"All Negro Stock Car Race" - 1949

Robert Mitchell
@robert-mitchell
13 years ago
327 posts

I recently came across this in the Winston-Salem Journal while researching and felt it was a very noteworthy piece of,not only racing history, but American history. This race took place at the old Piedmont Park Fairgrounds in Winston-Salem, NC on July 4, 1949.

Has anyone else seen anything like this at that time? It was a shame these racers didn't get in with the NASCAR circuit, but also a tribute to Wendell Scott and few other black drivers that persevered in spite of the racism and did make it in the NASCAR crowd. I wonder if these drivers ever took their racing any further and what ever happened to them?


updated by @robert-mitchell: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Bobby Williamson
@bobby-williamson
13 years ago
907 posts
Robert, very interesting, and news to me. Good work.
Jack Walker
@jack-walker
13 years ago
162 posts
Nice historic find !!!
Mike Sykes
@mike-sykes
13 years ago
308 posts
Thanks for posting this part of history of stock car racing. It was very interesting. I wonder did they do this again or was it a one time deal ? Thanks for posting this Robert...
Mike Ray2
@mike-ray2
13 years ago
27 posts
Excellent article and newspaper ads.Thank you!
Robert Mitchell
@robert-mitchell
13 years ago
327 posts

Thanks for the comments, guys. This is pure speculation but I think it was some kind of a tour or road show, and not a one off race here. That photo in the second ad isn't from the W-S fairgrounds judging from what I've seen. It's more like a press release photo that was sent to the newpapers in each city of the tour. Mack Kelly and John Henry Spencer were never mentioned in the results and that made me wonder if they were well know black drivers at the timebut their names were onlyused to draw a crowd andrecruit local drivers into the race. Or maybe they were supposed to be there but crashed their rides at a previous event? I'd bet that one of these races took place in at least a few other cities like Greensboro, Raleigh, Charlotte, or Atlanta.

Robert Mitchell
@robert-mitchell
13 years ago
327 posts

I've come across more all black stock car races from Elkin Speedway, Tri-City Speedway in High Point, and another one at the Winston-Salem Piedmont Park Fairgrounds. I couldn't find any results for the Elkin race or the second W-S race, but from the articles it states Elsie Williams had won four previous races, one of them at North Wilkesboro.

It seems there really was an all black stock car racing series.

Eric Cardona
@eric-cardona
10 years ago
196 posts

Damn Collie, get it together!

Robert Mitchell
@robert-mitchell
10 years ago
327 posts

Here is a race at Spartanburg in 1950. I believe it was the County Fair. No results were found.

TMC Chase
@tmc-chase
6 years ago
4,073 posts

BUMP - And though these races don't appear to have been NASCAR-sanctioned, I think the NASCAR Hall of Fame should have at least a temporary exhibit for them. With all the NC taxpayer funding that has gone into that place, these races should be noted as being as much a part of North Carolina history as they with racing in general.




--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.