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The National
Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the largest
sanctioning body of motorsports in the United States. The
three largest racing series sanctioned by NASCAR are the NEXTEL
Cup, the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series. It also
oversees NASCAR Regional Racing, the Whelen Modified Tour,
and the Whelen All-American Series.
NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38
states, Canada, and Mexico. From 1996 to 1998, NASCAR held
exhibition races in Japan, and an exhibition race in Australia
in 1988.
With roots as regional entertainment
in the Southeastern U.S., NASCAR has grown to become the second
most popular professional sport in terms of television ratings
inside the U.S., ranking behind only the National Football
League. Internationally, NASCAR races are broadcast in over
150 countries. It holds 17 of the top 20 attended sporting
events in the U.S.1, and has 75 million fans who purchase
over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales.
These fans are considered the most brand-loyal in all of sports,
and as a result, Fortune 500 companies sponsor NASCAR more
than any other sport.
NASCAR's headquarters
are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, although it also maintains
offices in four North Carolina cities: Charlotte, Mooresville,
Concord and Conover as well as New York City, Los Angeles,
California; Arkansas, and international offices in Mexico
City and Toronto, Ontario.
NASCAR and the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) cooperated
and opened a technical school in North Carolina called NASCAR
Technical Institute, where aspiring students train to be NASCAR
mechanics.
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