Marshall Teague
| Marshall Teague | |||||||
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 Marshall Teague beside the Fabulous Hudson Hornet with his daughter at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1952 |
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| Born | February 22, 1922 Daytona Beach, Florida |
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| Died | February 11, 1959 (aged 36) | ||||||
| Cause of death | crash in Speedway car at Daytona International Speedway | ||||||
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| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 23 race(s) run over 4 year(s) | |||||||
| Best finish | 62nd - 1949 (Strictly Stock) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Daytona Beach Road Course | ||||||
| Last race | 1952 Columbia Speedway (Columbia, SC) | ||||||
| First win | 1951 Daytona Beach Road Course | ||||||
| Last win | 1952 Speedway Park (Jacksonville) | ||||||
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| Formula One World Championship career | |
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| Nationality |  American |
| Active years | 1953–1954, 1956–1958 |
| Teams | Kurtis Kraft, Kuzma |
| Races | 5 (3 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First race | 1953 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last race | 1958 Indianapolis 500 |
Marshall Teague (February 22, 1922 - February 11, 1959) was an American race car driver.
He was nicknamed by NASCAR fans as the "King of the Beach" for his performances at the Daytona Beach Road Course.
He walked into fellow Daytona Beach resident Smokey Yunick's "Best Damned Garage in Town", and launched Yunick's legendary NASCAR mechanic career.
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[edit] Career
Teague competed in 23 NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup) races from 1949 to 1952 winning seven of them. Teague approached Hudson by traveling to Michigan and visiting the plant without an appointment: by the end of the visit Hudson virtually assured Teague of corporate support and cars: the relationship was formalized shortly after the visit. During the 1951 and 1952 seasons Teague was a member of the Hudson Motors team and driving what he called the Fabulous Hudson Hornet.
Teague was also instrumental in helping Hudson tune the 308 cu in (5.0 L) straight-6 powered Hudson Hornet to its maximum stock capability. When combined with the cars light weight and low center of gravity, the Hornet allowed Teague and the other Hudson drivers to dominate stock car racing from 1951 through 1954, consistently beating out other drivers in cars powered by larger, more modern engines. Yunick and Teague won 27 of 34 events in major stock car events.[1]
However, he left NASCAR in 1953 following a dispute with NASCAR founder William France Sr. and went to the AAA and USAC.
Teague was also the inspiration for Doc Hudson in the film Cars.[2]
[edit] Death
Teague died while attempting a closed course speed record in a reconfigured Indy car at the newly opened Daytona International Speedway. He was conducting test sessions in preparation for the April debut of the United States Auto Club championship with Indy-style roadsters. He was driving a "Sumar Special" streamliner, a Kurtis-Kraft chassis with a Meyer-Drake Offenhauser 270 engine. On February 10, 1959, Teague set an unofficial closed course speed record of 171.821 mph (276.5 km/h).[3]
Teague was attempting to go even faster on February 11, 1959, eleven days before the first Daytona 500. "Teague pushed the speed envelope in the high-powered Sumar Special streamliner - to an estimated 140 mph (230 km/h)."[2] His car spun and flipped through the third turn and Teague was thrown, seat and all, from his car. He died nearly instantly.[1][4]
[edit] Indy 500 results
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* Shared drive with Duane Carter, Jimmy Jackson and Tony Bettenhausen
** Shared drive with Gene Hartley
[edit] World Championship career summary
The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Marshall Teague participated in three World Championship races, but scored no World Championship points.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Marshall Teague". Legendsofnascar.com. 2008-03-12. http://www.legendsofnascar.com/marshall_teague.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ a b Parente, Audrey (2008-02-08). "Life lost; legend lives local race car hero's death preceded 1st Daytona 500". News Journal. http://www.news-journalonline.com/temp/media/video/tribute_marshall_teague.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Marc. "The Jimmy Daywalt Tribute Site". http://www.angelfire.com/in4/jimmydaywalt/1955.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Hinton, Ed (2001). Daytona: From the Birth of Speed to the Death of the Man in Black. Warner Books. ISBN 9780446611787.
