1955 Southern 500
Encyclopedia
The 1955 Southern 500
(also known as the 1955 Darlington Southern 500) was a NASCAR
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on September 5, 1955 at the Darlington Raceway
in the American
community of Darlington
, South Carolina
. This race officially spanned 500 miles (804.7 km) on a paved oval track. An unofficial 30-minute highlight film
of this race would appear on the collector's set of Stock Cars of 50s & 60s – Stock Car Memories: Darlington-Southern 500; which was released in 2008.
Television
coverage of the 1955 Southern 500 was impossible due to the then-niche demographics of the burgeoning motorsport. However, the local radio station
WJMX
made it possible for housebound fans (i.e., young boys and housewives) to hear their favorite drivers from the first green flag to the checkered flag. School children who lived in the area could either watch the race live or listen on the local radio because the race took place on Labor Day. Coverage of the race would be spotty outside the Darlington area due to the broadcasting limitations of AM radio. No school was held that day because it was a legal U.S. statutory holiday. Confederate
flags were still legal to utilize in all parts of the state back then; they were shown with pride alongside the Stars and Stripes
.
would not be established until 1970; they would make national coverage of the later NASCAR races starting in the sport's "modern era." Its rival, the Performance Racing Network
, would eventually be founded at a later date by Speedway Motorsports.
Smoking
was unrestricted during this race as spectators, crew chiefs, and even drivers were often smoking cigarette
s when they were not expected to perform a duty on the track. It would not be until the 1970s when the American Medical Association
started to discourage people from smoking due to its newly discovered link with lung cancer
. During the start of the post-Winston sponsorship era, smoking cessation
programs began to emerge in NASCAR teams and officials (most notably in Hendrick Motorsports
when Jeff Gordon
starting sponsoring Nicorette
). This mentality would also extend to the flammability of the 100% petroleum-based gasoline that all the stock cars had to use from the original 1949 season to the beginning of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
season. By the end of the 20th century, it became against the rules of NASCAR to smoke cigarettes near the gas pump because ashes from the cigarette could cause the gasoline to turn to fire
.
Being the thirty-fifth race of the 1955 season, there would be only ten races after the conclusion of the 1955 Southern 500 in the entire season. This race was the major race of any NASCAR season that came prior to the very first running of the Daytona 500
. Once the Daytona 500 was established in 1959, the Southern 500 quickly became another NASCAR event.
(i.e., can be bought at regular automobile shops as opposed to sneaking in "police parts" or parts intended entirely for racing). Sometimes, entire vehicles had to be dismantled in order to find parts that look dissimilar to everyday passenger vehicles. Only roll bar
s were added for extra safety during the 500 miles of racing. Every car that passed the inspection and was "certified stock" was given a certification
ticket on the dash. Having a certification permitted the driver to participate in the event with the full blessing of NASCAR. Intermittent periods of rain hampered qualifying and made the track wet. Eventually, the stopped and the rest of the qualifying session proceeded normally with Fireball Roberts earning the coveted pole position for the race.
On the night preceding the race, a beauty pageant
was conducted with Fonty Flock
as one of the judges; this tradition would be repeated at the 1956 Southern 500 and at all subsequent Southern 500 races. Out of the numerous contestants that signed up from the Darlington area, Miss Martha Williams (from Myrtle Beach
, South Carolina
) won the honors of becoming Miss Southern 500 and accepted the ceremonious position that she held during the race.
A marching band
was also used as a part of the pre-race festivities. It was unknown whether NASCAR had a pre-race invocation
service or not during the 1950s as the highlight film never showed a detailed coverage of the pre-race ceremonies like today's live coverage on television. The singing of The Star-Spangled Banner
(which had been the official anthem of the nation since 1931) would be performed but not filmed in the highlight video. NASCAR would become one of the first major league sports where the American national anthem was used since its inception. Even back in those days, it was customary to hear "Gentlemen start your engines" to fire up the racers into a rolling start. Qualifying would take up the whole month just like it does at today's Indianapolis 500
races; regulations made in the "modern era" of the sport (1972–2003) modified the rules so that qualifying would eventually be contracted to one day.
earned the pole position for the beginning of the race driving a maximum speed of 110.682 mi/h. The average speed of the race (with full racing traffic), however, was 92.281 mi/h. Out of the 336 laps, there were eight yellow flag periods consisting of fifty-one laps. Fifty thousand people attended the live event to see sixty-nine cars race (less than half of them survived the entire 366 lap race). Regulations made decades after this race would finally standardize the field to forty-three racing vehicles; a far cry from the fairly unregulated days that the 1955 Southern 500 took place in.
