 would line the streets outside the stadium, eager to catch a glimpse of their heroes._p>
The Nascar Heritage Tour
We mentioned earlier that the name Nascars was changed to reflect the event’s connection to NASCAR. If you take a look at the record books, you’ll see that the name change didn’t happen overnight and it actually took years of speculation to get NASCAR‘s approval to use their name for the Australian race. In 1968, NASCAR finally agreed to let the Aussie guys use their name, but only on the condition that they changed it the next year (which they did). So, in 1969, the first annual Nascar event in Australia was known as the ‘Pace Motorsports Australian Speed Championship’ and held at the Brisbane Street Circuit in Brisbane. In 1972, the name of the race was officially changed to Nascars, as per the condition set by NASCAR.
The Present Day
These days, the Nascar series only holds a couple of races a year, with the others being held in conjunction with various other motorsport events. The most popular series in Australia is the V8 Supercars Championship, which is also one of the most popular series worldwide. Held at a variety of venues, including the iconic Sydney Motorsport Park and an underground racing club known as the Snake Buford Dragway in Melbourne, the championship is a blend of open-cockpit ‘V8s’ and closed-cockpit ‘Supercars’. The cars are insanely fast, with the current generation of cars being able to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h!
With the global popularity of motorsport continuing to grow, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Nascar series returned to Australia at some point in the future. Although the series has had its ups and downs over the years, it’s still one of the most popular sports in the country and it’s definitely not a race you want to miss!