The book, NASCAR Chronicle, reviews in pictures the history of organized stock car racing from 1947 to the 2000s.  This fascinating story starts with the legendary Bill France who had a vision in the late 1940s of what needed to happen to the nascent sport in order to take it from a regional sport located primarily in the south during the summer to the year-long mega-sport it could be if an association was formed along with the rules necessary to level the playing field for all drivers.  Above all, Bill France was a promoter who would fund the building of racetracks and create his own radio station in order to generate an increasing level of fan interest.  The statement has been made that "Without Bill France, stock car racing would just be a disconnected smorgasbord of 1/4 and 1/2 mile ovals, racing on Saturday nights during the summer months".  The first NASCAR race covered on network television was the Daytona 500 in 1979.  This race had its share of thrilling, crashing, fist fighting driving that almost overnight created millions of new fans.  With the television coverage came major team and vehicle sponsorships helped fuel the growth of NASCAR racing even further.  Along the way racing legends like Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt along with younger drivers like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have helped promote NASCAR racing from the drivers seat.  While the title sponsor has changed from Winston to Nextel Communications and the rules behind "winning the cup" have changed, the excitement has continued grow season after season.  At the end of the day, the reason fans gravitate to what has become the second most watched sport on television is: 1) The action can come from anywhere in the 43 -car field; 2) The favorite rarely has an overwhelming advantage; 3) Underdogs still win races and 4) The race is not over until the checkered flag waves.  The major sections of this book are as follows: 1) Foreword; 2) The Birth of Stock Car Racing in America; 3) 1950s: The Manufacturers Take Notice; 4) 1960s: Superspeedways & Speedy Muscle Cars; 5) 1970s: NASCAR Enters the Modern Era; 6) 1980s: Smaller Cars, Bigger Purses, Grand Exposure; 7) 1990s: NASCAR Goes Big Time; 8) 2000s: The New Millennium and 9) Index.  In addition to an informative narrative, this book includes the following features: 1) Approximately 164 black and white photographs and 2) About 231 color photographs.  This book is 96 pages and is in new condition.  The author is Greg Fielden with contributions from the auto editors of Consumer Guide.  Edition published in 2006.