Vehicles ranged in production year from the 1953 models that were driven by the less affluent teams to the 1955 models driven by wealthy teams like Petty Enterprises
(now Richard Petty Motorsports with the merger of Gillett Everham Motorsports in 2009). All drivers were expected to race in the vehicles that they personally drove to the racetrack in by virtue of NASCAR's then-strict homologation
rules against producing vehicles specifically for racing. Some of the other notable NASCAR Grand National Series drivers that participated in this racing event were Junior Johnson
, Ned Jarrett
, and Lee Petty
. All of the drivers competing at this race were Caucasian American males; foreigners and minorities did not attempt to qualify for this race. By comparison, at least one or two foreign-born drivers compete in today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (usually Juan Pablo Montoya
and/or Marcos Ambrose
).
Mounts' appearance at this racing event, where he would crash into Don Duckworth
's stalled vehicle, would be captured on highlight films for generations. While Bill Champion
managed to avoid Duckworth by swerving past the vehicle rapidly, Arden Mounts managed to see the stalled vehicle too late and crashed into him in a very hard manner. The proper usage of seat belt
s on the stock car automobiles would save the lives of both Mounts and Duckworth.
Herb Thomas
would end up winning the race after five hours, twenty-five minutes, and twenty-five seconds of racing. He would receive $7,480 in American dollars
($ in today's money) while the total winnings for the race were considered to be $28,270 ($ in today's money). Thomas drove a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
during a time where NASCAR was used to test the endurance of the newest passenger automobiles. However, the eventual championship winner would be Tim Flock with 18 season wins and an annual salary of $37,780 ($ in today's money). Vehicle manufacturers involved in the race were Studebaker
(defunct), Plymouth
(defunct), Chevrolet
(active), Buick
(active but not racing), Dodge
(active), Ford
(active), Hudson
(defunct), Cadillac
(active but not racing), Pontiac
(defunct), and Nash Motors
(defunct).
More than half of the vehicles used were manufactured by Chevrolet while Nash Motors only had one vehicle in the running along with Studebaker. Sponsors for the drivers in the race included Mercury Outboards
, Marion Cox Garage
, Schwam Motors, Helzafire (owned by Kentucky Colonel Ernest Woods), The Racing Club, Paper Hangers, and Fish Carburetor.
Lloyd Moore
would announce his permanent retirement from HASCAR after this race. He would end up having six daughters; whose names were withheld from the media.
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
Southern 500 (1950-2004)
The Southern 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held from 1950 to 2004 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. The 2004 race distance was long, and consisted of 367 laps.-History:...
(also known as the 1955 Darlington Southern 500) was a NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on September 5, 1955 at the Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed the "Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition"...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
community of Darlington
Darlington, South Carolina
Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Darlington County, in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a center for tobacco farming. The population was 6,720 at the 2000 census and is part of the Florence Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. This race officially spanned 500 miles (804.7 km) on a paved oval track. An unofficial 30-minute highlight film
Highlight film
Highlight film is a video synopsis of an athletic team's entire season, especially one produced about such a team in the United States.The practice of teams producing highlight films appears to have emerged gradually during the 1970s; a particularly notable offering of this genre was that of the...
of this race would appear on the collector's set of Stock Cars of 50s & 60s – Stock Car Memories: Darlington-Southern 500; which was released in 2008.
Television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
coverage of the 1955 Southern 500 was impossible due to the then-niche demographics of the burgeoning motorsport. However, the local radio station
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
WJMX
WJMX (AM)
WJMX is a news/talk radio station located in Florence, South Carolina, United States. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast on 970 AM with an effective radiated power of 10 kW during the day, non-directional and 3 kW at night, directional.- History :WJMX...
made it possible for housebound fans (i.e., young boys and housewives) to hear their favorite drivers from the first green flag to the checkered flag. School children who lived in the area could either watch the race live or listen on the local radio because the race took place on Labor Day. Coverage of the race would be spotty outside the Darlington area due to the broadcasting limitations of AM radio. No school was held that day because it was a legal U.S. statutory holiday. Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
flags were still legal to utilize in all parts of the state back then; they were shown with pride alongside the Stars and Stripes
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
.
