Racing History Minute - August 21, 1959
Stock Car Racing History
Tim, I was reading just the other day about NASCAR "Short Track Division" races promoted by Ed Otto at New York City's Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium as well as Chicago's Comiskey Park.
Jim Reed was the master of the short track division. Here's a brief excerpt from a Gary London story that appeared several years ago in National Speed Sport News:
France started the short-track division to run more races at tracks the Grand National division didnt run. In 1956, a convertible division was added. These actually werent ragtops; the hard tops were cut off, but were often put back on.
There were also races when the cars with tops ran with those without them. With the short-track circuit, drivers were free to pick their spots.
Reed was a short-track demon. Whether dirt or asphalt, he was hard to beat. Not just a bull-ring expert, he followed a fourth- and a second-place finish in the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway with a win in 1959. He was champion of the short tracks from 1953-57. Like other drivers of the day, Reed was a first-rate mechanic.
