@tmc-chase7 years ago
Race preview from June 25, 1948 edition of The Daily Tar Heel:
Stock Car Racing Opens Sunday at Hillsboro Track
Ranking stock car drivers of the country will be competing for a $4,000 purse at the new Occoneechee Speedway, located two miles east of Hillsboro on the old Durham highway, Sunday afternoon when this famous one-mile dirt track is officially opened.
Time trials will start Saturday afternoon, being slated for 1 o'clock. All cars not qualified Saturday afternoon will start at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon. The 15-lap consolation race will start at 2:45 o'clock Sunday with the 100-lap feature starting at 3:30 o'clock.
Promoter Bill France, the genial pioneer of the stock car racing business, is anticipating a record field of entries for the national championship event, sanctioned by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Thirty drivers will be allowed to compete for the main purse in the 100-mile feature event, these being selected on the basis of their qualifying times Saturday and Sunday.
The new banked track is one of the most beautiful racing plants in America, being constructed on the famous horse racing track that attracted race fans from all sections of the south to the famous Occoneechee farm for many years.
With 100 acres of land available for parking space, plenty of parking areas are provided to accommodate the huge crowd expected to attend this national championship event in the 100-mile class.
All three of the Flock brothers, rated as Atlanta's gift to racedom, will compete in this big race. Fonty Flock, the 1947 national champion, regained his position as the No. 1 man for the national championship race this season by winning the feature at Birmingham last Sunday, while brothers Bob and Tim made it a clean sweep for the Flock family by winning feature races at Columbus, Ga., and Greensboro in other important events last Sunday.
@dave-fulton7 years ago
Either the Associated Press or the Spartanburg paper relocated Red Byron's Anniston, Alabama hometown to Louisiana. Anniston is where most of the racing crowd traditionally stayed during Talladega races. It is also where one of my all-time favorite drivers - Al Grinnan drove his first race while stationed at the Anniston Army base during the Korean war. And, on the dark side, Anniston is also where the Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders was torched in the early 60s.
Race preview from June 25, 1948 edition of The Daily Tar Heel:
Stock Car Racing Opens Sunday at Hillsboro Track
Ranking stock car drivers of the country will be competing for a $4,000 purse at the new Occoneechee Speedway, located two miles east of Hillsboro on the old Durham highway, Sunday afternoon when this famous one-mile dirt track is officially opened.
Time trials will start Saturday afternoon, being slated for 1 o'clock. All cars not qualified Saturday afternoon will start at 1 o'clock Sunday afternoon. The 15-lap consolation race will start at 2:45 o'clock Sunday with the 100-lap feature starting at 3:30 o'clock.
Promoter Bill France, the genial pioneer of the stock car racing business, is anticipating a record field of entries for the national championship event, sanctioned by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. Thirty drivers will be allowed to compete for the main purse in the 100-mile feature event, these being selected on the basis of their qualifying times Saturday and Sunday.
The new banked track is one of the most beautiful racing plants in America, being constructed on the famous horse racing track that attracted race fans from all sections of the south to the famous Occoneechee farm for many years.
With 100 acres of land available for parking space, plenty of parking areas are provided to accommodate the huge crowd expected to attend this national championship event in the 100-mile class.
All three of the Flock brothers, rated as Atlanta's gift to racedom, will compete in this big race. Fonty Flock, the 1947 national champion, regained his position as the No. 1 man for the national championship race this season by winning the feature at Birmingham last Sunday, while brothers Bob and Tim made it a clean sweep for the Flock family by winning feature races at Columbus, Ga., and Greensboro in other important events last Sunday.
Either the Associated Press or the Spartanburg paper relocated Red Byron's Anniston, Alabama hometown to Louisiana. Anniston is where most of the racing crowd traditionally stayed during Talladega races. It is also where one of my all-time favorite drivers - Al Grinnan drove his first race while stationed at the Anniston Army base during the Korean war. And, on the dark side, Anniston is also where the Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders was torched in the early 60s.