It exploded on to the UK stage at New Cross Stadium in London on Good Friday, April 16th, 1954 in front of 26,000 spectators with 20,000 more locked outside. Dozens of Ford Flathead V8 powered machines competed with full contact inevitable on the quarter mile oval track. The media dubbed the event a 'seven day wonder'.

Five decades later the sport continues to flourish with big block or small block Chevy engines, custom built to deliver maximum power in purpose built, full contact racing machines.

Through the 50's , 60's, and 70's stock car racing was featured at many locations around the UK. The track surfaces were either tarmac or shale. Arguably the best decade was the 70's. Hundreds of drivers attracted big crowds. Fan clubs sprang up. The cars raced at the old Wembley Stadium in 1974 and in 1978 a link was established with Holland leading to European competition. The Daily Mirror carried race results.

By the 80's the sport was firmly established in the Midlands and the North of England with tracks at Belle Vue Manchester, Coventry, Bradford, Long Eaton and Northampton. Towards the end of that decade Belle Vue was lost to commercial development and many popular drivers called it a day. Spectator numbers dipped and the sport lost momentum but never the loyal support of long standing fans.

Today the sport has moved forward and new faces are being seen among drivers and spectators, often from a second generation. It featured in a five part BBC documentary in 2010 called 'Gears & Tears'. Weekly recordings of meetings are also being broadcast on Sky on the Premier Sports Channel. This commenced in 2011 and has been extended for two more years.

In 2012, F1 stock cars will be racing on shale at Coventry, Belle Vue Manchester, Sheffield, Skegness, Kings Lynn and Stoke and on tarmac at Northampton, Hednesford, Birmingham, Buxton, and Ipswich. Also in Holland at Venray.

The sport is promoted at the annual Autosport Show at the NEC Birmingham in January; sponsorship is crucial to success and many drivers have their own websites.

If you enjoy motorsport you have to experience at least once in your life the sound, the colour, the spectacle that is BriSCA F1 Stock Car Racing - guaranteed to get the pulses racing and crowds of race fans coming back for more. But BE WARNED - BriSCA F1 is habit-forming!!

For further information about the current dates of meetings go to the official BriSCA F1 website via my links page.