May 17, 1953: Lee Master Martinsville

Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Yet as often was the case when Lee contended for a win, his victory involved some controversy.

Because of confusion with 'official' scoring by the teams and NASCAR (a tag-team effort from the early days of NASCAR until about 20 years ago), Petty was not credited with leading a lap. Yet, he was declared the winner of the race. Huh? What?

Read on for more:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-17-1953-lee-petty-masters.html

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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 05/17/17 10:17:15AM

Poor Herb Thomas seemed to be NASCAR's early day version of Rodney Dangerfield. In 1953 he scored 12 Grand National wins to Lee's 5 and won the points title, even though his Martinsville win was reversed in Lee's favor.

Photo of Herb Thomas in 1953 as published in Consumer Guide.

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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Martinsville curb bump

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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.