1955 Wilkes County 160
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 45 in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||
| Date | April 3, 1955 | ||
| Official name | Wilkes County 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 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 18.1 miles per hour (29.1 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 73.126 miles per hour (117.685 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 10,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dink Widenhouse | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Buck Baker | Bob Griffin | |
| Laps | 160 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 87 | Buck Baker | Bob Griffin | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1955 Wilkes County 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on April 3, 1955, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Summary
One hundred and sixty laps were done on a dirt track spanning .625 miles (1.006 km).[2] The total duration of the race was one hour, twenty-two minutes, and three seconds with no cautions.[2] Buck Baker defeated Dick Rathmann by three feet.[2] Ten thousand people came out to see this race.[3]
The pole speed that was accomplished by Dink Widenhouse was 77.720 miles per hour (125.078 km/h) while the average speed was 73.126 miles per hour (117.685 km/h).[2] Other notable drivers who participated included Lee Petty, Herb Thomas, Dink Widenhouse, Fonty Flock, and Junior Johnson.[2] All twenty-two drivers who qualified were American-born.[2] Twelve drivers failed to finish the race due to axle, spindle, coil, wheel, frame, vapor lock, tire, gasket, and bearing problems.[2]
The total winnings of the race was $3,800 USD ($33,973.42 when considering inflation). Race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
Qualifying
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B-29 | Dink Widenhouse | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 2 | 87 | Buck Baker | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 4 | 55 | Junior Johnson | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 5 | 14 | Fonty Flock | '55 Chevrolet |
| 6 | 78 | Jim Paschal | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 7 | 99 | Curtis Turner | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 8 | 3 | Dick Rathman | '54 Hudson |
| 9 | 88 | Joel Million | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 10 | 42 | Lee Petty | '55 Chrysler |
| 11 | 18 | Herb Thomas | '54 Hudson |
| 12 | 72 | John Dodd, Sr. | '53 Hudson |
| 13 | 18 | John Dodd, Jr. | '53 Hudson |
| 13 | 300 | Tim Flock | '55 Chrysler |
| 14 | 58 | Tommy Ringstaff | '55 Packard |
| 15 | 5 | Jimmie Lewallen | '54 Mercury |
Finishing order
- Buck Baker† (No. 87)
- Dick Rathmann† (No. 3)
- Curtis Turner† (No. 99)
- Lee Petty† (No. 42)
- Eddie Skinner (No. 28)
- Dave Terrell (No. 98)
- Jimmie Lewallen† (No. 5)
- Gene Simpson (No. 460)
- Joel Million (No. 88)
- Blackie Pitt† (No. 59)
- Tommy Ringstaff* (No. 58)
- John Dodd, Sr.* (No. 72)
- Tim Flock*† (No. 300)
- Herb Thomas*† (No. 18)
- Jimmy Thompson* (No. 80)
- Jim Paschal*† (No. 78)
- John Dodd, Jr.* (No. 73)
- Junior Johnson* (No. 55)
- Dink Widenhouse* (No. B-29)
- Fonty Flock*† (No. 14)
- Ralph Liguori* (No. 6)
- Boyce Hildreth* (No. 57)
* denotes that the driver failed to finish the race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Timeline
- Start of race: Buck Baker was leading the other drivers as the green flag was waved
- Lap 5: Boyce Hildreth's vehicle had a problematic gasket
- Lap 16: The tires on Ralph Liguori's vehicle developed problems
- Lap 33: The axle on Fonty Flock's vehicle became problematic
- Lap 56: Dink Widenhouse managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 58: A bearing came loose of Junior Johnson's vehicle
- Lap 64: John Dodd, Jr.'s vehicle had a problematic gasket
- Lap 70: The vapor lock on Jim Paschal's vehicle stopped working properly
- Lap 84: The frame on Jimmy Thompson's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner
- Lap 105: One of the wheels came off Herb Thomas' vehicle
- Lap 106: Coil issues managed to send Tim Flock to the sidelines
- Lap 109: A problematic spindle ended John Dodd, Sr.'s chances of winning the race
- Lap 126: The axle on Tommy Ringstaff's vehicle became problematic
- Finish: Buck Baker was officially declared the winner of the event
References
- ↑ "1955 Wilkes County 160 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "1955 Wilkes County 160 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
- ↑ "1955 Wilkes County 160 attendance information". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
| Preceded by 1954 |
Wilkes County 160 races 1955 |
Succeeded by 1956 |