NASCAR's newly launched Strictly Stock division ran its first race in Charlotte on June 19, 1949 [ Racing History Minute ]. Race number two was July 10, 1949 on the legendary Daytona beach and road course [ Racing History Minute ]. The drivers returned to North Carolina for race #3 - a 200-lap race on the one-mile, dirt Occoneechee Raceway.
Even though NASCAR didn't brand it's own convertible division until 1956, Earl Allbright planned to enter his Pontiac ragtop in the show. For reasons unclear to me, however, I can't find anything to indicate Allbright actually showed up to participate. His name also doesn't appear in the results of any other NASCAR convertible or GN race.
Earl and I'm supposing a relative, W.P. Allbright (or Albright?) were featured as local Burlington, NC area drivers who had planned to enter. In addition, Hubert Westmoreland planned to race the same car he'd provided Glenn Dunnaway at Charlotte 2 months earlier - but was then subsequently disqualified.
Westmoreland, of course, went on to have involvement with NASCAR as a car owner. But for whatever reason, he didn't race at Hillsboro giving the Burlington crowd an 0'fer for their contingent.
A big story line for the race was the scheduled entries by two women - Sara Christian and Louise Smith. Unlike the Albrights, the two ladies DID make the race. Both had somewhat of an impact on the race.
A clearer version of the photo of Sara Christian.
A remarkably large crowd was expected for the race. I really have no idea if Occoneechee could accommodate 25,000 fans or if Bill France and the folks at the track just trumped up a number to help hype the race. Either way, it seems there was an awful lot of interest in the fledgling new series.
In pre-race practice, Louise Smith had a wild ride. She tumbled and demolished her car but apparently was not injured. After being extricated from the car, she posed with her wrecked sedan as if it were a prize fishing catch.
Bob Flock won the pole, but the rest of the line-up seems to have been lost to the dustbin of history. A 28-car field is reflected in the records I've found. Louise Smith is credited with 27th - only one spot better than last place finisher Sterling Long. After her practice crash, I'm not sure if she belted into a replacement car - or if she was given a near last place finish because of her attempt to start the race. Hopefully someone here knows if she actually took the green flag.
Just shy of 40 laps into the race, Sara Christian had a wreck of her own. Matt McLaughlin wrote about the incident:
Sara Christian set off the worst of the wrecks. Her 47 Ford broke a wheel and while she was trying to limp the cars to the pits she was hit by Felix Wilkes in a huge Lincoln. The two cars completely blocked the track and another pair of cars, including that of points leader Red Byron, barreled into the wreck.
I haven't found a detailed race report. But in a preview of races at Lakeview Speedway and Bowman Gray, the writer notes the Flock family had been on a roll. The article also notes no one mounted much of a challenge to Bob during the race at Occoneechee.
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Bob Flock | '48 Oldsmobile |
| 2 | Gober Sosebee | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 3 | Glenn Dunaway | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 4 | Fonty Flock | '47 Buick |
| 5 | Bill Snowden | '49 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Bill Blair | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 7 | Tim Flock | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 8 | Otis Martin | '48 Ford |
| 9 | Lee Petty | '49 Plymouth |
| 10 | Buddy Helms | '47 Hudson |
| 11 | Bobby Greene | '48 Ford |
| 12 | J.D. Edwards | |
| 13 | Bob Apperson | '47 Ford |
| 14 | Frank Smith | |
| 15 | Jim Roper | '49 Lincoln |
| 16 | Bill Harrison | |
| 17 | B.E. Renfro | '49 Hudson |
| 18 | Garland Smith | |
| 19 | Jim Carrusso | |
| 20 | Curtis Turner | '46 Buick |
| 21 | Bob Smith | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 22 | Red Byron | '49 Oldsmobile |
| 23 | Sara Christian | '47 Ford |
| 24 | Felix Wilkes | '49 Lincoln |
| 25 | Jimmie Lewallen | '49 Lincoln |
| 26 | Herb Thomas | '47 Ford |
| 27 | Louise Smith | '47 Ford |
| 28 | Sterling Long | '46 Hudson |
--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
