1949 Wilkes 200
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 8 of 8 in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season | |||
 North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||
| Date | October 16, 1949 | ||
| Official name | Wilkes 200 | ||
| Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.500 mi (0.804 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 100 mi (150 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 68.0 °F (20.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 10,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dailey Moyer | ||
| Time | 31.27 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Blair | Sam Rice | |
| Laps | 180 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 7 | Bob Flock | Frank Christian | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1949 Wilkes 200 was a NASCAR Strictly Stock Series racing event that took place on October 16, 1949.[where?][3]
Ten thousand people would attend this live racing event where Kenneth Wagner qualified for the race with a pole position speed of 57.563 miles per hour (92.639 km/h) – the equivalent of 31.27 seconds.[2][3] The entire race took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) per lap.[2][3] Weather conditions for the race were recorded at nearby Hickory Regional Airport; a public airport located three miles (5 km) west of the central business district of nearby Hickory, North Carolina.[1]
Summary
This would be the final race of the 1949 NASCAR season and would take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.[2][3]
Bob Flock would defeat Lee Petty by an entire football field – 100 yards (91 m) – to win NASCAR's first racing event with an established name.[2][3] Flock would earn a mere $1,500 in prize winnings ($19,208.39 when inflation is taken into effect).[4] Frank Mundy would receive a last-place finish for only finishing 38 laps out of the mandated 200 laps.[2][3] Bill Blair would lead the most laps in this race with 180 laps led out of 200.[3]
Red Byron would go on to win NASCAR's first ever championship while Sara Christian would become one of its first female drivers.[5] Byron almost became a cripple after being shot by an enemy fighter plane while serving as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber during World War II. He spent two years in military hospitals rehabilitating his leg so that he could compete in NASCAR after the war ended.[5]
Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race were Buddy Elliott, Julian Petty, Buddy Helms, Red Vogt, and Cliff Rainwater.[6]
While Red Byron and Lee Petty were the better drivers of the 1949 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bill Blair was the most consistent driver along with Petty.
Timeline
Section reference:[2]
- Start of race: Bill Blair starts off the race in the pole position
- Lap 38: Frank Mundy withdrew from the race for reasons unknown
- Lap 155: Red Byron withdrew from the race for reasons unknown, he was assumed not have been paid for participating in this event
- Lap 181: Bob Flock takes over the lead from Bill Blair
- Lap 188: Sara Christian ended the racing event 12 laps behind Herb Thomas
- Lap 191: Bill Blair had a terminal problem with his engine, forcing him out of the race
- Lap 196: Roy Hall may or may not have finished the race six laps behind Thomas, records of this race were not kept in the NASCAR archives
- Finish: Bob Flock was officially declared the winner of the event
Results
| Pos | Grid | Car # | Driver | Owner | Make | Laps | Laps led | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | Bob Flock | Frank Christian | '49 Oldsmobile | 200 | 20 | Running | |
| 2 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | '49 Plymouth | 200 | 0 | Running | |
| 3 | 47 | Fonty Flock | Ed Lawrence | '47 Buick | 199 | 0 | Running | |
| 4 | 19 | Clyde Minter | Clyde Minter | '47 Ford | 199 | 0 | Running | |
| 5 | 92 | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas | '49 Ford | 197 | 0 | Running | |
| 6 | 14 | Roy Hall | Raymond Parks | '49 Oldsmobile | 196 | 0 | ||
| 7 | 5 | Ray Erickson | Ed Hastings | '49 Mercury | 194 | 0 | ||
| 8 | 9 | Raymond Lewis | Robert Dixon | '49 Cadillac | 194 | 0 | ||
| 9 | 41 | Curtis Turner | Frank Christian | '49 Oldsmobile | 193 | 0 | ||
| 10 | 2 | 44 | Bill Blair | Sam Rice | '49 Cadillac | 191 | 180 | Engine |
| 11 | 11 | Bob Apperson | Bob Apperson | '47 Ford | 191 | 0 | ||
| 12 | 71 | Sara Christian | Frank Christian | '49 Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | ||
| 13 | 28 | Slick Smith | Buddy Helms | '47 Hudson | 174 | 0 | ||
| 14 | 20 | H.F. Stickleather | '48 Lincoln | 167 | 0 | |||
| 15 | 1 | 15 | Kenneth Wagner | Dailey Moyer | '49 Lincoln | 165 | 0 | |
| 16 | 22 | Red Byron | Raymond Parks | Oldsmobile | 155 | 0 | ||
| 17 | 21 | Bobby Greene | Bobby Greene | '48 Ford | 148 | 0 | ||
| 18 | 1 | Bill Greever | '48 Mercury | 134 | 0 | |||
| 19 | 90 | Tim Flock | Buddy Elliott | '49 Oldsmobile | 117 | 0 | ||
| 20 | 8 | Dick Linder | '49 Kaiser | 59 | 0 | |||
| 21 | 4 | Otis Martin | Raymond Lewis | '47 Buick | 50 | 0 | ||
| 22 | 2 | Frank Mundy | '49 Ford | 38 | 0 |
Race summary
- Lead changes: 2
- Cautions: N/A
- Red flags: N/A
- Time of race: 1 hours, 52 minutes, and 16 seconds
- Average speed: 53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h)
- Margin of Victory: 100 yards
References
- ^ a b "1949 Wilkes 200 temperature information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
- ^ a b c d e f g "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ^ a b c d e f g "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
- ^ "Bob Flock's prize winnings (1949 Wilkes 200)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
- ^ a b "NASCAR's first champion and first female driver". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
- ^ "1949 Wilkes 200 crew chiefs". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-19.