With Labor Day weekend quickly approaching, I am beginning to wonder where I would get a History Minute for the rest of August. Today I discovered that 12 of the good ole boys came to the Hickory Speedway on August 29, 1953, to run 200 laps/100 miles on what was then a half mile dirt track.
As for qualifying, the only record of that is that Tim Flock sat no the pole with a speed of 79.362 mph. Tim was driving a Hudson. My record also indicates Tim led the first 5 laps before brother Fonty, also driving a Hudson, took over the front spot where he would remain for the rest of the race. Herb Thomas would make a strong run but could never top Fonty. Herb would finish second and this would be the ninth consecutive race in which Thomas would finish first or second. This race would also mark the second time in four races that Dick Rathmann would finish last (albeit last place was 12th place). Incidentally, at the time this race was run, the dozen starters represented the smallest starting field in NASCAR's short history.
Another interesting factoid about this race concerns the driver described in Greg Fielden's "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing" as "a farm boy with big league aspirations". That "farm boy" was Ned Jarrett, starting his first Grand National Race. Ned would be credited with 11th place, completing only 25 of the 200 laps in his Ford.
Top five finishers were:
1. Fonty Flock, Frank Christain Hudson, winning $1,000.00
2. Herb Thomas, FABULOUS Hudson Hornet, winning $700.00
3. Joe Eubanks, Oates Motor Company Hudson, winning $450.00
4. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Dodge, winning $350.00
5. Jimmie Lewallen, Plymouth, winning $200.00
Remaining finishers were Slick Smith, Tim Flock, Fred Dove, Ralph Rose, Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett, and Dick Rathmann.
I must admit that everytime I read about the Hudson Hornets, I can picture in my mind the way those cars seemed to literally "float" around Columbia Speedway back in the day. Some great race cars.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
