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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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