The NASCAR Winston Cup Series, stock car racing's premier series, traces its history back to 1949, when it was known as the Strictly Stock Division Series. Its first winner and the first series champion, Atlanta's Red Byron was also honored in the same year. He won two races with his 49 Oldsmobile car and received $5,800 as race winnings. The first race took place at Beach & Road Course at Daytona Beach, 116 miles in length. The other seven tracks were Martinsville Speedway (Martinsville, Va.), Langhorne Speedway (Langhorne, Pa.), Occoneechee Speedway (Hillsboro, N.C.), North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, N.C.), Charlotte Speedway (Charlotte, N.C.), Heidelberg Speedway (Heidelberg, Pa.) and Hamburg Fairgrounds (Hamburg, N.Y.), as well as on the beach at Daytona.

This eight-race season also witnessed the emergence of NASCAR's early stars and future champions. This series was called the NASCAR Grand National series from 1950 to 1971. The 1950s also brought forward many promising NASCAR pioneers, who became champions and superstars. Some of the greatest racers in NASCAR history appeared on the scene in the next decade, i.e., 1960s. NASCAR's seven-time champion Richard Petty won his first two championships between 1960- 69 and this decade also brought David Pearson, the second- winning driver in NASCAR Grand National (at present known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series) to the forefront.

The present name, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series was adopted in 1986 and it is still known by the same name. The 1980s can be truly regarded as the decade of superstars. NASCAR's champions, who emerged during this period, bridge the gap between the stars of past and future. Dale Earnhardt won his first three championships in the 1980s and Darrell Waltrip had an equally wonderful season as a winner. Bill Elliott, the favorite of thousands of fans earned his first and only title in 1988, and so did Rusty Wallace in 1989. During the 1990s, NASCAR joined the ranks of four major professional sports. This recognition benefited both this sport and its champion by bringing in more attention to them. This decade saw a rise in the number of spectators and participants, increase in TV ratings and also gave us some memorable championship moments that are still fresh in our memories. Among the drivers, this decade belongs to seven-time champion Dale Earnhardt, who won four of his titles and the young newcomer, Jeff Gordon who started his career in the early 90s, but quit after participating in only three championships. The new millennium saw the rise of a new NASCAR Winston Cup champion, Bobby Labonte. He has made NASCAR history by becoming the first driver to win both the NASCAR Busch Series championship and the NASCAR Winston Cup championship.

Now, Winston's three decades old sponsorship of America's most popular auto racing series has come to an end. The Ford 400 happens to be the last race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The partnership went through many ups and downs, but these did not shake its foundation. However, RJR announced that it was ending its sponsorship commitment in June due to changing 'business dynamics'. A ceremony was held before the Ford 400 event to celebrate Winston's contributions to NASCAR. Fifteen different Winston Cup winners were honored in this ceremony, and former champions Richard Petty and Tony Stewart took a pre-race victory lap.

Over the years, Ford has emerged as the undisputed leader in car races. It leads all other brands with 539 all-time series wins. Followed by Chevrolet with 507 Dodge with 170 and Pontiac with 154 wins many new records were made and old ones shattered during the course of these championships. Ned Jarrett won Ford's first NASCAR Winston Cup driver's championship in 1965 and, more than 30 years later, his son, Dale, also achieved the same honor in 1999. David Pearson won back-to-back crowns in 1968 and 1969, while Bill Elliott (1988) and the late Alan Kulwicki (1992) also earned the sport's greatest prize. Other milestones in the history of car racing were-- Red Byron won the very first NASCAR-sanctioned race. He drove a modified Ford on the beach course in Daytona Beach on Feb. 14, 1948; Ned Jarrett and Junior Johnson won 13 races apiece, as Ford won 48 of 55 races overall in 1965; Mario Andretti won the 1967 Daytona 500; Bill Elliott became the first driver to win the famous 'Winston Million' in 1985 by winning the Daytona 500, Talladega 500 and Southern 500; Jeff Burton registered Ford's 500th win at Las Vegas on March 5, 2000; and Dale Jarrett won at Rockingham to clinch Ford's 14th manufacturer's championship on Oct. 22, 2000.