The final race of the long 37-race, 1954 season was the Wilkes 160 at North Wilkesboro. Lee Petty had already clinched the 1st of his 3 career NASCAR Grand National championships. And Hershel McGriff was on a bit of a roll. In a season in which he raced in 24 of the season's 37 races - the most in any year of his GN/Cup career - he'd already picked up 3 victories, 12 top 5s, and 16 top 10s.
Race preview - Spartanburg Herald .
The full starting order isn't known. But it seems McGriff won the pole with Dick Rathman (3) alongside him. Lee Petty timed 3rd, Gober Sosebee (51) started fourth and Herb Thomas supposedly qualified 5th though not shown in this photo.
Hershel McGriff (14) shown before the race begins.
The race is about to get underway! The Getty Images caption for this photo says its a pace lap for the 1956 Wilkes 160. I'm confused about it though. Rathman is shown in 2nd, Lee in 3rd, and Gober in 4th. But that is Herb Thomas' 92 alongside Rathman vs. McGriff. Starting directly behind Sosebee is the #7 of Gwyn Staley.
The race was dominated by 2 drivers: Rathman and McGriff. Rathman led 83 laps of the race's scheduled 160 laps, and McGriff led 74 circuits. The season's champion was of no threat as Lee Petty exited the race with a failed wheel hub after only 12 laps. Herb Thomas who was 2nd in points finished 3rd in the race, but the points differential was too great to pass Petty for the title.
But with just a handful of laps to go, Lou Figaro had a terrible wreck and suffered grave injuries. The race was flagged as complete with 3 laps to go, and McGriff who had led the previous 73 laps was declared the winner after 157 laps.
McGriff did keep his hot streak going as he won 4 of the last 9 races of the season. And he'd won the pole and the race in his only race at North Wilkesboro. His focus turned immediately, however, to his injured friend. The two of them had enjoyed dinner just the night before the race.
Figaro was transported to the hospital. His injuries were too much to overcome, however, and he died the next day.
Source: Spartanburg Herald
Figaro was from the west coast and raced only occasionally in the Grand National series. He made 13 starts in 1951, and the 1954 Wilkesboro race was his 3rd and final start of the season - and of his life. He also raced (and crashed badly) in the 1950 Mexican road race - a race coincidentally won by McGriff.
Figaro's death deeply affected McGriff. Rather than see if his late season momentum would carry over to 1955, McGriff stepped back - way back. He returned to Oregon and continued to race for decades. He never returned to NASCAR GN / Cup racing full-time, and he never raced more than 5 GN/Cup events a year the rest of his career.
Cup rookie and predicted superstar Rob Moroso was foolishly killed while driving drunk following a race at North Wilkesboro in September 1990. But I believe Figaro's death is the only on-track, racing-related one at Wilkesboro.
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Hershel McGriff | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 2 | Buck Baker | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 3 | Herb Thomas | '54 Hudson |
| 4 | Slick Smith | '51 Oldsmobile |
| 5 | Dick Rathman | '54 Hudson |
| 6 | Marvin Panch | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 7 | Ralph Liguori | '54 Dodge |
| 8 | Bill Blair | '53 Hudson |
| 9 | Clyde Minter | '50 Mercury |
| 10 | Joe Eubanks | '51 Hudson |
| 11 | Arden Mounts | '54 Hudson |
| 12 | Jim Paschal | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 13 | Lou Figaro | '54 Hudson |
| 14 | Hooker Hood | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 15 | Elton Hildreth | '53 Nash |
| 16 | Joel Million | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 17 | Donald Thomas | '53 Hudson |
| 18 | Dave Terrell | '54 Dodge |
| 19 | Billy Minter | '54 Chevrolet |
| 20 | Ken Pace | '49 Hudson |
| 21 | Ned Jarrett | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 22 | Jimmie Lewallen | '54 Mercury |
| 23 | Cotton Owens | '51 Hudson |
| 24 | Fred Dove | '51 Hudson |
| 25 | Jim Frey | '52 Hudson |
| 26 | Bud Harless | '53 Hudson |
| 27 | Gober Sosebee | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 28 | Blackie Pitt | '54 Oldsmobile |
| 29 | Eddie Skinner | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 30 | Dink Widenhouse | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 31 | Gwyn Staley | '54 Cadillac |
| 32 | Lee Petty | '54 Chrysler |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/24/17 09:53:13AM
