1954 Wilkes County 160

Last updated
1954 Wilkes County 160
Race details [1]
Race 7 of 37 in the 1954 NASCAR Grand National Series season
NorthWilkesboroSpeedwayMap.svg
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Date April 4, 1954 (1954-April-04)
Official name Wilkes County 160
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.625 mi (1.00 km)
Distance 160 laps, 100 mi (160 km)
Weather Chilly with temperatures of 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds of 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h)
Average speed 68.435 miles per hour (110.135 km/h)
Attendance 5,500
Pole position
Driver
Gober Sosebee
Most laps led
DriverGober SosebeeGober Sosebee
Laps 112
Winner
No. 3 Dick Rathman John Ditz
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1954 Wilkes County 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event held on April 4, 1954, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina. [2] Until the 1957 running of the Wilkes 160, North Wilkesboro Speedway was a dirt oval track.

Contents

Background

North Wilkesboro carried a reputation as one of the fastest short-tracks in auto racing in the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1950, speeds reached 73 mph at the track, compared to the next fastest short-track, Charlotte Speedway, where top speeds only reached 66 mph. Most of the fans in the early years of the sport saw the track as notorious for being a great venue to watch races between the legendary racers of the time. Racing at North Wilkesboro was intense and physical.

The 1950 Wilkes 200 was the second Grand National Series race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Twenty-six cars entered the race. Twenty-one-year-old Fireball Roberts qualified with a lap speed of 73.266 mph on the dirt track for his first ever Grand National pole, but engine problems dropped him out of the running. Fonty Flock started in the third position and led the most laps in the race with 104, but engine troubles also ended his day. Ultimately, Leon Sales led eight of the 200 laps to become the victor, the fourth NASCAR driver to win an event in his debut race. Jack Smith finished second after leading 55 laps in the race.

After hosting only one NASCAR event in 1949 and one in 1950, the track began running two Grand National Series events per year in 1951 (with the exception of 1956, when only one race was held; the track was being prepared for pavement). One race was held in the spring, normally in late March or early April, and another was held in the fall, normally in late September or early October. In 1957, owner Enoch Stanley had the 5/8-mile track paved.

The Wilkes 200 in 1952 turned into a battle between brothers. Two sets of brothers competed in the race, and they took the top four spots at the finish. The Flock Brothers (Fonty Flock and Tim Flock) were strong, but the Thomas brothers (Herb Thomas and Donald Thomas) had the better outcome. Herb Thomas, driving his 1952 "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet, won the pole, led 192 of the 200 laps, and grabbed the victory. Fonty Flock led the first eight laps and finished the race second. Donald Thomas, also in a 1952 "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet, finished third, and Tim Flock finished fourth. Eleven of the 27 cars entered in the race finished. Six of the top nine positions were driving Hudson Hornets.

Herb Thomas started on the pole for the 1953 Wilkes 200 with his record-setting qualifying speed of 78.424 mph on the dirt surface. Outside pole sitter Tim Flock led the first 100 laps before experiencing engine problems. Curtis Turner took the lead on Lap 101 and continued the lead until his car also succumbed to engine troubles nine laps later. Thomas in his Number 92 Hudson Hornet only lead 18 laps in the race but ended the race by taking his third consecutive win at North Wilkesboro. Starting from the third spot, Dick Rathmann led 70 laps and finished behind Herb Thomas. Fonty Flock managed to work his way up from the fourth starting position to the front and led three laps before dropping back and finishing third.

Pole sitter Buck Baker ran 78.288 mph to gap the pole for the 1953 Wilkes 160. Baker ran strong and led the most laps in the race with 80 out front before falling back into the sixth-place position at the finish. Speedy Thompson led 25 laps, and Fonty Flock led 37. Curtis Turner led a total of 18 laps. At the end of the race, Thompson finished two laps ahead of second-place Flock. Thompson's win ended Herb Thomas and his Hudson Hornet's three-race winning streak at North Wilkesboro.

