NASCAR's convertible division raced 47 times in 1956 - the first year of the series after NASCAR's acquisition and remolding of it. To accomodate that many races, the ragtops often raced several times per week including some back to back days.
A 200-lap race at Hickory Speedway on Sunday August 5, 1956, was the third of three races on back-to-back-to-back days. Curtis Turner won the two prior races - Bowman Gray on Friday August 3rd and Columbia on Saturday August 4th.
Glen Wood captured the pole, and Gwyn Staley lined up alongside him in Hubert Westmoreland's Chevy. Billy Carden and the eventual season champion, Bob Welborn, made up the second row. Turner and Joe Weatherly started waaaaay out back. They started 22nd and 23rd, respectively, in the 24-car field. Though I haven't found any info yet to confirm it, I suspect the duo arrived too late in Hickory to qualify - perhaps the result of some late night activities following Turner's win in Columbia. - Getty Images
I haven't landed any articles yet to indicate the lap leaders - and I'm unsure if the information was even logged and/or retained.
But when the checkered flag flew, Gwyn Staley captured his first of only two career convertible division wins. To the delight of fans I'm sure, Turner climbed all the way from his his deep starting spot to finish second. Wood had the opposite kind of day. Overheating issues took him from his P1 start to a P21 DNF. Westmoreland's second team car driven by Jimmy Massey finished third.
Though Staley took the checkers, he wasn't able to celebrate right away. Track officials DQ'd Staley because of an issue with a pit stop. Neither article I found is completely clear. If I read between the lines, it sounds as if the drivers were supposedly required to (1) make a pit stop during the race and (2) do certain kinds of maintenance such as change tires.
Staley's win and prize winnings were initially stripped from him. He protested the DQ and apparently eventually prevailed. I've not found anything yet to clarify WHY the win was reinstated - but the record books do show Staley as the winner. Perhaps he and Westmoreland successfully argued NASCAR wasn't clear in what service had to be done during a stop.
It was fitting Staley captured a big time race at Hickory. He is credited as being the first winner at Hickory when the track opened in July 1951 and the first track champion that same season. However, he didn't win in the convertible division again until 1957. After changing teams from Westmoreland to Julian Petty's Chevrolets, Staley won 3 GN and 1 convertible races. Then he was tragically killed in Petty's car at Richmond in March 1958.
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Gwyn Staley | '56 Chevrolet |
| 2 | Curtis Turner | '56 Ford |
| 3 | Jimmy Massey | '56 Chevrolet |
| 4 | Jimmie Lewallen | '56 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Bob Welborn | '56 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Don Oldenberg | '56 Buick |
| 7 | Joe Weatherly | '56 Ford |
| 8 | Billy Carden | '56 Ford |
| 9 | Bob Beck | '56 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Dick Joslin | '56 Dodge |
| 11 | Larry Odo | '56 Chevrolet |
| 12 | Art Binkley | '56 Plymouth |
| 13 | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet |
| 14 | Larry Frank | '56 Mercury |
| 15 | Bun Emery | '56 Mercury |
| 16 | Cannonball Brown | '56 Chrysler |
| 17 | Bill Eubanks | '56 Buick |
| 18 | Spike Sheldon | '55 Plymouth |
| 19 | Bill Lutz | '56 Ford |
| 20 | Mel Larson | '56 Ford |
| 21 | Glen Wood | '56 Ford |
| 22 | Bill Brown | '56 Chevrolet |
| 23 | Allen Adkins | '56 Dodge |
| 24 | Gene Blair | '56 Dodge |
--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM