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Nascar's first season

Bill France founded NASCAR in Daytona Beach, Fla., in December of 1948. He aimed to unify the handful of sanctioning bodies that emerged when Detroit began building new cars after World War II.

1949 Nascar’s Inaugural Race - June 19, 1949

Nascar's very first stock car race took place on June 19, 1949. It was the first race of an 8 race series to determine Nascar's first champion.

More than 13,000 spectators attend the inaugural Strictly Stock National Championship race at the 3/4-mile Charlotte Speedway. NASCAR Publicity Director Houston Lawing reports more than 5000 fans were turned away due to lack of grandstand space.The race was set for 200 laps. The purse was an unimaginable $5,000, including $2,000 for the winner and $1,000 for the runner-up.

Qualifying was run on Saturday.. #7 Bob Flock in his 1946 Hudson owned by the Davis Brothers won the pole on Saturday with a pole speed of 67.958mph.

#90 Tim Flock in his Buddy Elliott, '49 Oldsmobile was 2nd, followed by #22 Red Byron in his Parks Novelty '49 Oldsmobile in 3rd.

Bob Flock (Photo)

Saturday's Qualifying Results (Only Know top 14, the rest listed qualified for the race in no particular order)

Start Car# Driver Sponsor Owner Car

1 7 Bob Flock Davis Brothers '46 Hudson

2 90 Tim Flock Buddy Elliott '49 Oldsmobile

3 22 Red Byron Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '49 Oldsmobile

4 19 Otis Martin '48 Ford

5 47 Fonty Flock Grady Cole '49 Hudson

6 41 Curtis Turner Curtis Turner '46 Buick

7 25 Glenn Dunnaway Hubert Westmoreland '47 Ford

8 44 Bill Blair R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln

9 38 Lee Petty Petty Enterprises '46 Buick

10 ? Pee Wee Martin '49 Oldsmobile

11 Uknown

12 34 Jim Roper Mecklenburg Motors R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln

13 71 Sara Christian Frank Christian '47 Ford

14 2 Sam Rice Rice Racing Sam Rice '49 Oldsmobile

- 31 Sterling Long Long Racing Sterling Long '46 Hudson

- 25 Bob Smith Lane's Motor Co. '49 Oldsmobile

- 16 Bill Snowden Snowden Racing Bill Snowden '48 Mercury

93 Herb Thomas Thomas Racing Herb Thomas '47 Ford

- ? Frank Smith Smith Racing Frank Smith '47 Chrysler

- 36 Jimmy Thompson Bruce Thompson '46 Chrysler

- 87 Buck Baker Penny Mullis '48 Kaiser

- 0 Jimmie Lewallen Jimmie Lewallen '46 Ford

- 11 Skimp Hersey Skimp Hersey '47 Ford

- 1 B.E. Renfro B.E. Renfro '49 Hudson

- 5 Felix Wilkes Felix Wilkes '49 Lincoln

- 4 Frank Mundy Sam Rice '49 Cadillac

- 29 Clarence Boston Clarence Boston '49 Ford

- 10 Fred Johnson Fred Johnson ?

- Archie Smith Frank Smith '46 Ford

- Slick Smith Slick Smith '49 Oldsmobile

- Jack Smith Bishop Brothers '48 Ford

- Jim Paschal Jim Paschal '46 Ford

- John Barker - '47 Kaiser

- George Mantooth - ?

Notes before the race..

In the race there was 10 Fords, 6 Oldsmobiles, 4 Hudsons, 3 Lincolns, 2 Chryslers, 2 Kaisers, 2 Buicks, 1 Cadillac, 1 Mercury, and 2 unknowns.

#7 Bob Flock Nascar's 1st pole sitter.

#71 Sara Christian was born in 1918 in Dahlonega, GA. Married to Frank Christian. It was a car owned by her husband Frank, that she qualified in her first race. Sara Christian was Nascar's first woman driver to qualify for a race. She qualified an impressive 13th in her '47 Ford

#38 Lee Petty driving for his own Petty Enterprises qualified 9th. His son Richard Petty who was just 9 years old at the time, not old enough even to be allowed into the pits sold race programs in the pits "To most everybody, it was just a bunch of people having a race," said racing legend Richard Petty. "Daddy (the late Lee Petty) borrowed a friend's '46 Buick and drove it to a Texaco station near the track. He and Uncle Julian changed the oil, greased it, gassed it and went racing," added Richard Petty.

