Racing History Minute - November 13, 1955

Right out of the box this morning we start with a sad note. Lewis "Buddy" Shuman, a veteran of 27 Grand National starts in NASCAR, with one win in the series, died in a fire in a hotel room. Shuman had won a 100 mile race in 1952 at Nigara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Shuman's real racing talent was in the NASCAR Modified series where he won more than 100 races in his career. Further deeping the sadness of his death was the fact that he had just been appointed to head up Ford Motor Company's factory racing efforts, a compliment to his personality and abilities. Official investigation into the fire reported the fire started in Shuman's hotel room and the cause of death was smoke inhalation.

But, as it has always been, racing goes on. Today we are attending a 200 lap/80 mile race on the .4 mile dirt track located in Hickory, NC. The race was actually the first race of the 1956 season. Having done a little research into why NASCAR would start a new season in November for several years, it appears that was to capitalize on the introduction of the new models as most manufacturers brought out their new line ups in October of each year. I do remember how I always looked forward to the introduction of the new models.

Tim Flock started on the pole in his gleaming white Kiekhaefer Chrysler on the pole although Jim Paschal in a Bob Welborn 1955 Chevrolet was the fastest qualifier with a speed of 68.965 mph. Lee Petty qualified second in the Petty Engineering Dodge, Curtis Turner in the Schwam Motor Company Ford was third, Dink Widenhouse in his own '56 Ford was fourth and Buck Baker in the Satcher Motor Company Ford would start fifth.

Tim Flock bolted into the lead on the green flag and was waging a battle with Lee Petty for the first 121 laps before spinning his Chrysler on lap 121 in the third turn. No report of whether he was touched by Petty who was known for "moving a competitor out of the way if necessary". It only took Flock 16 laps to recover from the spin and run down Petty to retake the lead without incident. Four caution flags slowed the average speed to 56.962 in the race witnessed by 7,500 fans.

Finishing order:

1. Tim Flock, Kiekhaefer Chrysler, winning $1,150.00

2. Curtis Turner, Schwam Motor Co. Ford, winning $720.00

3. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Dodge, winning $505.00

4. Dink Widenhouse, Widenhouse Ford, winning $365.00 (1 lap down)

5. Jim Paschal, Bob Welborn Chevrolet, winning $360.00 (1 lap down)

6. Gwyn Staley

7. Buck Baker

8. Fonty Flock

9. Marvin Panch

10. Billy Myers

11. Jimmy Massey

12.Reds Kagle

13. Bob Welborn

14.Ralph Liguori

15. Cotton Owens

16. Herb Thomas

17.Fred Harb

18. Ted Cannady

19.Ed Skinner

20. Johnny Roberts

21. Ned Jarrett

22. Dave Terrell

23. John Dodd, Jr.

24. Jimmie Lewallen

25. Jim Reed

26. Blackie Pitt

27. Bob Flock

28. Joe Weatherly

29, Bobby Waddell

30. Speedy Thompson

31. Tiger Tom Pistone

The 1956 season would come to a close with a 100 mile racing in Wilson, NC, on November 18, 1956. That would be the 56th race of the season that would see Buck Baker win the Championship over Herb Thomas.

PERSONAL NOTE: The 1956 season is one I remember well. My Uncle Bobby and I would listen to all the races that were broadcast then (not many) and I would read everything I could get my hands on about the sport. While press coverage wasn't that great, I could get a little of the "color" from the races by using my imagination and the words made pictures for me. Uncle Bobby took me to a race in Concord, NC that year, one at Greenville-Pickens, on in Charlotte.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

Two articles from the same day's edition of the Spartanburg Herald .

Race report from Hickory

Shuman's legacy obviously carries on to this day with the annual presentation of the Buddy Shuman Award. But he did win one GN race - the 1st of only 2 GN races held outside of the United States. Back on July 1, Tim posted about Shuman's win at Stamford Park Speedway on the Canadian side of the border near Niagara Falls:

http://racersreunion.com/community/forum/stock-car-racing-history/24995/racing-history-minute-july-1-1952

Speaking of Buddy Shuman Award, we had the pleasure of meeting a past winner of the award in Phoenix: Dr. Jerry Punch.

