Also - on Sunday May 17 from 1-3PM - I understand several old timers will again be at Memory Lane Museum in Mooresville including:
Driver Bob Welborn and owner Julian Petty won their fourth consecutive race together on April 20, 1958 in the Virginia 500 Grand National race at Martinsville Speedway.
Read on for more:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-20-1958-welborn-wins-martinsville.html
| Fin | Driver | Sponsor / Owner | Car |
| 1 | Bob Welborn | Julian Petty | '57 Chevrolet |
| 2 | Rex White | Julian Petty | '57 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Jim Reed | Jim Reed | '57 Ford |
| 4 | Whitey Norman | Whitey Norman | '57 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Marvin Panch | John Whitford | '57 Ford |
| 6 | Curtis Turner | Holman-Moody | '58 Ford |
| 7 | Billy Carden | Bishop Brothers | '57 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Jimmy Thompson | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Carl Burris | Carl Burris | '57 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Glen Wood | Wood Brothers | '57 Ford |
| 11 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | '57 Oldsmobile |
| 12 | Joe Lee Johnson | S.T. Campbell | '57 Chevrolet |
| 13 | Shep Langdon | Shep Langdon | '56 Ford |
| 14 | Shorty Rollins | Shorty Rollins | '58 Ford |
| 15 | Doug Cox | Doug Cox | '57 Ford |
| 16 | Herman Beam | Herman Beam | '57 Chevrolet |
| 17 | Brownie King | Jess Potter | '57 Chevrolet |
| 18 | Billy Rafter | Billy Rafter | '57 Ford |
| 19 | Tiny Lund | Don Angel | '56 Ford |
| 20 | L.D. Austin | L.D. Austin | '56 Chevrolet |
| 21 | Jack Smith | Jack Smith | '58 Pontiac |
| 22 | Dick Beaty | Dick Beaty | '57 Ford |
| 23 | Eddie Skinner | Eddie Skinner | '57 Ford |
| 24 | Neil Castles | Neil Castles | '56 Ford |
| 25 | Bob Walden | Bob Walden | '57 Ford |
| 26 | Ben Benz | Bernard Friedland | '57 Chevrolet |
| 27 | Frankie Schneider | Frankie Schneider | '57 Chevrolet |
| 28 | Clarence DeZalia | Clarence DeZalia | '56 Ford |
| 29 | Reds Kagle | Reds Kagle | '57 Chevrolet |
| 30 | Junior Johnson | Paul Spaulding | '57 Ford |
| 31 | Joe Weatherly | Holman-Moody | '58 Ford |
| 32 | Johnny Allen | Spook Crawford | '57 Plymouth |
| 33 | Larry Frank | Larry Frank | '57 Chevrolet |
| 34 | R.L. Combs | R.L. Combs | '56 Ford |
| 35 | Buck Baker | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet |
| 36 | Barney Shore | Barney Shore | '57 Chevrolet |
| 37 | George Green | Jess Potter | '56 Chevrolet |
| 38 | Cotton Owens | Smokey Yunick | '58 Pontiac |
| 39 | Fred Harb | Fred Harb | '57 Mercury |
| 40 | Jerry Draper | Monroe Shook | '58 Chevrolet |
| 41 | Chuck Hansen | Chuck Hansen | '57 Chevrolet |
| 42 | E.J. Brewer | E.J. Brewer | '56 Ford |
| 43 | Elmo Langley | Elmo Langley | '57 Chevrolet |
| 44 | Lennie Page | Lennie Page | '56 Ford |
| 45 | Eddie Pagan | Harvey Hege | '57 Ford |
| 46 | Bobby Keck | Bobby Keck | '57 Chevrolet |
| 47 | Roy Tyner | Spook Crawford | '57 Plymouth |
Ultimate Racing History's database includes 3 Grand American races for Hutchins.
This race was originally scheduled for Sunday, March 30 - the Sunday following the convertible race at Richmond where Gwyn Staley was killed. Perhaps fittingly, the race was rained out and rescheduled for a few weeks later in mid-April.
The location was different, but the result was the same. For the third consecutive race since joining owner Julian Petty's racing venture, Bob Welborn claimed the checkers. After winning the Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC and the convertible race at Bowman Gray Stadium, the team headed for another convertible division race on April 13, 1958, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.
Welborn set a track record in qualifying to claim the pole in his #49 Chevrolet. Banjo Matthews - a rare entrant to convertible races - timed second. Matthews had been hired by Lee Petty to drive his #42 Oldsmobile.
Whatever arrangements were made to get Banjo in Papa Lee's car, they didn't matter. Julian again got the better of his brother. Welborn led flag-to-flag to win the 200-lap race. Matthews finished second in Lee's Olds.
Read on for more:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-13-1958-welborn-wins-weaverville.html
| Fin | Driver | Sponsor / Owner | Car |
| 1 | Bob Welborn | J.H. Petty | '57 Chevrolet |
| 2 | Banjo Matthews | Petty Engineering | '57 Oldsmobile |
| 3 | Frankie Schneider | Frankie Schneider | '57 Chevrolet |
| 4 | Ken Rush | J.H. Petty | '57 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Bill Morton | James Lowery | '57 Ford |
| 6 | Roz Howard | Roz Howard | '57 Chevrolet |
| 7 | Possum Jones | Possum Jones | '57 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Larry Frank | Larry Frank | '57 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Dick Beaty | Dick Beaty | '57 Ford |
| 10 | Barney Shore | Barney Shore | '57 Chevrolet |
| 11 | Neil Castles | Neil Castles | '56 Ford |
| 12 | Roy Tyner | Spook Crawford | '57 Plymouth |
| 13 | Tiny Lund | Don Angel | '57 Chevrolet |
| 14 | Elmo Langley | Elmo Langley | '57 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Shep Langdon | Shep Langdon | '57 Ford |
| 16 | Johnny Gardner | Johnny Gardner | '57 Chevrolet |
| 17 | Fred Harb | Fred Harb | '57 Mercury |
| 18 | Glen Wood | Wood Brothers | '57 Ford |
| 19 | Joe Saunders | '56 Plymouth | |
| 20 | Richard Spittle | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet |
Two days after racing in the Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC, Bob Welborn continued his successful new alliance with car owner Julian Petty. The duo dominated the NASCAR convertible series race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC on "Easter Monday", April 7, 1958.
Welborn claimed the pole in qualifying in his #49 Chevrolet.. He then led all of the race's 150 laps and claimed the win. Possum Jones (one of racing's greatest names) finished second, and Julian's brother, Lee Petty, brought home his Oldsmobile fourth. Ken Rush finished fifth in a second #38 Chevrolet fielded by Julian. The car had been previously driven by Gwyn Staley who was killed two weeks earlier in the previous convertible race at Richmond.
Read on for more:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-7-1958-welborn-wins-winston-salem.html
Gwyn Staley ran his final career Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville on March 15, 1958. Eight days later on March 23, he entered a NASCAR convertible division race at Richmond. He flipped on the first lap and was tragically killed. His car owner for both races was Julian Petty.
Two-time NASCAR convertible division champion Bob Welborn finished 8th in the March Fayetteville race in a second #49 Chevrolet for Julian. Following Staley's death, he became the sole driver. On April 5, 1958, Welborn raced Julian's #38 Chevrolet - likely the same car Staley had driven to a 2nd place finish at Fayetteville a month earlier.
When the day was done, Welborn and "Uncle Julie" shared what was likely emotional joy in victory lane.
Read on for more:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/04/april-5-1958-welborn-wins-fayetteville.html
