The Generation 1 in

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

refers to the inaugural generation of

post-war A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, ...

cars used between 1948 and 1966. The first generation of

stock car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses. It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It originated in the southe ...

s used a strictly-stock body and frame, the doors were strapped with the use of

seat belt A seat belt, also known as a safety belt or spelled seatbelt, is a vehicle safety device designed to secure the driver or a passenger of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result during a collision or a sudden stop. A seat belt reduce ...

s being required, and a heavy-duty rear axle was mandated to stop the cars from rolling over during a race. These cars were almost identical to their road-going counterparts, albeit with tuning and modifications to the car itself being prohibited. It was also notable for being the only generation of stock cars to use real doors. Examples include the

Hudson Hornet ''For the NASCAR car, see Fabulous Hudson Hornet.'' The Hudson Hornet is a full-size car manufactured by Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan from 1951 until 1954, when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corpor ...

, Oldsmobile Rocket 88,

Ford Galaxie The Ford Galaxie is a car that was marketed by Ford in North America from the 1959 to 1974 model years. Deriving its nameplate from a marketing tie-in with the excitement surrounding the Space Race, the Galaxie was offered as a sedan within the ...

Plymouth Belvedere The Plymouth Belvedere is a series of United States, American automobile models made by Plymouth (automobile), Plymouth from 1954 until 1970. The Belvedere name was first used for a new hardtop body style in the Plymouth Cranbrook line for the ...

Pontiac Catalina The Pontiac Catalina is a full-size automobile produced by Pontiac (automobile), Pontiac from 1950 to 1981. Initially, the name was a trim line on hardtop body styles, first appearing in the 1950 Chieftain Eight and DeLuxe Eight lines. In 1959, it ...

, and the

Chevrolet Impala The Chevrolet Impala () is a full-size car that was built by Chevrolet for model years 1958 to 1985, 1994 to 1996, and 2000 to 2020. The Impala was Chevrolet's popular flagship passenger car and was among the better-selling American-made auto ...

. They were eventually replaced by the Generation 2 cars in 1967.

Models

Chrysler Corporation

: 1950-1954 *

: 1959

Ford Motor Company

: 1958-1965 *

Ford Thunderbird The Ford Thunderbird is a personal luxury car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company for model years 1955 to 2005, with a hiatus from 1998 to 2001. Ultimately gaining a broadly used colloquial nickname, the ''T-Bird'', Ford Introduce ...

: 1959-1964

General Motors

Wendell Scott 34 Chevrolet NASCAR Hall of Fame

: 1955-1962 * Oldsmobile Rocket 88: 1949-1953 *

: 1950-1958

Studebaker Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...

Studebaker Starlight The Starlight coupe is a unique 2-door body style that was offered by Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana (United States) from 1947 to 1955 on its Champion and Commander model series. It was designed by Virgil Exner, formerly of Raym ...

: 1949-1952

References

{{NASCAR NASCAR Cup Series 1940s in NASCAR 1950s in NASCAR 1960s in NASCAR 1964 endings 1948 beginnings