While I was reading this (older) thread I was inspired to investigate and came up with a couple of cool sites that give up some great NASCAR history, such as Daytona qualifying speeds and the first use of the dreaded restrictor plates (1970!):
Resrictor plates:
http://wwnboa.org/hartman.htm#70
Qualifying:
http://www.tricklefan.com/guide/rules.html
Man I love reading this stuff, thanks for being patient while I catch up.
I NEED a Cobra