1955 Wilkes 160

Last updated
1955 Wilkes 160
Race details [1]
Race 44 of 45 in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series season
NorthWilkesboroSpeedwayMap.svg
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Date October 23, 1955 (1955-October-23)
Official name Wilkes 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 Mild with temperatures approaching 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)
Average speed 72.347 miles per hour (116.431 km/h)
Attendance 10,000 [2]
Pole position
Driver
 Pete DePaolo
Most laps led
DriverBuck BakerPete DePaolo
Laps 160
Winner
No. 87Buck BakerPete DePaolo
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

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.

Contents

Summary

One hundred and sixty laps were competed on a dirt oval track spanning .625 miles (1.006 km). [2] There were three cautions delivered down by NASCAR officials and the race lasted exactly one hour, twenty-one minutes, and sixteen seconds. [2] Buck Baker defeated Lee Petty by a time of three seconds. [2] Ford would make its first Grand National Series win at this speedway; making it a viable competitor against Dodge, Chevrolet and Chrysler. [3] The average speed was 72.347 miles per hour (116.431 km/h) while the pole position speed was 79.815 miles per hour (128.450 km/h). [2] Ten thousand people attended this autumn race. This race would produce Joe Weatherly's first finish in the top five. [2] Most of the drivers in this racing event were driver-owners who owned their own racing vehicle and drove their vehicle directly to the races instead of towing it from hundreds of miles away. [4]

All the drivers in this event were racing for a prize purse that totalled $4,285 ($41,396.83 when adjusted for inflation). Only 20 of the 28 competing drivers would gain financially from this race; with individual earnings that ranged from $1,110 ($10,723.57 when adjusted for inflation) to a paltry $50 for the NASCAR drivers who finished in 13th place through 20th place ($483.04 when adjusted for inflation). No financial compensation was given to the participants who finished in the bottom 9 due to NASCAR's limited budget for prize winnings in an era prior to "big money" sponsors like Sprint Nextel and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. [5]

Carl Kiekhaefer was one of the notable crew chiefs on attendance for this race; he helped to service Tim Flock's racing vehicle. [6]

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerQualifying Speed
187Buck Baker'56 Ford79.815 mph
292Herb Thomas'55 Chevrolet
398Marvin Panch'56 Ford
442Lee Petty'55 Dodge
5B-29Dink Widenhouse'56 Ford
6301Fonty Flock'55 Chrysler
799Curtis Turner'56 Ford
849Bob Welborn'55 Chevrolet
99Joe Weatherly'56 Ford
1020Speedy Thompson'55 Chrysler

Results

PosGridCar #DriverOwnerMakeLapsLaps ledStatusWinnings
1187 Buck Baker† Pete DePaolo '56 Ford 160160Running$1,100
2442 Lee Petty† Petty Enterprises '55 Dodge 1600Running$700
3122 Gwyn Staley† Hubert Westmoreland '55 Chevrolet 1590Running$475
499 Joe Weatherly†Charlie Schwam'56 Ford 1590Running$365
511300 Tim Flock† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 1590Running$310
66301 Fonty Flock† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 1590Running$250
71020 Speedy Thompson† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 1570Running$200
85B-29 Dink Widenhouse Dink Widenhouse'56 Ford 1570Running$150
919198 Dave Terrell Dave Terrell'55 Oldsmobile 1560Running$100
101644 Jim Paschal†Julian Petty'55 Chevrolet 1540Running$100
111704 Jimmy Massey Hubert Westmoreland'55 Chevrolet 1540Running$75
121888 Jimmie Lewallen†Ernest Woods'55 Oldsmobile 1510Running$60
13849 Bob Welborn†Bob Welborn'55 Chevrolet 1450Running$50
142324 Bobby Waddell Jimmy Pardue'55 Chevrolet 1380Running$50
1527460 Ed Cole Brooks Brothers'55 Plymouth 1360Running$50
162428 Eddie Skinner Frank Dodge'53 Oldsmobile 1320Running$50
172527 John McVitty†John McVitty'55 Chevrolet 1280Wheel$50
18155 Ralph Liguori†Ralph Liguori'55 Buick 1270Stalled$50
191322 Bill Blair†Bill Blair'55 Oldsmobile 1270RF Hub$50
20799 Curtis Turner†Charlie Schwam'56 Ford 1030RF Hub$50
21292 Herb Thomas†Herb Thomas'55 Chevrolet 900CrashNo Payout
222189 Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett'55 Buick 700Fuel PumpNo Payout
23398 Marvin Panch Pete DePaolo '56 Ford 500OverheatingNo Payout
241470 Joe Eubanks†Lancaster Brothers'55 Chevrolet 400SteeringNo Payout
252220 Banks Simpson Banks Simpson'55 Buick 400RadiatorNo Payout
262055 Junior Johnson Jim Lowe & Carl Beckham'55 Oldsmobile 350BumperNo Payout
27289A Tom Pistone Tom Pistone'55 Chevrolet 280OverheatingNo Payout
282671 Ted Cannady Ted Cannady'55 Oldsmobile 250SteeringNo Payout

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Race summary

  • Lead changes: 0
  • Cautions: 3
  • Red flags: N/A
  • Time of race: 1:21:16
  • Average speed: 72.347
  • Margin of Victory: 5 seconds

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Related Research Articles

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.

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References

  1. ↑ "1955 Wilkes 160 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1955 Wilkes 160 race information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  3. ↑ "Winning manufacturer for the 1955 Wilkes 160". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  4. ↑ "1955 Wilkes 160 driver information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  5. ↑ "1955 Wilkes 160 race information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-09-03.
  6. ↑ "1955 Wilkes 160 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
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