1949 Wilkes 200
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 8 in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season | |||
| Date | October 16, 1949 | ||
| Official name | Wilkes 200 | ||
| 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 | Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 68.0 °F (20.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | 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.[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 ($14,918.18 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] 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
- Start of race: 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
- Bob Flock – #7
- Lee Petty – #42
- Fonty Flock – #47
- Clyde Minter – #19
- Herb Thomas – #92
- Roy Hall – #14
- Ray Erickson – #5
- Raymond Lewis – #9
- Curtis Turner – #41
- Bill Blair – #44
References
- 1 2 "1949 Wilkes 200 temperature information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "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.
- 1 2 "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 |