NASCAR has come a long way since the days of racing on the beaches of Daytona. 

Primarily, fans have seen changes as the race cars themselves evolved over the years. This year, anticipation surrounds the debut of the Generation 6 Sprint Cup entry.

But just how did the sport get from the days of the famed Hudson Hornet to these sleek new rides?

Just take a look:

(Photos and information courtesy NASCAR)

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The Generation 6 car marks the return of the showroom look, as seen with this 2013 Ford Fusion. Manufacturer-unique body panels are placed on the existing chassis. Enhanced body designs are built to more closely resemble the cars found in showrooms across the US and the design aims to put the stock back into stock-car racing.

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Jimmie Johnson’s championship car featured a front splitter, rear wing and a whole lot of dominance.

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Competitors and fans missed the look of the spoiler, so it returned at Martinsville on 3/27/2010.

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Brad Keselowski’s Blue Deuce featured a new front splitter that better resembled production models.

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The end of Generation 5 also marked the end of this model in NASCAR.
 

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The so-called Car of Tomorrow introduced a new era in car safety. It featured a common body and chassis for all manufacturers designed to reduce the need for track-specific race cars. It included a front splitter and rear wing to offer teams aero adjustment options.

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Chevrolet switched from the Lumina to the Monte Carlo and Jeff Gordon drove it to four championships.

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This was the first four-door stock car model approved for NASCAR competition in the modern era.

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Dodge made its return to NASCAR with this Bill Elliott-driven Intrepid owned by Ray Evernham.

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Matt Kenseth drove this Ford during the final full season of Generation 4 cars.

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NASCAR altered the look of the race car significantly in this generation. It had a highly modified body, leading teams to spend hours in the wind tunnel to gain an aero edge. The bumpers, nose and tail were composed of molded fiberglass based off production counterparts.

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This is the first 110-inch wheelbase model driven to a championship in NASCAR’s premier series.

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On April 30, 1987, Bill Elliott set the NASCAR qualifying speed record at Talladega in this car at 212.809 mph.

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GM extended the rear windshield and shortened the decklid of its Aero Coupe model.

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The Intimidator Dale Earnhardt became a legend in this third-generation Chevrolet.

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In 1981 came a more race-centered series of vehicles. The wheel base was reduced to 110 inches; and NASCAR downsized cars to better resemble cars on the showroom floor, though body panels were still purchased through the manufacturers.

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Due to unibody construction on the stock vehicle, NASCAR allowed purpose built race chassis for safety.

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Aerodynamics took center stage at Daytona and Talladega with the introduction of the “wing cars.”

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King Richard Petty won his fourth Daytona 500 with Hemi power under the hood of this classic ride.

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American muscle hit the track in full force as aerodynamics became more advanced.

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The first overall modification of the car came for the 1967 season. The car had a stock body with a modified frame and modified chassis. Holman-Moody, Banjo Matthews and Hutchenson-Pagan built chassis for the teams.

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NASCAR’s earliest races featured pre-World War II models due to a post-World War II car shortage.

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Hudson was the first manufacturer to provide factory support to NASCAR racing teams.

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Despite the new four-point roll cage, convertible cars competed for the last time in 1962 at Darlington.

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This is the last year Ford raced with a stock chassis before the introduction of the unibody Fairlane and Torino.

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The characteristics of the car were simple. A strictly stock frame and body; doors strapped or bolted shut and seat belts required; and heavy-duty rear axles required to keep cars from flipping during the race.

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