When the Joe Weatherly museum opened at Darlington in 1965, looks like the plan was to permanently house the Buddy Shuman Award and the NASCAR GN series winner trophies there with symbolic replicas presented to the annual winners. I'm curious how long this tradition continued. With RJR's entrance into the sport in 71, I think all the title winners got their own Winston Cup trophies. But I don't know about the Buddy Shuman one. With ISC's renaming of the museum and later paring down of it, I seriously doubt this tradition continues today.

Source: Spartanburg Herald

I was honored in 1997 to be in attendance in New York when my employer, Paul Sawyer (along with Bud Moore, one of the two greatest men I've ever met in auto racing) was presented the Buddy Shuman Award as NASCAR embarked on its 50th Anniversary season, as recapped in the Gettsyburg Times and Albany Herald:

16th place finisher Ted Cannaday seemed familiar so I looked it up and he should be. Ted would end up with a Chevrolet dealership in Liberty, NC. Dad bought a lot of over the counter 396 parts there and ended up in the showroom in 1969 with Cannaday Chevrolet on the quarter panels on this Chevelle.

Dennis... I found this interesting passage in The Danville (Va.) Bee:

Apr. 21, 1971 'Mr. Modified' Joins Virginia 500 Field

MARTINSVILLE--Take Ray Hendrick, put him in a fast Chevrolet and what do you have? Hopefully, a lot of excitement for the fans in Sunday's $32,680, 16th annual Virginia 500 race at Martinsville Speedway. The Richmond speedster who is becoming known as "Mister Modified," will drive a 1971 Chevelle in the Winston Cup event that covers 500 laps and 262.5 miles. The car, just recently built, was prepared by Junior Fields and R a l p h McNabb and is sponsored by Cannaday Chevrolet of Liberty N.C.

The results don't show Hendrick in that Cup field.

Here's a link to a very interesting writeup of the #91 Chevelle sponsored out of Liberty, NC by both Cannaday Chevrolet and a local lumber company and fielded by Junior Fields and Ralph McNabb for a variety of drivers in the 1971 Winston Cup season, beginning with Charlie Glotzbach at the April 1971 N. Wilkesboro event:

http://www.randyayersmodeling.com/modelingforum/viewtopic.php?p=606448&sid=78565179dc5212d0ab9eaed10cf9fd5b

That's cool Dave. I knew about the #91 Chevelle but never knew of any connection with Cannaday Chevrolet other than the fact that Ted would order factory racing parts right out of the performance catalog for GN teams as well as local outlaw teams. That's where dad got most of his 396 parts for the dirt Chevelles he owned. I think I've still got part of one of those catalogs somewhere. At that time you couldn't get over the counter racing parts from Ford.

Tiger Tom Pistone completed 199 of the race's 200 laps. He is shown dead last in the finishing order. Tiger told me he finished 5th on the track but was disqualified by John Bruner Sr. after a protest by Lee Petty and a NASCAR post-race inspection.

NASCAR pioneer Buddy Shuman poses with one of his Modified stock cars. Shuman won the inaugural NASCAR-sanctioned race in January 1948 at Pompano Beach, Florida. It was a non-points race, so credit for the firstofficial race is given to the Daytona Beach Speed Week event that February, won by Red Byron.

Photo published in NASCAR Complete History of the January 1948 NASCAR Modified Division exhibition race won by Buddy Shuman on the 1 1/4-mile dirt Pompano Beach Speedway in Florida:

Bump for Buddy

In 1951, at Richmond's Old Dominion Barn Dance, Crazy Joe Maphis recorded "Racing at Royall Speedway" and sang of Buddy Shuman "An Ole Tar Heel" racing with the Richmond Stock Car Racing Association at what is now Southside Speedway in Chesterfield County, just southwest of Richmond off U.S. Highway 360.