October 5th was a good day in the history of Petty racing beginning in the 1950s. Lee Petty went back-to-back on the date in 1957 and again in 1958.
October 5, 1957: Starting from the pole position, Lee Petty wins a 200-lap, 100-mile race at the half-mile, dirt Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte, NC. While its unknown the leaders of each lap, Petty apparently led a large portion of the race - including taking over the for good around the halfway point of the race. Petty managed to go the full race - leading most of it - without making a pit stop.
Read on for more:
https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-5-1957-lee-petty-shines-in.html
| Fin | # | Driver | Car |
| 1 | 42 | Lee Petty | '57 Oldsmobile |
| 2 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | '57 Ford |
| 3 | 45 | Eddie Pagan | '57 Ford |
| 4 | 87 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet |
| 5 | 48 | Tiny Lund | '57 Chevrolet |
| 6 | 34 | Bill Amick | '56 Ford |
| 7 | 32 | Brownie King | '57 Chevrolet |
| 8 | 75 | Ken Rush | '56 Mercury |
| 9 | 47 | Jack Smith | '57 Chevrolet |
| 10 | 74 | L.D. Austin | '56 Chevrolet |
| 11 | 76 | George Green | '56 Chevrolet |
| 12 | 14 | Billy Myers | '57 Mercury |
| 13 | 711 | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet |
| 14 | 2 | Ansel Rakestraw | '56 Chevrolet |
| 15 | 94 | Clarence DeZalia | '56 Ford |
| 16 | 51 | Roy Tyner | '56 Ford |
| 17 | 46 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet |
| 18 | 98 | Marvin Panch | '57 Ford |
| 19 | 96 | Bobby Keck | '57 Chevrolet |
| 20 | 64 | Johnny Allen | '57 Plymouth |
| 21 | 17 | Shorty York | '57 Mercury |
| 22 | 79 | Dick Klank | '56 Ford |
| 23 | 40 | Johnny Mackison | '57 Ford |
| 24 | 1A | Whitey Norman | '56 Ford |
| 25 | 55 | Mel Larson | '56 Ford |
| 26 | 2X | Joe Weatherly | '57 Ford |
| 27 | 18 | Pete Stewart | '56 Plymouth |
| 28 | 11 | Jim Russell | '56 Ford |
A year later on October 5, 1958, Lee Petty wins a 160-lap, 100-mile race on the .625-mile, dirt Salisbury Super Speedway in in Salisbury, NC. The promoter of the race way back then is still well known to contemporary race fans: O. Bruton Smith, CEO of Speedway Motorsports, Inc.
NASCAR's history at Salisbury was short-lived. The track hosted only two major NASCAR-sanctioned races: a September 1958 convertible race won by Bob Welborn and the October 1958 Grand National race won by Lee Petty. Interestingly, Welborn's car was fielded by Lee's brother, Julian Petty. Richard was one of several drivers who ran in both races (though Lee and Welborn raced only in their respective events.)
Read on for more:
https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-5-1958-lee-petty-stakes-claim.html
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Lee Petty | '57 Oldsmobile |
| 2 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Cotton Owens | '58 Pontiac |
| 4 | George Dunn | '57 Mercury |
| 5 | Roy Tyner | '57 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Doug Cox | '57 Ford |
| 7 | Gober Sosebee | '57 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Joe Eubanks | '57 Pontiac |
| 9 | Ken Rush | '57 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Tiny Lund | '56 Ford |
| 11 | Whitey Norman | '57 Chevrolet |
| 12 | Harvey Hege | '57 Ford |
| 13 | Tommy Irwin | '57 Ford |
| 14 | Fred Harb | '57 Mercury |
| 15 | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet |
| 16 | Jimmy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet |
| 17 | Clarence DeZalia | '56 Ford |
| 18 | Neil Castles | '58 Plymouth |
| 19 | Ted Chamberlain | '57 Chevrolet |
| 20 | L.D. Austin | '56 Chevrolet |
| 21 | Shorty Rollins | '58 Dodge |
| 22 | Richard Petty | '57 Oldsmobile |
| 23 | Johnny Gardner | '56 Ford |
| 24 | Bobby Keck | '57 Chevrolet |
| 25 | Herman Beam | '57 Chevrolet |
| 26 | John McDaniel | '57 Chevrolet |
| 27 | Bob Walden | '57 Ford |
| 28 | Shep Langdon | '56 Ford |
| 29 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet |
| 30 | R.L. Combs | '56 Ford |
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updated by @tmc-chase: 10/05/20 08:16:12AM