The foundational races are the set of ten World Stock Car Championship races that constituted the schedule for the 1950 season. These are:
- The Icebreaker, commonly known as the Icebreaker Sweepstakes, held annually at Thompson Speedway.
- The Round of Massachusetts, first held at the Seekonk Speedway.
- The Round of New Jersey, first held at Flemington Speedway.
- The Round of Pennsylvania, first held at Langhorne Speedway.
- The Round of North Carolina, first held at Bowman Gray Stadium.
- The Round of Daytona Beach, first held at Daytona Beach and Road Course.
- The Round of New York, first held at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.
- The Round of Ohio, first held at Columbus Motor Speedway.
- The Round of Rhode Island, first held at Warwick Fairgrounds.
- The Turkey Bowl, held annually at Riverside Park Speedway.
Of these, The Icebreaker, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, New York, and Ohio remain on the schedule as of 2021.
The Icebreaker[edit | edit source]
Main article: The Icebreaker
Round of Massachusetts[edit | edit source]
Main article: Round of Massachusetts
The Round of Massachusetts was held from 1950 until 1967 at Seekonk Speedway. It was an annual stop on the series schedule until the Reform Era; the removal of tracks under one-half mile in length saw the race removed from the schedule.
The Round of Massachusetts returned in spirit in 2003 with the opening of Boston International Raceway in Revere, which hosted the Round of Boston. It remained on the schedule, first as single weekend and as a double header beginning in 2012, until the 2016 season.
Round of New Jersey[edit | edit source]
Main article: Round of New Jersey
The Round of New Jersey was originally held at Flemington Speedway from 1950 until 1970. In 1971, following the removal of dirt tracks from the series schedule, the race moved to Trenton Speedway, where it remained until the closure of the Speedway in 1980. The race returned in 1990 at the newly-paved Flemington Speedway. The race moved to Meadowlands Speedway in 2003 after the permanent closure of Flemington Speedway. After five years in East Rutherford, the race was removed from the calendar and has not returned since.
Round of Pennsylvania[edit | edit source]
Main article: Round of Pennsylvania
The Round of Pennsylvania was originally held at Langhorne Speedway from 1950 through 1964, when the track underwent a reconfiguration. It was later held at Williams Grove Speedway until dirt tracks were removed from the series calendar after the 1970 season, after which it moved to the newly-opened Pocono Raceway. A dispute with track owners in 1987 saw the race move to Nazareth for the 1988 season; that track's 2004 closure saw the race return to Pocono in 2005. In 2010, series officials announced an agreement with the city of Philadelphia to open a new track within the confines of Lincoln Financial Field, which would host the Round of Pennsylvania beginning in 2012. As part of the agreement, the race was rebranded as the Round of Philadelphia; despite the rebrand, the Round of Philadelphia is considered a continuation of the Round of Pennsylvania.