Lee Petty (Photo)

1949 Pole Standings

1. Bob Flock - 1 The Race..

When the green flag fell on the field. Bob Flock led the first five laps in his '46 Hudson. Then Bill Blair in the #44, R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln took the lead on lap 6 and looked to have the winning car early in the race. On lap 38 #7 Bob Flock's Hudson blew an engine, ending Bob's day and giving him a 32nd place finish in the race.

On Lap 105 #38 Lee Petty blew a tire and his Buick flipped over, his race was done and Petty finished 17th in the race. "Daddy ran about halfway before the right-rear blew and rolled it over. They used a rollback to get it back to Greensboro the next day. I don't know how they explained the wrecked car to the guy they'd borrowed it from. I'm sure Daddy made it good, but I don't remember ever hearing about it." explained Richard Petty.

Seven of out the 33 cars that started the race overheated and that seemed to be an issue in the race. Bill Blair continued to lead the race until lap 150, when his Lincoln would also overheat, sending him to a 12th place finish.

Glenn Dunnaway in the #25 Ford took over the lead, dominated the rest of the race and won the race, at least he thought he had won the race.

Hours later, Chief Inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunnaway. Rules clearly prohibited modifications, but owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite trick of bootleggers looking to improve traction and handling. Glenn Dunaway's Ford was a former moonshine car.

Jim Roper who was running in 2nd place, 3 laps down in his '49 Lincoln was declared the official winner. Westmoreland was so incensed by the DSQ that he sued NASCAR. A North Carolina judge threw it out, the first of many times France and NASCAR have carried the day.

Driver Notes..

#34 Jim Roper from Halstead, Kansas. Roper drove a new 1949 Lincoln owned by R.B. McIntosh, a Lincoln dealer from Great Bend, Kansas, to Charlotte, North Carolina where they painted a #34 on it and entered it in the race. Roper won The the first NASCAR Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup Series). Roper heard about the first race at 3/4 mile dirt track in Charlotte, by reading a note about it in Zack Mosley's 'Smiling Jack' comic strip in his local newspaper.

Jim Roper (Photo)

#71 Sara Christian, Nascar's first female driver ran a very competative race. However, the overheating problem that was happening to 6 other cars happend to her '47 Ford. Sara dropped out of the race but still came home with a 14th place finish.

#11 Skimp Hersey from St. Augustine Florida, who finished 18th in his '47 Ford would never race again. Sadly the next year in June of 1950 at a local short track race at Lakewood Park Speedway in Atlanta, Georgia Skimp crashed his car in the race and received severe burns. He died the next day, and became the first known fatality from injuries in a NASCAR sanctioned event.

#41 Curtis Turner in his '46 Buick finished 9th.

Jack Smith (Left) Curtis Turner (right)(Photo)

#29 Clarence Benton from North Wilkesboro, NC who dropped out of the race early in his '49 Ford finished 31st. Clarence would never race again in the Nascar series.

Jack Smith from Metropolis, Illinois, in his '48 Ford finished 13th after his car overheated. Jack did not race again until 1950.

Jack Smith (Photo)

John Barker in his '47 Kaiser who finished 15th, did not race again intil 1951.

Jim Paschal in the '46 Ford who finished 23rd due to an overheating problem, would not race again in 1949. He returned to Nascar the next year in 1950.

Pee Wee Martin in the '49 Oldsmobile who finished 28th did not race again until 1950.

George Mantooth who finished 26th did not race again until 1956.

"The next race came up just like that first one had," Richard Petty said.

