Joe Eubanks
| Joseph "Joe" Eubanks | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Joe Eubanks, circa 1950s | |||||||
| Born |
August 9, 1925 Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | ||||||
| Died | June 21, 1971 (aged 45) | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 159 races run over 11 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th – 1954 NASCAR Grand National season | ||||||
| First race | 1950 Southern 500 (Darlington Raceway) | ||||||
| Last race | 1961 World 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) | ||||||
| First win | 1958 untitled race (Orange Speedway) | ||||||
| Last win | 1958 untitled race (Orange Speedway) | ||||||
| |||||||
Joseph "Joe" Eubanks (August 9, 1925 – June 21, 1971) was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.[1] He entered the United States Armed Forces along with fellow NASCAR veterans Bud Moore and Cotton Owens.[2] All three of these men served in World War II together.[2]
Career summary
Eubanks raced from 1950 to 1961 collecting one win, thirty-seven finishes in the top five, and eighty-one finishes in the top ten along the way.[1] His total career earnings were $35,338 ($279,831.31 when adjusted for inflation) and he successfully completed 14,303.3 miles (23,018.9 km) miles of racing.[1]
As one of the first competitors to compete in a NASCAR road racing event, Eubanks finished second to Al Keller who was driving a 1951 Hudson Hornet automobile.[3] Joe was a competitor for the 1955 Southern 500 and was credited for having the fastest Oldsmobile 88 vehicle of that particular race.[4] Dirt tracks were Eubanks' were his greatest strong point as a driver; where a "top ten" finish was mostly guaranteed. Restrictor plate tracks turned out to be his Kryptonite, however, and his average finish on those tracks were a measly 38th place.[5]
Eubanks' primary vehicle was the #88 Ford machine owned by Don Every and Domenic Petti of Daytona Florida.[6] He was also one of the extras for the 1960 stock car racing film Thunder in Carolina.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 Joe Eubanks career information at Racing Reference
- 1 2 Joe Eubanks' army career at DropInTheHammer.Net
- ↑ Joe Eubanks + NASCAR 1st road racing event at GeorgiaRacingHistory.com
- ↑ Racing Reference 1955 Southern 500 information at Racing Reference
- ↑ NASCAR statistics on Joe Eubanks at Driver Averages
- ↑ Primary car of Joe Eubanks at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
- ↑ Racer profile about Joe Eubanks at Insider Racing News