The first World Championship was proposed by Harringay promoter Digger Pugh as the latest in a series of promotional stunts to generate interest. It was held over three meetings in June 1955, with qualifying rounds at the first, semi-finals at the second, and the final itself at the third.
Although Pugh had claimed that the top drivers in the country were invited, Belle Vue promoter Johnnie Hoskins felt that many of the top northern drivers had been omitted, and announced that Belle Vue would be staging the World Championship in August 1955. This time it was just a standard meeting, with the World Final being the meeting final, with drivers qualifying for it from the heats and consolation.
This was not considered to be an official world title until 1958, and it has never been clarified as to whether the two 1955 winners, Mac McDonnell and Jerzy Wojtowicz, were joint champions, or if Jerzy superseded Mac as champion, which would make Mac the shortest reigning world champion ever.
After the formation of the Stock Car Racing Board of Control in 1956, it was agreed that there would be only one World Championship per year. Drivers were invited from all the tracks, with the heats and consolation determining the qualifiers, with a draw for the grid line up.
With Harringay closing at the end of 1955, Belle Vue became the home of the World Final, until it was decided that the race should be rotated around the sport's other premier stadia, starting with Coventry in 1960, followed by West Ham in 1961.
Until 1960 the World Final race was the meeting Final, with the usual qualification via heats and consolation.
In 1961, the system was changed to consist of qualifying rounds and semi-finals. The best five scores from the qualifying rounds determined the semi-finalists. The semi-finals were run as two reverse grid races, and the top points scorers over both legs went through to the World Final. This only determined the finalists; the grid was determind on the night with time trials.
From 1962 to 1964, the semi-final points were added to the average qualifying round score, with the total points determining the World Final grid.
For 1965, the system changed to each semi-final being a one-off race to detemine the World Final grid.
Starting in 1961, international stock car drivers have been invited to take part. A full list of them is here.
| Most Wins | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53 John Lund | 8 | 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2002 |
| 2 | 391 Stu Smith | 6 | 1969, 1972, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 |
| 3 | 391 Andy Smith | 5 | 1994, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 |
| 4 | 33 Peter Falding | 4 | 1986, 1993, 2003, 2004 |
| 84 Tom Harris | 4 | 2013, 2019, 2021, 2023 | |
| 6 | 103 Johnny Brise | 3 | 1956, 1959, 1960 |
| 252 Dave Chisholm | 3 | 1973, 1974, 1975 | |
| 515 Frankie Wainman | 3 | 1998, 2005, 2016 | |
| 9 | 38 Fred Mitchell | 2 | 1962, 1966 |
| 318 Rob Speak | 2 | 2001, 2015 | |
| 390 Stuart Smith | 2 | 2007, 2018 |