| Jim Reed | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jim Reed |
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| Born | February 21, 1926 Peekskill, New York, U.S.A. |
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 106[1] races run over 13[1] years | |||||||
| Best finish | 9th – 1959 NASCAR Grand National season | ||||||
| First race | 1951 untitled race (Altamont-Schenectady Fairgrounds) | ||||||
| Last race | 1963 untitled race (Old Bridge Stadium) | ||||||
| Last win | 1959 Southern 500 (Darlington Speedway) | ||||||
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Jim Reed (born February 21, 1926 in Peekskill, New York, USA) is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.[1]
From 1951 to 1963, Reed has raced 16299 laps (and successfully led 1428 of them) - the equivalent of 14,017.3 miles (22,558.7 km).[1] His total career earnings is $16,299 ($116,919.11 in today's money).[1] Reed's biggest win came in the 1959 Southern 500 driving a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Reed finished the highest in championship standings in 1959 being 9th place overall and the lowest in 1963 being 139th place overall for the year.[1] His average career start was 12th and his average career finish was 16th.[1] A wreck while driving a Ford in late in the 1963 Grand National season caused a broken vertebrae; Reed eventually retired from NASCAR. People who suffer from broken vertebrae usually end up paralyzed, deceased, or both. At Heidelberg Raceway, Reed won a race that took place on July 21, 1959 on ¼ mile dirt track.
In 1965, Reed left the motorsports scene to start a truck dealership.[2][3] While it started out as a GMC dealership, the business eventually moved onto selling Mitsubishi trucks as GMC trucks became less desirable.[2][3] Sales have mostly been either the first or second best in the Peekskill, New York region.[2][3]