1949 Wilkes 200
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 8 in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season | |||
| Date | October 16, 1949 | ||
| Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway (North Wilkesboro, North Carolina) | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.625 mi (1.006 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (150 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 68.0 °F (20.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Kenneth Wagner | Dailey Moyer | |
| Time | 31.27 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Blair | Sam Rice | |
| Laps | 180 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 |
Bob Flock |
Frank Christian | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1949 Wilkes 200 was a NASCAR Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on October 16, 1949.[2][3]
Ten thousand people would attend this live racing event where Kenneth Wagner qualified for the race with a pole position speed of 57.563 miles per hour (92.639 km/h) – the equivalent of 31.27 seconds.[2][3] The entire race took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) per lap.[2][3] Weather conditions for the race were recorded at nearby Hickory Regional Airport; a public airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of nearby Hickory, North Carolina.[1]
Summary
This would be the final race of the 1949 NASCAR season and would take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.[2][3] Bob Flock would defeat Lee Petty by an entire football field – 100 yards (91 m) – to win NASCAR's first racing event with an established name.[2][3] Flock would earn a mere $1,500 in prize winnings ($14,867.83 when inflation is taken into effect).[4] Frank Mundy would receive a last-place finish for only finishing 38 laps out of the mandated 200 laps.[2][3] Bill Blair would lead the most laps in this race with 180 laps led out of 200.[3]
Sponsors for the drivers included: Bob Flock Garage, the Green Leaf Cafe, Parks Novelty, Moyer Co., and LaBelle Motors.[2] The race took one hour and fifty-two minutes to complete resolve itself.[2] Red Byron would go on to win NASCAR's first ever championship while Sara Christian would become one of its first female drivers.[5]
Byron almost became a cripple after being shot by an enemy fighter plane while serving as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber during World War II. He spent two years in military hospitals rehabilitating his leg so that he could compete in NASCAR after the war ended.[5]
Timeline
- Lap 1: Bill Blair starts off the race in the pole position
- Lap 38: Frank Mundy withdrew from the race for reasons unknown
- Lap 155: Red Byron withdrew from the race for reasons unknown; he was assumed not have been paid for participating in this event
- Lap 181: Bob Flock takes over the lead from Bill Blair
- Lap 188: Sara Christian ended the racing event 12 laps behind Herb Thomas
- Lap 191: Bill Blair had a terminal problem with his engine; forcing him out of the race
- Lap 196: Roy Hall may or may not have finished the race six laps behind Thomas; records of this race were not kept in the NASCAR archives
- End of race: Bob Flock wins the race
Top ten finishers
- 7-Bob Flock
- 42-Lee Petty
- 47-Fonty Flock
- 19-Clyde Minter
- 92-Herb Thomas
- 14-Roy Hall
- 5-Ray Erickson
- 9-Raymond Lewis
- 41-Curtis Turner
- 44-Bill Blair
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "1949 Wilkes 200 temperature information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ↑ "Bob Flock's prize winnings (1949 Wilkes 200)". Driver Averages. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "NASCAR's first champion and first female driver". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
| Preceded by inaugural race |
Wilkes 200 races 1949 |
Succeeded by 1950 |