Final Race Results... Finish Car# Driver Sponsor Owner Car Money Laps Status

1 34 Jim Roper Mecklenburg Motors R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln 2,000 197

2 47 Fonty Flock Grady Cole '49 Hudson 1,000

3 22 Red Byron Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '49 Oldsmobile 500

4 2 Sam Rice Rice Racing Sam Rice '49 Oldsmobile 300

5 90 Tim Flock Buddy Elliott '49 Oldsmobile 200

6 - Archie Smith Frank Smith '46 Ford 175

7 31 Sterling Long Long Racing Sterling Long '46 Hudson 150

8 - Slick Smith Slick Smith '49 Oldsmobile 125

9 41 Curtis Turner Curtis Turner '46 Buick 100

10 36 Jimmy Thompson Bruce Thompson '46 Chrysler 75

11 87 Buck Baker Penny Mullis '48 Kaiser 50

12 44 Bill Blair R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln 50 150 Overheating

13 - Jack Smith Bishop Brothers '48 Ford 50 Overheating

14 71 Sara Christian Frank Christian '47 Ford 50 Overheating

15 - John Barker - '47 Kaiser 50

16 0 Jimmie Lewallen Jimmie Lewallen '46 Ford 25

17 38 Lee Petty Petty Enterprises '46 Buick 25 105 Crash

18 11 Skimp Hersey Skimp Hersey '47 Ford 25

19 25 Bob Smith Lane's Motor Co. '49 Oldsmobile 25

20 19 Otis Martin '48 Ford 25 Overheating

21 - Frank Smith Smith Racing Frank Smith '47 Chrysler 0

22 16 Bill Snowden Snowden Racing Bill Snowden '48 Mercury 0 Overheating

23 - Jim Paschal Jim Paschal '46 Ford 0 Overheating

24 1 B.E. Renfro B.E. Renfro '49 Hudson 0

25 10 Fred Johnson Fred Johnson 0

26 George Mantooth - ? 0

27 5 Felix Wilkes Felix Wilkes '49 Lincoln 0 Overheating

28 - Pee Wee Martin '49 Oldsmobile 0

29 93 Herb Thomas Thomas Racing Herb Thomas '47 Ford 0 Springs

30 4 Frank Mundy Sam Rice '49 Cadillac 0 Rf Spindle

31 29 Clarence Boston Clarence Boston '49 Ford

32 7 Bob Flock Davis Brothers '46 Hudson 0 38 Engine

33 25 Glenn Dunnaway Hubert Westmoreland '47 Ford 0 200 Disqualified

Lap Leaders

Bob Flock 1-5

Bill Blair 6-150

Jim Roper 151-197

1949 Nascar Race #2 at Daytona Beach Road Course (July 10, 1949)

Daytona Beach Road Course

Race # 2 July 10, 1949

At race #2 of the 8 total NASCAR races held in 1949 finds the drivers at the Daytona Beach Road Course. A less-than-expected crowd of 5,000 watches the event. The course started at the north turn on the pavement of highway A1A (at 4511 South Atlantic Avenue where a restaurant now stands). It went south two miles on A1A (parallel to the ocean) to the end of the road, where the drivers accessed the beach at the Beach Street approach (the south turn), went two miles north on the sandy beach surface, and turned away from the beach at the north turn. The lap length was 4.2 miles in this race.

Entry List Notes..

Nascar's first female driver Sara Christian who raced in the 1st race in Charlotte, was offered a ride by Ruby Flock to drive the #17 1949 Ford, which was a lot better car then what she drove ('47 Ford, owned by her husband Frank Christian) in the first race at Charlotte. p>

Frank Christian entered the race in his own #37 '49 Oldsmobile and Nascar history was made. This was the first time Nascar ever had a husband and wife race against each other in the same race.

....and if that wasnt enough history, 3 female drivers entered the race. Sara Christian, Ethel Mobley, and Louise Smith all raced in the 1949 Daytona Beach race. Finally, another historic moment, this was the first Nascar race to have 4 siblings racing against each other in one race. They were Bob Flock, Fonty Flock, Tim Flock, and sister Ethel Mobley.

Frank Christian also fielded 2 ot

her cars in the race which totalled a 3 car team. Frank hired Buckshot Morris from Atlanta, George to drive in Sara Christian's #71, '47 Ford that she drove at Charlotte. He also hired Joe Littlejohn from Spartanburg, SC to drive his other owned #7 '49 Oldsmobile.

