NASCAR Arby's Convertible Series (Johnsonverse)

The NASCAR Arby's Convertible Series is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR that races convertibles. Created in 1995, the series is a successor to the original Convertible Division that ran from 1956 to 1959. It serves as a "convertible version" of the RCA Cup Series, and as a result, many Cup drivers compete for points in this series regularly.
The defending series champion is Macy Waltrip, who also won the RCA Cup Series title in 2018, while the defending Manufacturer's Champion is Dodge. Since 1995, Arby's has sponsored the series.
==History==
===Original Convertible Division (1956-1959)===
NASCAR purchased SAFE (Society of Auto Sports, Fellowship, and Education)'s all-convertible Circuit of Champions “All Stars” circuit late in 1955. Most drivers did not make the transition to NASCAR's sanction. NASCAR ran the division from 1956 until 1959. Some Convertibles raced against the Grand National hardtop cars in the same race. The 1959 Daytona 500 had one qualifying race for Convertibles and one for the hardtop Grand National cars. 20 of the 59 cars in the Daytona 500 were convertibles. The split qualifying races of the 1959 race led to the development of the Budweiser Duel qualifying races still used in the Daytona 500.
====Rebel 300 at Darlington====
The current Rebel 400 NASCAR RCA Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway was held as a Convertible Division race from 1957-1962. As NASCAR's only superspeedway in 1957, the inaugural Rebel 300 was held as a Convertible race on May 11, 1957, only to be delayed by rain and raced on the ensuing Sunday (May 12), drawing a fine for promoter Bob Colvin for violating South Carolina blue law (the track's signature fall race, the Southern 500, was held on Labor Day Monday until 1983, when the state waived the Blue Law for 250-mile (402 km) or longer automobile races). The Rebel 300 would be held as a Confederate Memorial Day Convertible race even after the division ended in 1959, with full Grand National points awarded for three more Convertible division races from 1960–62, won by Joe Weatherly, Fred Lorenzen, and the final Rebel 300 for convertibles on May 12, 1962, won by Nelson Stacy.
The Rebel 300 was run as a Grand National race with hardtops for the first time in 1963 as two 150-mile races before adopting a full 300-mile race in 1964, and expanded to 400 miles in 1966, before going to 500 miles in 1974, reverting to 400 miles in 1994.
===Current Convertible Series (1995-present)===
Before the 1993 season started, NASCAR owner Sheldon Johnson, Jr. conceived a resurrected Convertible Series after researching its original incarnation and concluding that a series using convertibles could feasibly work in the 1990s. He announced on February 23, 1993 before that year's Daytona 500 that the Convertible Series would return in the 1995 season, with a title sponsor to be determined. Testing began at North Wilkesboro Speedway in May.
Additional testing was conducted throughout the year on various tracks. On July 12, the title sponsor was announced as Arby's.
Category:Johnsonverse