1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series Race 1
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 8 in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series season | |||
| Date | June 19, 1949 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Speedway, Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 150 mi (241.402 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures reaching up to 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); with winds being sustained up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Davis Brothers | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Blair | R.B. McIntosh | |
| Laps | 145 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 34 | Jim Roper | R.B. McIntosh | |
The first ever NASCAR Strictly Stock Series (now Sprint Cup Series) race occurred on June 19, 1949, at the Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. The pole position was held by Bob Flock, who had a lap speed of 67.958 miles per hour (109.368 km/h). The race, run for 200 laps, was initially won by Glenn Dunaway in a 1947 Ford, before having his victory revoked due to spread rear springs, and the win was awarded to Jim Roper, driver of a 1949 Lincoln.[2]
The race was run on the same day as competitor NSCRA, operated by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr.'s rival Bruton Smith, held a race in Atlanta. In an attempt to attract drivers from the opposing series, France offered prize money totaling $5,000, with $2,000 going to the race winner.[3][4][5] Attendance for the race totaled approximately 13,000, with Houston Lawing, NASCAR's Publicity Director, stating that over 5,000 fans were not allowed into the stands because the grandstands could not accommodate them.[6] As a result, spectators crossed the track into the infield to watch the race,[5] and state police had to appear to control them.[3]
Race
Pole position was held by Bob Flock, who led for the first five laps before his engine malfunctioned,[3] and Bill Blair took the lead, which he held for 145 laps until Jim Roper took the lead on lap 151.[2] In the end, Glenn Dunaway won, but officials had expressed suspicion over Dunnaway's car remaining steady while entering the rugged turns,[7] and it was eventually discovered that car owner Hubert Westmoreland had spread the car's rear springs, a method commonly used by bootleggers to improve handling. Roper, who had finished three laps down, was given the victory,[8] while Dunnaway was scored as finishing last. Fonty Flock, Red Byron, Sam Rice and Tim Flock closed out the top five, while the top ten consisted of Archie Smith, Sterling Long, Slick Smith, Curtis Turner and Jimmy Thompson.[2] Westmoreland then sued NASCAR[9] for $10,000, but lost after judge Johnson Jay Hayes tossed it out of court.[7]
Results
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 34 | Jim Roper | Lincoln | 197 | |||
| 2 | 5 | 47 | Fonty Flock | Hudson | ||||
| 3 | 3 | 22 | Red Byron | Oldsmobile | ||||
| 4 | 14 | 2 | Sam Rice | Oldsmobile | ||||
| 5 | 2 | 90 | Tim Flock | Oldsmobile | ||||
| 6 | Archie Smith | Ford | ||||||
| 7 | 31 | Sterling Long | Hudson | |||||
| 8 | 28 | Slick Smith | Oldsmobile | |||||
| 9 | 6 | 41 | Curtis Turner | Buick | ||||
| 10 | 36 | Jimmy Thompson | Chrysler | |||||
| 11 | 87 | Buck Baker | Kaiser | |||||
| 12 | 8 | 44 | Bill Blair | Lincoln | 150 | |||
| 13 | Jack Smith | Ford | ||||||
| 14 | 13 | 71 | Sara Christian | Ford | ||||
| 15 | John Barker | Kaiser | ||||||
| 16 | 0 | Jimmie Lewallen | Ford | |||||
| 17 | 9 | 38 | Lee Petty | Buick | 105 | |||
| 18 | 11 | Skimp Hersey | Ford | |||||
| 19 | 25 | Bob Smith | Oldsmobile | |||||
| 20 | 4 | 19 | Otis Martin | Ford | ||||
| 21 | 37 | Frank Smith | Chrysler | |||||
| 22 | 16 | Bill Snowden | Mercury | |||||
| 23 | Jim Paschal | Ford | ||||||
| 24 | 1 | B. E. Renfro | Hudson | |||||
| 25 | 10 | Fred Johnson | ||||||
| 26 | George Mantooth | |||||||
| 27 | 5 | Felix Wilkes | Lincoln | |||||
| 28 | 10 | Pee Wee Martin | Oldsmobile | |||||
| 29 | 93 | Herb Thomas | Ford | |||||
| 30 | 4 | Frank Mundy | Cadillac | |||||
| 31 | 29 | Clarence Benton | Ford | |||||
| 32 | 1 | 7 | Bob Flock | Hudson | 38 | |||
| 33 | 7 | 25 | Glenn Dunaway | Ford | 200 | |||
Source:[2] | ||||||||
References
- ↑ "Weather information for the First NASCAR Strictly Stock Series racing event". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- 1 2 3 4 "1949-01". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Kirby, Gordon (June 8, 2009). "The first ‘Strictly Stock’ race". Motorsport. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ↑ "Memorable Firsts in NASCAR". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 Richter, Josh (June 19, 2014). "Throwback Thursday: Happy 65th birthday to the NASCAR Cup Series!". Foxsports.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
- ↑ "1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Recap". HowStuffWorks. Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- 1 2 Higgins, Tom (June 7, 2013). "Higgin's Scuffs: Controversial Finish? So What Else Is New?". The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC). Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ↑ Pearce, Al (March 15, 2003). "No. 9: The first race". Daily Press (Newport News, VA). Retrieved October 24, 2013.
- ↑ "The 10: Cheating Controversies". Fox Sports. July 17, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013.