Several new teams come into Nascar...

Bill Appleton enters his #6, '49 Hudson with new driver Marshall Teague from Daytona Beach, Florida.

David Chester enters his #8

'47 Ford with new driver Billy Carden from Mableton, Georgia.

Glenn Dunaway who was disqualified in the Charlotte race, entered the Daytona Beach race in his own #35 '49 Lincoln and he continued the rest of the season driving his own car.

New driver Woodie Wilson driving his own #12 '49 Mercury from Mobile, Alabama enters the race.

New driver Jack Etheridge driving his own #15 '49 Mercury from Jacksonville, Florida enters the race.

Buddy Helms hires Slic

k Smith to drive his #29 '48 Buick for the remainder of the season.

Sam Marshall from Jacksonville, Florida, enters his on #34 '49 Hudson, sponsored by Jax Hudson car dealership.

New car owner Leon Chester enters the race with his #50, 1949 Oldsmobile along with a new driver from Atlanta, Georgia, Gober Sosebee.

Benny Georgeson from Ft. Lauderdale enters his own #64, '49 Buick into the race at Daytona Beach.

Charles Mobley from Atlanta Georgia enters his #91 '48 Cadillac for his wife Ethel who is the sister to all the Flock Brothers to drive at Daytona.

Female driver Louise Smith enters the Nascar world at Daytona beach driving her own '47 Ford in the race.

Howard Elder from Jacksonville, Florida enters in the race with a car that is unknown.

Changes to existing teams

after race #1...

Frank Mundy's car owner Sam Rice changes Mundy's #4 1949 Cadillac (Charlotte) to a '49 Oldsmobile and has a number change on his car from #4 to #5.

Herb Thomas purchases a new '49 Ford to replace the '47 Ford he drove at Charlottte. He also changes his number from #93 (Charlotte) to #9.

The pole sitter at Charlotte Bob Flock was hired by Raymond Parks to drive the #14 Parks Novelty '48 Ford at Daytona Beach. Bob Flock and #22 Red Byron were now teammates, both driving for Raymond Parks.

Bill Snowden replaces the '48 Mercury he drove at Charlotte with a '49 Mercury.

Car Owner Bruce Thompson replaces his '46 Chrysler after Charlotte and brings a '47 Chrysler to Daytona Beach for his

brother Jimmy Thompson to drive in his 2nd race of the year.

#41 Curtis Turner who drives his own car replaced his '46 Buick after Charlotte with a '48 Buick for the Daytona Beach race.

Car Owner Gene Horne enters the race with his #47, '49 Hudson and hires Fonty Flock to drive it in a one race deal.

Entry List... (Sponsor)

#5 - Frank Mundy - '49 Oldsmobile

#6 - Marshall Teague - '49 Hudson

#7 - Joe Littlejohn - '49 Oldsmobile

#8 - Billy Carden - '47 Ford

#9 - Herb Thomas - '49 Ford

#10 - Fred Johnson - '47 Ford

#12 - Woodie Wilson - '49 Mercury

#14 - Bob Flock (Parks Novelty) - '48 Ford

#15 - Jack Etheridge - '49 Mercury

#16 - Bill Snowden - '49 Mercury

#17 - Sara Christian - '49 Ford

#22 - Red Byron (Parks Novelty) - '49 Oldsmobile

#29 - Slick Smith - '48 Buick

#34 - Sam Marshall (Jax Hudson) - '49 Hudson

#35 - Glenn Dunnaway - '49 Lincoln

#36 - Jimmy Thompson - '47 Chrysler

#37 - Frank Christian - '49 Oldsmobile

#41 - Curtis Turner - '48 Buick

#44 - Bill Blair (McIntosh/Roper) - '49 Lincoln

#47 - Fonty Flock - '49 Hudson

#50 - Gober Sosebee - '49 Oldsmobile

#64 - Beynny Georgeson - '49 Buick

#71 - Buckshot Morris - '47 Ford

#87 - Buck Baker - '47 Kaiser

#90 - Tim Flock - '49 Oldsmobile

#91 - Ethel Mobley - '48 Cadillac

#94 - Louise Smith - '47 Ford

#? - Howard Elder - ?

