The 1955 NASCAR Grand National season had ended on October 30th with a 100 mile race on the 1 mile dirt track at Hillsboro (now Hillsborough) NC which was won by Tim Flock. The top five finishers for the championship were:
Tim Flock, starting 38 races, winning 18 and a total purse of $37,779.60
Buck Baker, starting 42 races, winning 3 and a total purse of $19,770.90
Lee Petty, starting 42 races, winning 6 and a total purse of $18,919.29
Bob Welborn, starting 32 races, winning none and a total purse of $10,146.76
Herb Thomas, starting 23 races, winning 23 and a total purse of $18,023.47
However, althought the Grand National Season was over, Bill France decided to promote a 150 lap feature race on Sunday, November 6, 1955, in partnership with Alvin Hawkins. The track of choice was Champion Raceway in Fayetteville, NC. The race was billed as including "All Late Model Stock Cars with America's Top Drivers". The program was to also include two 25 lap heat races.
The track was a high banked asphalt one-thirdmile and the competition was expected to be hot and heavy between the Fords and Chevrolets as well as the local track speeders versus the Grand National drivers expected to appear.
The high point of the event for some fans was the expectation that Joe Weatherly would show up with his "purple pig" to go along with his purple and white Ford. the story of the pig started when Joe was racing and ran off the track and disappeared from sight some three weeks before the Champion Speedway event. Miraculously, Lil Joe came bouncing back up on the track. Joe said he had found a"pig trail" off track and it led him back on track and to a decent finish. Lil Joe, being the one who always believed in good luck charms and omens, obtained himself a pig, painted it purple and put the number 9 on its side and led him around on a leach at North Wilkesboro where he stormed to a fourthplace finish in a hotly contested race. The following week, Joe left the pig at home and went over the embankment at Hillsborobut claimed he used "pig tactics" to remain in that race. So, it was without a doubt that the purple pig would accompany Joe to Fayetteville.
There were, in fact, four National Champions for NASCAR divisions slated to race. Tim Flock, Grand National Champion, Jim Reed, short track late model champ, Bill Widenhouse, national modified champ and Bill Myers national sportsman champ as well as the sportsman champ at the Fayetteville track.
Other entrants were Bill Blair, Eddie Skinner, Johnny Dodd , Jr. and Sr. Bud Geisel, Eddie Cole, Glen Wood, Dink Windenhouse, Jimmy Thompson, Tom Pistone, Jim Paschal and Lee Petty. Buck Baker was also entered.
References used for this Minute don't include a great deal of details as to the actual race but I do have the top 15 finishers. My source does not include car makes or money won or laps completed.
Top Fifteen finishers were:
1. Herb Thomas
2. Joe Weatherly (and pig)
3. Jim Reed
4. Bill Myers (more commonly known as Billy Myers)
5. Tom Pistone (more commonly known as Tiger Tom Pistone)
6. Jim Paschal
7. Lee Petty
8. John McVitty
9. Bud Geiselman
10.Fred Harb
11.Bill Odell
12.Jimmy Dodd
13.Buck Baker
14.Curtis Turner (from Virginia like Weatherly, but pigless)
15.Eddie Cole
PERSONAL NOTES: Member Dennis Andrews, someone whom I deeply respect and appreciate, provided me with the information for this History Minute. I had intended to further research this race but my issues with time lately seems to work against me in such endeavors. I do appreciate Dennis offering this information for a little different History Minute.
It seems that NASCAR, for whatever reason, readily acknowledges that many of the records of the Late Model Sportsman, Limited Sportsman and other divisions were summarily hauled to the dump in Daytona quite a number of years ago. It is only through the contributions and efforts of folks like Dennis that we can recall such special events as this very special race at the end of the 1955 season.
Having watched Lil Joe race and Curtis Turner as well, I can only imagine the show that was put on at the Champion Speedway in Fayetteville that Sunday afternoon. Herb Thomas may have "brought home first place bacon" but I have a feeling that Lil Joe, finishing second with his purple pig in the pits, actually got the better of the bacon deal.
Thank you, Dennis Andrews, for providing such a wonderful experience for this Racing History Minute for this date.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
