Book excerpt: Americans love heroes. And NASCAR 50 Greatest Drivers showcases NASCAR's exciting heroes through bold photography and interviews that deliver a unique insight into the lives of these legends of stock car racing. As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, NASCAR polled a group of motorsports experts to select the fifty drivers whose achievements both span and epitomize NASCAR's first half-century of accomplishment and growth. These are the top NASCAR drivers--selected as the best of all NASCAR divisions dating back to the first NASCAR-sanctioned races in 1948. From pioneer drivers racing on the Daytona Beach-Road Course and dirt ovals to today's era of flashy colors and screaming engines running on speedways across the nation--here is the lineage of NASCAR's very best. Some drivers had long and storied careers. Others had brief but spectacular ones. All are legends. "These are the drivers who made and make NASCAR fans stand on their feet and cheer. These are the drivers who made NASCAR history." -- NASCAR President, Bill France, Jr. Since its founding in 1947, the France family has built NASCAR (the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) from a small, family-run racing organization into a $2-billion-a-year industry--the leader in motorsports entertainment. Today, over 5.5 million people a year attend NASCAR Winston Cup Series races and nearly 150 million watch the action on television. "Looking back, I think the days of Petty and Pearson were very special for the sport. They became heroes to an awful lot of people, many of whom weren't car racing fans. They opened doors for the sport and welcomes the rest of us." -- Darrell Waltrip "These are the men who define the competition of our sporty." -- NASCAR President, Bill France, Jr. Their battles brought attention to NASCAR--their character and grit brought attention to themselves. Now, NASCAR 50 Greatest Drivers celebrated the men who set the standards and established the traditions: Pioneers, including Herb Thomas, Buck Baker, Tim Flock, Junior Johnson, Lee Petty, and NASCAR's first champion--Red Byron. Challengers like Cotton Owens, Ralph Earnhardt, and LeeRoy Yarbrough. Giants Richards Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison, and Ray Henrick. The New Generation--A.J. Foyt, Neil Bonnnett, Benny Parsons, and Darrell Waltrip. Future Legends, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Bill Elliott, and Rusty Wallace. And many more! All captures here, as NASCAR honors its past and present--the greatest drivers to ever strap themselves into a stock car!