Kenneth Wagner (racing driver)
| Kenneth Wagner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Kenneth Wayne Wagner September 19, 1917 Caldwell, Ohio, United States | ||||||
| Died | March 1, 1981 (aged 63) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 9 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 50th (1949) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Race No. 6 (Martinsville) | ||||||
| Last race | 1956 Langhorn 150 (Langhorne) | ||||||
| |||||||
Kenneth Wayne Wagner (September 19, 1917 - March 1, 1981) was a stock car racing driver from the early NASCAR Cup Series years, competing in NASCAR's inaugural season. He won the first pole position at the season finale 1949 Wilkes 200.[1]
Career
Wagner's NASCAR debut came in 1949, when he competed at Martinsville Speedway.[2] He competed in three races in 1949 at Martinsville, Heidelberg Raceway (near Pittsburgh), and North Wilkesboro Speedway.[2] He took the pole position for the Wilkes 200, the first ever pole position at North Wilkesboro for the NASCAR Cup Series.[2] Wagner then raced three more times in the 1950 season with a best start of fourth at Langhorne Speedway and a tenth place at the second Langhorne race. He finished tenth at the Langhorne circle for his only top ten career finish.[2] He also competed in the inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington where he finished 70th of 78 cars.[2] Wagner would skip several years before his next NASCAR race in 1956.[2] He raced three times in 1956: Daytona Beach Road Course, Wilson Speedway, and his final NASCAR start at Langhorne.[2]
Personal life
Wagner was born in Caldwell, Ohio but lived and was based out of Pennington, New Jersey.[3] He died in Philadelphia on March 1, 1981. He had three sons, Kenneth, John, and Raymond, who died aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie as he was the co-captain aboard the plane [4]
References
- ^ "It was 70 Years Ago Today North Wilkesboro Speedway Opened". Speedway Digest. May 18, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Driver Statistics". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181472926/kenneth-w-wagner," Find-A-Grave, Retrieved July 17, 2017
- ^ https://panam103.syr.edu/victims/pa103_v_wagner_raymond.php, Syracuse University, December 21, 1988.] Retrieved October 21, 2021