The face of NASCAR is definitely changing.

Thursday's announcement that NEXTEL will replace RJ Reynolds as the title sponsor of NASCAR's premier series is further evidence of NASCAR evolution.

To understand where the sport is today and where it's headed you must first understand where it came from. Stock Car racing was predominantly a recreational activity in the southeast for moonshine bootleggers during the 1940s.

Organization came to the sport in 1949 when the NASCAR sanctioning body was born. It brought cohesiveness to stock car racing but struggled to gain respect within society.

Flip the calendar ahead 54 years and corporate America has given NASCAR the ultimate sign of respect. It is estimated that NEXTEL's 10-year deal is worth 700 million dollars, making it one of the most valuable properties in sports.

For the NASCAR faithful the shift in title sponsorship is a radical change. NEXTEL replaces RJ Reynolds Tobacco -- the title sponsor of the "Winston" Cup series since 1971.

"RJ Reynolds has built an extraordinary foundation for the Winston Cup Series," said Nextel CEO Tim Donahue. "We admire them greatly. We accept the challenge and obligation of continuing that tradition in the future."

This is the latest in a series of alterations that have impacted NASCAR's identity and increased its value.

Over the last decade the sport has successfully made the transition from being a regional attraction in the southeast to becoming a national phenomenon. Since 1993, races have been introduced in the Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Dallas and New England markets.

Further evidence that the sport continues to stray from its roots for the sake of progress was revealed last weekend. It was announced that the North Carolina Speedway lost one of its dates to make room for a second race at California Speedway.

"This is a new time in this sport," said Kyle Petty. "We race markets we don't race race tracks. We race California. We race Phoenix, Las Vegas, Kansas City. We race markets and that's what Winston Cup racing is all about."

Ironically, race tracks located in the Southeast -- NASCAR's perceived hub -- are seemingly having a more difficult time selling tickets. Empty seats are easily seen at Darlington, Rockingham, Charlotte and Atlanta. Whereas California Speedway, located in a non-traditional NASCAR market about an hour east of Los Angeles, is consistently sold out.

"Southern California, Los Angeles can handle two Winston cup events," adds California native Robby Gordon. "There's a lot of major corporations based in southern California. They obviously are going to be more of a part of Winston Cup racing. A second race there will only help grow the series to be bigger and better."

Not only is NASCAR's fan base expanding beyond the south but so is its talent pool. Among this year's winners, the states of Nevada (Kurt Busch), California (Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson), Indiana (Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart), Maine (Ricky Craven) and Wisconsin (Matt Kenseth) have each been represented in victory lane.

"I think the good ol' boy image is going to completely deteriorate," said Kevin Harvick, one of five current drivers from California. "This is a nationwide sport. It's not regional anymore. Drivers come from California when it used to be drivers weren't welcome from California."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. agrees that in order to ensure growth the sport needs to expand it's reach.

"The sport was started corely in North Carolina and the Southeast. And that's the part that we will have to sacrifice a little bit to see the sport move to new venues and move up the chain."

More changes are on the horizon. Next year, Toyota will become the first Japanese manufacturer to enter the sport when it competes in NASCAR's truck series. Some NASCAR purists see this as blasphemy but the drivers agree that diversity is the key to success.

"The day you don't want to keep up with change is the day you should get out," said Harvick. "There's always change in our sport and if you don't keep up with it your gonna get left behind."

Mike Massaro covers NASCAR for ESPN and ESPN.com.