Racing History Minute - September 30, 1955
Stock Car Racing History
NASCAR, as I understand, identifies any track one mile or more in length as a "super speedway". Based on that categorization, our event for today takes place on a super speedway known as Raleigh Speedway located in, of course, Raleigh, NC. The track was one mile in length, and paved. Not that many super speedways in NASCAR racing back in those days. Even more intriguing to me is to find this particular race was run "under the lights". That, in my opinion, was pretty innovative to have a one mile asphalt track running at night in 1955.
Fonty Flock qualified his Mercury Outboards Chrysler on the pole with a lap of 82.098 mph. Tim Flock, in another of those Mercury Outboard Chrysler would start second, Herb Thomas in the Motoramic Chevrolet qualified third, and Speedy Thompson was fourth in a Ford. Fifth place starter was Donald Thomas in a Herb Thomas Buick.
Tim Flock beat his brother Fonty into turn one on the drop of the green and Tim would lead the first 14 laps. Fonty took over on lap 15 and would stay in front until lap 46 when Herb Thomas vaulted into the lead. Herb was leading with Fonty almost playing bumper-tag with him from lap 47 until lap 68 when Fonty literally blew by Herb with his powerful Chrysler. Fonty would lead the remaining laps but Herb Thomas did not go "quietly into that good night" as he continued to fill Flock's mirror, finally finishing only six car lengths back in second.
Some 6,000 fans saw Flock average 73.829 mph for the 100 miles. His speed was slowed by 3 caution flags although my records do not indicate how many laps were run under caution.
Top five finishers were:
1. Fonty Flock, Mercury Outboards Chrysler, winning $1,100.00
2. Herb Thomas, Motoramic Chevrolet, winning $700.00
3. Tim Flock, Mercury Outboards Chrysler, winning $475.00
4. Donald Thomas, Herb Thomas Buick, winning $365.00
5. Bill Widenhouse, Bill McCutchen Chevrolet, winning $310.00
Top six finishers were all on the lead lap. Sixth place went to Bob Welborn. Three laps down was seventh place finisher Buck Baker who was in the same lap with eighth place Ralph Liquori. Ninth place was Lee Petty and tenth was Gwyn Staley.
Speedy Thompson was 17th, Junior Johnson 25th, Gary Lewallen 26th, Jim Massey 27th, Joe Eubanks 28th, Jim Paschal 29th, and Dink Widenhouse 30th. Jim Reed finished 31st, and Ned Jarrett, attempting to break into Grand National racing, finished 33rd. Curtis Turner was 35th, and credited with 36th and last position was George Parrish who lasted only 9 laps before his Studebaker dropped a cylinder.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM