Mount Rushmore of NASCAR

NASCAR’s pride and ego are based on its history. In my humble opinion, people talk about the past more than they do about the present. It’s an intriguing yet perplexing concept in itself. This rich history has many twists, turns, and complexities, both in its validity and its meaning. Because of this constantly historical conversation, as a rookie, one of the first things you want to learn is who the best are. Who makes up the past so that you can hold a decent conversation in the present? Who’s the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR?

Truth be told, I was fueled with an immense amount of passion and pure curiosity to research this topic, eager to learn about the biggest names in the sport. While naming the Mount Rushmore of NASCAR isn’t a novel concept, I wanted to research it from a fresh perspective and decide on the four most impactful and consequential names. I began to dig: Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Darrell Waltrip, Rusty Wallace, David Pearson —the names keep flowing. What drivers would make it to the top of the mountain? But after countless hours, my leaderboard of names dwindled, and there wasn’t a single driver left.

Who really makes Mount Rushmore if you truly dig into the history of NASCAR? If you follow the power, follow the money, follow the wins, and follow the history, here’s the real list.

The France Family - The "first family" of NASCAR not only makes Mount Rushmore, but they also profit from your visit as well. The price of admission is as fluid as the non-existent rule book of NASCAR. As previously mentioned, this “sport” is owned by one family, making it less of a sport and more of a multi-billion-dollar family business that has been sued on previous occasions for antitrust practices, as recently as...... right now. The France family also controls International Speedway Corporation and International Motor Sports Association, which means they also own most of the tracks. I’ll let you do the math, but it’s one-hell-of a family business.

TV Networks - Then we’ve got the networks, which continue to profit hand over fist. Multibillion-dollar deals, regardless of declining or never existing viewership, leave more questions than money on the table. That’s a conversation for another day.

Sponsors - As stated before, sponsorship means more than talent or at least funds for the car—no sponsorship, no car, no driver, no race; talent sold separately. The sponsors hold all the power in the sport, right behind the France Family and the TV Networks. The only people who benefit from sponsorship….that will take you to our final spot.

Owners - They collect the trophies, paid in full by the sponsors, approved by the France Family. The owners are holding their gaming console for a personal video game simulation. I’ve said this before, and I’m sure I’ll repeat it. NASCAR appears to be nothing more than a billionaire's equivalent of Disneyland, or would it be Westworld at this point? I’ll let you decide.

The power and influence of NASCAR is not coming from the men (and women) who risk their lives behind the wheel, and it certainly doesn’t come from the hard-nosed fans who dedicate their weekends, [38 to be exact], to a sport with little margin of simulation error. It’s a shame that all this historical chatter may be a best-selling fiction novel, which these groups profit from year after year. But who am I? Just a rookie looking for some answers.