Qualifying Notes...

New driver Marshall Teague in the #6 '49 Hudson has a great qualifying run in his first ever Nascar race and starts 6th.

Bill Blair qualifies his #44 '49 Lincoln in 5th.

New driver #7 Joe Littlejohn in one of the Frank Christian owned '49 Oldsmobiles qualifies on the outside of the 2nd row, starting 4th.

Another new driver sets the pace in qualifying,

#8 Billy Carden qualifies his '47 Ford in 3rd spot.

Red Byron in the #22 Parks Novelty '49 Oldsmobile qualifies on the front row in 2nd place.

Finally new driver, new team, #50 Gober Sosebee puts his '49 Oldsmobile on the pole.

Gober Sosebee (Photo)

Starting Lineup..(o

nly positions 1 - 6 are known) Start

Car# Driver Sponsor Owner Car

1 50 Gober Sosebee Leon Chester '49 Oldsmobile

2 22 Red Byron Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '49 Oldsmobile

3 8 Billy Carden David Chester '47 Ford

4 7 Joe Littlejohn Frank Christian '49 Oldsmobile

5 44 Bill Blair McIntosh/Roper R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln

6 6 Marshall Teague Bill Appleton '49 Hudson

- 90 Tim Flock Buddy Elliott '49 Oldsmobile

- 5 Frank Mundy Sam Rice '49 Oldsmobile

- 37 Frank Christian Frank Christian '49 Oldsmobile

- 16 Bill Snowden Bill Snowden '49 Mercury

- 36 Jimmy Thompson Bruce Thompson '47 Chrysler

- 15 Jack Etheridge Jack Etheridge '49 Mercury

- 91 Ethel Mobley Charles Mobley '48 Cadillac

- 9 Herb Thomas Herb Thomas '49 Ford

- 29 Slick Smith Buddy Helms 48 Buick

- 12 Woodie Wilson Woodie Wilson '49 Mercury

- 17 Sara Christian Ruby Flock '49 Ford

- 47 Fonty Flock Gene Horne 49 Hudson

- 94 Louise Smith Louise Smith '47 Ford

- 71 Buckshot Morris Frank Christian 47 Ford

- 14 Bob Flock Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '48 Ford

- 87 Buck Baker Buzzy Boehmen '47 Kaiser

- 34 Sam Marshall Jax Hudson Sam Marshall '49 Hudson

- 41 Curtis Turner Curtis Turner '48 Buick

- 10 Fred Johnson Fred Johnson '47 Ford

- 64 Benny Georgeson Benny Georgeson '49 Buick

- 35 Glenn Dunnaway Glenn Dunnaway '49 Lincoln

- ? Howard Elder ? ?

1949 Pole Standings

1. Bob Flock - 1

2. Gober Sosebee - 1

The Race..

With the race distance on the beach course set for 40 laps. The green flag fell at Daytona Beach with Gober Sosebee in the #50 Oldsmobile leading the field. Sosebee led the field for the first 34 laps.

Bob Flock's #14 '48 Ford dropped out of the race early with a shock problem.

Buckshot Morris driving the

#71 '47 Ford dropped out after he crashed.

Red Byron took over the lead on lap 35 and never looked back leading 6 more laps to the checkered flag. Red Byron now joined Jim Roper as Nascar's first winners.

Red Byron sits in his car "Filthy" after winning the race. (Photo)

Final Race Results... Finish Car# Driver Sponsor Owner Car Money Laps Status

1 22 Red Byron Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '49 Oldsmobile 2,000 40

