A course in history is needed for many NASCAR fans.

No sport has a more colorful history than NASCAR.
There are wild, and mostly true, tales of ruffian drivers, fearsome tracks and thrill-packed finishes.
Sadly, few current stock car racing fans know or seem to care about the early chapters of this success story.
Brownie King of Johnson City, Tn. was one of those pioneers who relied more on instincts and guts than money and style.
The saga of King and his 1950’s era running mates is far more compelling than today’s soap-opera storylines.
According to many motorsports insiders, Virginia’s Curtis Turner may have been the greatest raw talent in NASCAR history.
“I guarantee you that Curtis would be on top if he raced in the Sprint Cup series today,’’ King said. “Curtis could be like a Jeff Gordon or someone like that.”
King said the stories of Turner’s uncanny car-control were true. And the dynamic personality of Turner was just as impressive.
“I’ve never seen anybody that could drive into a corner harder than Curtis. He had no fear at all,” King said.
“I’ll never forget one day at Darlington around 1956. I had the usual prerace butterflies everybody gets for that track, then I looked over and saw Curtis and Joe Weatherly. They were setting on a bunch of tires, just eating chicken legs and joking around. ...NASCAR just seemed more fun back then.”
How many fans, who claim to live and breathe NASCAR, recognize Turner’s name or remember that there used to be weekly racing at Bristol Motor Speedway
It’s no wonder so many former drivers and old-guard fans are bitter about the direction of their once-beloved sport.
“I wish some of the guys today had to drive the cars we had back then,” said King, the 1962 track at champion at BMS.  “We didn’t have power steering or any of safety features they have now.
“Our cars didn’t handle worth a hoot. You had to be strong to fight that steering wheel for 200 laps.”
That’s real racing, folks. Not which driver is the cutest or has the most flashy paint television commercial.
NASCAR is still a wonderful sport. Too many fans are just missing out on the complete picture.