Race report

It took one hour and twenty-seven minutes for the race to reach its full conclusion. [2]

Dick Rathmann would acquire a significant victory over Herb Thomas by a margin of twenty seconds in front of five thousand and five hundred people. All 24 drivers that were involved in this racing event were born in the United States; no foreigners attempted to qualify for this event. [2] Dick Rathman had overlapped the entire field at one time; making it sufficient for the veteran speedster to wheel his 1954 Hudson around the course on the final two laps with a flat tire to beat out Herb Thomas. [2] The weather was freezing and cloudy skies were everywhere.

Gober Sosebee lost a wheel on the 114th lap and was forced to the pits. It was a wheel from Sosebee's car that almost cost Rathman the race. After returning to the battle, Sosebee was again moving back into the contest when another wheel snapped and landed in the middle of the track. Rathman's car clipped the wheel, blowing out his left front tire and almost wrecking the leader. [2] Arden Mounts lost a wheel and smashed the fence in turn 1 on lap 44 and two laps later Ted Rambo, driving in eight place at the time, blew a tire and went through the fence on the Turn 1 near the same spot of Mounts. The race was held up to put out a fire in Rambo's car. The second and final caution came on 137 th lap when Bud Harless, blew a tire and flipped over the bank on the third turn. [2] Rambo and Harless escaped without injury.

Notable speeds were: 68.454 miles per hour (110.166 km/h) as the average speed and 78.698 miles per hour (126.652 km/h) as the pole position speed. [2] John Ditz would win his first race as an owner during this event; a diverse range of automobile manufacturers would enjoy starting positions within the relatively unregulated NASCAR atmosphere of the mid-1950s. [2] Monetary winnings for each driver ranged from a then-incredible amount of $1,000 ($11,345.72 when considering inflation) to a meager $25 ($283.64 when considering inflation).

Total winnings for this race were $3,825 ($43,397.4 when considering inflation). [3]

Notable crew chiefs who participated fully in the race were Stuart Nelson, Lee Petty, and John Carozza. [4]

This race was also notable for being held the week before April 11, 1954; which has been analyzed by a computer search engine as being the least interesting day in the 20th century. Rock and roll music was "invented" at a New York City recording studio on April 12 (Monday) when Bill Haley & His Comets would record the incredibly famous song "Rock Around the Clock". [5] [6] "Rock Around the Clock" quickly became a number one single on both the US and UK charts and also re-entered the UK Singles Chart in the 1960s and 1970s.

No NASCAR Cup Series races were held on Sunday, April 11, 1954.

Finishers

  1. Dick Rathmann [7]
  2. Herb Thomas [7]
  3. Joe Eubanks [7] (the third and final driver to end the race on the lead lap)
  4. Curtis Turner [7]
  5. Lee Petty [7]
  6. Ralph Liguori
  7. Al Keller
  8. Andy Winfree
  9. Jim Paschal
  10. Jimmie Lewallen
  11. Bob Welborn
  12. Gober Sosebee
  13. Fred Dove
  14. Billy Irvin
  15. Buck Baker
  16. Eddie Skinner (last driver to complete the entire race – 21 laps down)
  17. Bud Harless* (involved in the only crash of the race)
  18. Ralph Dutton*
  19. Elton Hildreth* (drove a Nash vehicle)
  20. Ted Rambo* (drove a Lincoln vehicle – also involved in the crash with Bud Harless)
  21. Arden Mounts*
  22. Dave Terrell*
  23. Stan Kross*
  24. Blackie Pitt*

* Driver failed to finish race

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Related Research Articles

Julius Timothy Flock was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. His brothers Bob and Fonty Flock also raced in NASCAR, as did his sister Ethel Mobley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series</span> 1st season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season was the inaugural season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, the season included eight races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the Wilkes 200 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 16. Raymond Parks won the Owners' Championship, while Red Byron won the Drivers' Championship with a 16th-place finish at the final race of the season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daytona Beach and Road Course</span> Motorsport track in the United States

The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a motorsport race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set.

Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock was an American stock car racer.

The 1950 NASCAR Grand National season was the second season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at the Daytona Beach Road Course on February 5, 1950, the season included 19 races. The season concluded at Occoneechee Speedway on October 29. Bill Rexford won the Drivers' Championship with a 26th-place finish at the final race of the season, racing for Julian Buesink.

The 1951 NASCAR Grand National season was the third season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at the Daytona Beach Road Course on February 5, 1951, the season included forty-one races. The season concluded at New Mobile Speedway on November 25. Herb Thomas won the Drivers' Championship with a 21st-place finish at the final race of the season.

The 1953 NASCAR Grand National Series began on February 1 and ended on November 1. Future NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Herb Thomas, driving his own No. 92 Hudson Hornet, won the championship and became the first repeat champion of the series. It is also the season with the most one-off races. 9 of the 37 races took place on racetracks that only held a cup race in the 1953 season.

The 1955 NASCAR Grand National season began on November 7, 1954, and ended on October 30, 1955. Even though the season was resolved in the course of two different years, all NASCAR personnel were allowed to have their traditional two-month silly season that traditionally comes between mid-November and mid-February. Tim Flock won the 1955 championship by a margin of 1508 over top of Buck Baker. This season was unusual because of its 11-month season. As the ninth season of the series now known as the Cup Series, most of the drivers involved were still the first-generation race car drivers. They did not have any ties to the stock car racing world through their parents or grandparents although some of them served in World War II prior to their NASCAR careers. However, the generation that would gain notoriety and fame through nepotism would emerge about ten years later. The average horsepower of a stock car competing the 1955 NASCAR Grand National season would be 230 horsepower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Wilkes County 160</span> Auto race run at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1956

The 1956 Wilkes County 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 8, 1956, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Wilkes County 160</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1955

The 1955 Wilkes County 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on April 3, 1955, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Wilkes County 200</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1952

The 1952 Wilkes County 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on March 30, 1952, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Wilkes 160</span> Former NASCAR race

The 1955 Wilkes 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 23, 1955, at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Southern 500</span> Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1952

The 1952 Southern 500, the third running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 1, 1952, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1955 Richmond 200</span> Auto race held at Richmond Fairgrounds in 1955

The 1955 Richmond 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 22, 1955, at Richmond Fairgrounds in Richmond, Virginia. Two hundred laps took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km). The exact time of the race was one hour, fifty minutes, and thirty seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Wilkes 160</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1953

The 1953 Wilkes 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 11, 1953, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1958 Wilkes 160</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1958

The 1958 Wilkes 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 19, 1958, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1950 Wilkes 200</span> NASCAR race from 1950

The 1950 Wilkes 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 24, 1950, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1953 Southern 500</span> Auto race held at Darlington Raceway in 1953

The 1953 Southern 500, the fourth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 7, 1953, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.

The 1954 NASCAR Grand National season consisted of 37 races from February 1, 1954, and to November 1. Lee Petty, driving for Petty Enterprises, won the championship, his first of three in the series.

Palm Beach Speedway was a motor sports racing venue located in West Palm Beach, Florida. The speedway hosted a total of 7 NASCAR races between January 20, 1952 and December 11, 1956. Dick Rathman had the most poles at 3, and Herb Thomas captured the most wins with 4. The half mile dirt oval was built in 1949, paved in 1955 and torn down in 1984.

References

  1. ↑ "1954 Wilkes County 160 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "1954 Wilkes County 160 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  3. ↑ "1954 Wilkes County 160 information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-12-02.
  4. ↑ "1954 Wilkes County 160 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  5. ↑ Simons, David (2004). Studio Stories – How the Great New York Records Were Made. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN   9781617745164. Cf. pp.168–169.
  6. ↑ Gray, Christopher (June 18, 2009). "An Improbable Cradle of Rock Music". New York Times. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "1954 Wilkes County 160 top five finishers information". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
Preceded by Wilkes County 160 races
1954		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.