#7 Jim Reed, #44 Rex White race cars: 55/57 Chevy or 57 Ford??

There are two questionable photos on page 193 in the book: NASCAR: THE EARLY YEARS.

#1. photo shows #7 Jim Reed, #44 Rex White racing each other in 1955 Chevy front-end with 1957 Chevy back-end race cars during Toronto, Canada 7-18-1958 NASCAR STOCK CAR RACE.

01. #7 Jim Reed, #44 Rex White 55 or 57 Chevy or Ford.

02. (Top) Rex White makes a move on Jim Reed (7) at Toronto, Canada on July 18. Reed finished third in his own car, while pole winner White came home seventh in a J.H. "Julie" Petty Chevrolet. Petty's brother, Lee, won the race.

03. #7 Jim Reed, 55 or 57 Chevy or Ford

04. #44 Rex White 55 or 57 Chevy or Ford

01. Toronto., Canada 7-18-1958 race stats informaton from book: FORTY YEARS OF STOCK CAR RACING -THE BEGINNING 1949 - 1958 By Greg Fielden.

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#2. photo shows race driver Jim Reed and trophy queen holding the winner's trophy, winning #7 1955 Chevy front-end with 1957 Chevy back-end race car.

05. #7 Jim Reed, Winning 55 or 57 Chevy
Could this be 7-26-1958, Wall Stadium, Belmar, NJ race winner photo??

06. (Above) Reed collected four winner's trophies in '58 in just 17 starts.

07. 7-26-1958, Wall Stadium, Belmar, NJ race stats

08. 4-27-1958, Old Bridge, NJ race stats

09. 5-15-1958, Roanoke, Va. race stats

010. 7-19-1958, Buffalo, NY race stats

Thanks for any information or photos posted
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va.USA

Dennis,

The drivers door has been hit and it looks like maybe the contact went all the way down the quarter panel. Is it possible that the sheet metal is pushed in enough to make it appear the top of the panel is straight like a '57 and not rounded like the '55? Just a thought because Billy is right, the front end and roof are '55 for sure.

Was with Rex White at Glen Wood birthday party last Thursday. He said he never drove a car for
J.H. Julie Petty. He said a lot of books says he did, but he said Never and don't know how it got in the books.
Thanks
Harlow Reynolds
Lynchburg,Va.

Dennis for some reason I can't down load your pictures. Try sending to my email and I will show them to Rex White.
Thanks
Harlow Reynolds
Lynchburg Va.
hreynolds@earthlink.net

Well, I'll be dogged. Interesting.

Fielden's book indicates Max Welborn as Rex's owner in those 58 races. Yet racing-reference.info (who has said most of the data for those early races was sourced from Fielden's books) shows Julie Petty as the owner.

http://www.racing-reference.info/rquery?id=whitere01&trk=t0&series=W

Is it possible Petty sold Max Welborn a car(s) in 1958 yet Julie's name continued to be shown on the official entry blanks?

Oh if only those could be made available for research to the public if they still exist - somewhere perhaps such as the ... NASCAR Hall of Fame library/research room that I want! Ha.

Adding to the spaghetti mess of racing history, I found this article from The Robesonian about Rex's win on June 29, 1958 at Asheville-Weaverville. It doesn't mention a car owner or car number. But it does say he was driving a Ford. Yet at R-R, the data says he raced Julian Petty's Chevy.

http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1958-27/W

Knowing Rex was pretty a Chevy guy through and through, I'm not convinced the article is right. Yet it adds to the head-scratching.

Rex White told me he drove for Max Welborn some.I,ll send you Rex White mailing Add,

you can send him your question. Tell Rex Harlow Reynolds gave you the mailing add.

Rex stays gone a lot but he will write back.

Rex White

187-Rivers Road

Fayetteville,Ga.---30214

This BOB Welborn / Julie Petty 44 from 1958 looks awfully close to the 44 in Dennis' top photo - though the 44 is shadowed a good bit in it. But the roof mounted side mirror, white paint, front quarter lettering, slanted numbers, grill work, and what looks to be a hood number match the BOB Welborn car.

Perhaps Julie sold Bob this car - and in turn maybe Bob sold it to Max who hired Rex to drive? With Bob and Max both being Welborns, they've GOT to be related, right?

Source: Andy Towler

Rex White will tell yall what you need to know. He don't forget anything.
Thanks
Harlow Reynolds
Lynchburg,Va,