MYTH #1: The Daytona 500 has been NASCAR's season opening and premier event since it's inception.
TRUTH: For decades the opening event on the NASCAR schedule was the Riverside 500 held at Riverside Raceway in Riverside, California. The twisting road course where Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly lost his life was held in January, the month before Daytona. And in the mid 1960's the World 600 at Charlotte boasted NASCAR's biggest purse. In fact in 1965 when David Pearson was asked which Grand National race he would prefer to win, he stated bluntly, "Charlotte. Because it pays the most." At the time the number two event on the schedule, in the eyes of both driver's and fans was the Southern 500 in Darlington. Long considered the "Granddaddy of Superspeedways" and the toughest track to drive, no driver was considered great until he had mastered the egg shaped oval.

MYTH #2: Richard Petty was the only Grand National/Winston Cup driver to portray himself in a feature length movie.
TRUTH: In 1966 a feature film about NASCAR star Fred Lorenzen was produced on location in Atlanta. The film received positive reviews, and played to sell out crowds throughout the south. The actor who portrayed Lorenzen? Fred Lorenzen himself, who actually delivered his lines, proving that driving a race car was not the only thing he did better than Richard Petty.

MYTH #3: "The Last American Hero," a film about Junior Johnson in which Jeff Bridges portrayed the Hall of Fame driver, was accurate in depicting the career of "The Ronda Roadrunner."
TRUTH: Junior Johnson was a former moonshine runner from the North Carolina hills who served time in prison. Johnson was gruff, abrasive, and frequently hostile to the media. He ran over, around, and through his competitors, and endeared himself to few drivers or fans. With a protruding midsection and a constant scowl, Junior was perhaps the most classic villain NASCAR has ever known.

MYTH #5: Competition today is tougher than at anytime in NASCAR history.
TRUTH: Competition is actually about the same as it was forty years ago. We see factory participation from Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, and Pontiac today. In 1961, Chrysler's banner was flown by Buck and Buddy Baker, Chevrolet by Ned Jarrett and Rex White, Pontiac by Fireball Roberts, David Pearson, Jack Smith, Bob Welborn, Joe Weatherly and others. Ford was led by Fred Lorenzen and Nelson Stacy, and Plymonth by Richard and Lee Petty. Winning NASCAR races has always been tough.

MYTH #6: Stock car racing is more popular today than at anytime in the history of the sport.
TRUTH: While it's true that NASCAR shares a broader appeal today than at anytime in it's history, due primarily to television exposure, it is also true that NASCAR racing has been very popular for decades. When Bristol Speedway opened in July of 1961, its inaugural race was sold out. Standing room tickets were purchased for $5 while they lasted, by patrons who wished to sit on a nearby hillside, and view about half of the race track. Others unable to purchase tickets or get into the hillside standing area, watched from nearby vantage points, seeing about a fourth of the track. At the age of 10, I was one of the long distance race watchers along with my parents (I should have ordered tickets earlier!) During that same time frame the World 600 at Charlotte was drawing more than 100,000,and crowds of over 50,000 were commonplace at the superspeedways. While today's crowds are indeed larger, so is the population. Suffice to say that NASCAR has always been a very popular spectator sport.