2 90 Tim Flock Buddy Elliott '49 Oldsmobile 1,000 40

3 5 Frank Mundy Sam Rice '49 Oldsmobile 500 40

4 7 Joe Littlejohn Frank Christian '49 Oldsmobile 300 40

5 44 Bill Blair McIntosh/Roper R.B. McIntosh '49 Lincoln 200 40

6 37 Frank Christian Frank Christian '49 Oldsmobile 175

7 16 Bill Snowden Bill Snowden '49 Mercury 150

8 50 Gober Sosebee Leon Chester '49 Oldsmobile 125

9 36 Jimmy Thompson Bruce Thompson '47 Chrysler 100

10 15 Jack Etheridge Jack Etheridge '49 Mercury 75

11 91 Ethel Mobley Charles Mobley '48 Cadillac 50

12 9 Herb Thomas Herb Thomas '49 Ford 50

13 29 Slick Smith Buddy Helms '48 Buick 50

14 6 Marshall Teague Bill Appleton '49 Hudson 50

15 8 Billy Carden David Chester '47 Ford 50

16 ? Howard Elder ? ? 25

17 12 Woodie Wilson Woodie Wilson '49 Mercury 25

18 17 Sara Christian Ruby Flock '49 Ford 25

19 47 Fonty Flock Gene Home '49 Hudson 25

20 94 Louise Smith Louise Smith '47 Ford 25

21 71 Buckshot Morris Frank Christian '47 Ford 0 Crash

22 14 Bob Flock Parks Novelty Raymond Parks '48 Ford 0 Shocks

23 87 Buck Baker Buzzy Boehmen '47 Kaiser 0

24 34 Sam Marshall Jax Hudson Sam Marshall '49 Hudson 0

25 41 Curtis Turner Curtis Turner '48 Buick 0

26 10 Fred Johnson Fred Johnson '47 Ford 0

27 64 Benny Georgeson Benny Georgeson '49 Buick 0

28 35 Glenn Dunnaway Glenn Dunnaway '49 Lincoln 0

Lap Leaders

1. Gober Sosebee - 34

2. Red Byron - 6

1949 Nascar Race #3 at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, NC

Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, NC was the site of NASCAR race #3 of 8. 17,000 fans showed up to watch the race. Occoneechee was one of a handful of tracks on the first Nascar schedule in 1949. It is one of only three tracks from the original schedule that is still around today. Occoneechee was considered a dream venue for Big Bill France, but that dream would turn into a nightmare. Tickets were issued for the races, but many fans found ways to enter the track without paying. Some fans would climb trees that bordered the track to watch the races. Others crossed the nearby Eno river to sneak into the infield and strike up a conversation with their favorite drivers. Not only was Occoneechee a fan favorite, it was a favorite for the drivers. Never before had the stars of Nascar raced on a track that was bigger than a half a mile. Essentially, it was Nascar's first Superspeedway. The Occoneechee Speedway started as a half-mile horse track built by General Julian Carr on the Occoneechee farm. It stayed that way until the mid 1940's when Bill France spotted the track while flying his plane. Seeing the track, France saw potential in expanding it and bringing his newly formed racing league to Hillsborough. France purchased the land from Carr in January 1948, and 5 months later, the first flag was waved. The final race was run on September 15th, 1968 Here is a Satellite Image of Occoneechee Speedway today. You can still see the outline of the track etched into the trees at the park.

After France and Nascar left Hillsborough, Occoneechee Speedway drifted away into obscurity. Only a few that follow Nascar today know that Occoneechee Speedway was on the verge of becoming a major venue. While the track is gone, the memories are not. In 2003, local preservationists started restoring as much of the track as they possibly could. They turned the land into walking trails with informational posts along the way detailing the tracks history. Through their efforts, signs of racing are becoming evident. Concrete spectator stands have been unearthed, and a few hundred feet of the once famous clay track are embedded into the walking trails. Earlier this year projects begun to restore the old facilities that once helped operate the track. The flag stand, ticket office and outhouses, that's right the track's restrooms, have been fully restored to show where some of Nascar's legends once roamed. The restoration project is close to being finished.

While the Sprint Cup series is heading down to Talladega every year, no one even has the slightest thought about the Occoneechee Speedway. The track should be remembered as the stepping stone that led Bill France down to Alabama. It should not just be another track that couldn't make it. If disputes had not occured between Nascar and locals, Occoneechee Speedway could still be around today. Think how crazy it would be, having Nascar come to the small hick town north of Raleigh/Durham for one of the biggest events of the year. As the saying goes, "Heroes don't die, they just fade away." The same could be said for the Occoneechee Speedway, that track that almost was.