HARRISBURG, N.C. — It’s been 30 years since NASCAR stock cars first raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the inaugural Brickyard 400 was among a series of events in 1994 that reshaped American auto racing.

NASCAR’s premier stock car series was born in 1949 and featured a group of daredevil drivers battling in “stock” production automobiles. Racing primarily on the dirt tracks of the Southeast, several of the sport’s top drivers had honed their skills by hauling moonshine.