Historical information
This event commenced during the daytime hours and finished sometime before dusk because lighting was not available at Darlington Raceway during that era. This luxury would not appear until after the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The lights that people would see at the current Darlington Speedway races would be first used at the 2000 Mall.com 400 race (which became the Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 from 2001 to 2004 and is currently under the schedule as the Showtime Southern 500). The Motor Racing NetworkMotor Racing Network
The Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
would not be established until 1970; they would make national coverage of the later NASCAR races starting in the sport's "modern era." Its rival, the Performance Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
The Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
, would eventually be founded at a later date by Speedway Motorsports.
Smoking
Tobacco smoking
Tobacco smoking is the practice where tobacco is burned and the resulting smoke is inhaled. The practice may have begun as early as 5000–3000 BCE. Tobacco was introduced to Eurasia in the late 16th century where it followed common trade routes...
was unrestricted during this race as spectators, crew chiefs, and even drivers were often smoking cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s when they were not expected to perform a duty on the track. It would not be until the 1970s when the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
started to discourage people from smoking due to its newly discovered link with lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
. During the start of the post-Winston sponsorship era, smoking cessation
Smoking cessation
Smoking cessation is the process of discontinuing the practice of inhaling a smoked substance. This article focuses exclusively on cessation of tobacco smoking; however, the methods described may apply to cessation of smoking other substances that can be difficult to stop using due to the...
programs began to emerge in NASCAR teams and officials (most notably in Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports
Hendrick Motorsports , originally named All Star Racing, is a current American auto racing team created in 1984 by Rick Hendrick. The team currently competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Chevrolet Impalas...
when Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon
Jeffery Michael "Jeff" Gordon is a professional NASCAR driver. He is the driver of the #24 Drive to End Hunger/DuPont/Pepsi Chevrolet Impala. He is a four-time Sprint Cup Series champion and a three-time Daytona 500 winner. He is third on the all-time wins list, with 85 career wins, and has the...
starting sponsoring Nicorette
Nicorette
Nicorette is the brand name of a pharmaceutical preparation that contains nicotine for the treatment of tobacco dependence. Nicorette was the first medicinal preparation to facilitate smoking cessation....
). This mentality would also extend to the flammability of the 100% petroleum-based gasoline that all the stock cars had to use from the original 1949 season to the beginning of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States. The season included 36 races and two exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The...
season. By the end of the 20th century, it became against the rules of NASCAR to smoke cigarettes near the gas pump because ashes from the cigarette could cause the gasoline to turn to fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
.
Being the thirty-fifth race of the 1955 season, there would be only ten races after the conclusion of the 1955 Southern 500 in the entire season. This race was the major race of any NASCAR season that came prior to the very first running of the Daytona 500
1959 Daytona 500
The 1959 First Annual 500 Mile NASCAR International Sweepstakes at Daytona was the second race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National season. It was held on February 22, 1959, in front of 41,921 spectators...
. Once the Daytona 500 was established in 1959, the Southern 500 quickly became another NASCAR event.
Pre-race festivities
Before the race, each part was individually inspected to make sure that every part is stockStock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Great Britain, Brazil and Argentina. Traditionally, races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately in length...
(i.e., can be bought at regular automobile shops as opposed to sneaking in "police parts" or parts intended entirely for racing). Sometimes, entire vehicles had to be dismantled in order to find parts that look dissimilar to everyday passenger vehicles. Only roll bar
Roll cage
A roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in the cab of a vehicle to protect its occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over. Roll cages are used in nearly all purpose-built racecars, and in most cars modified for racing...
s were added for extra safety during the 500 miles of racing. Every car that passed the inspection and was "certified stock" was given a certification
Certification
Certification refers to the confirmation of certain characteristics of an object, person, or organization. This confirmation is often, but not always, provided by some form of external review, education, assessment, or audit...
ticket on the dash. Having a certification permitted the driver to participate in the event with the full blessing of NASCAR. Intermittent periods of rain hampered qualifying and made the track wet. Eventually, the stopped and the rest of the qualifying session proceeded normally with Fireball Roberts earning the coveted pole position for the race.
On the night preceding the race, a beauty pageant
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
was conducted with Fonty Flock
Fonty Flock
Truman Fontello "Fonty" Flock of Fort Payne, Alabama was an early NASCAR driver.-Flock family:He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley...
as one of the judges; this tradition would be repeated at the 1956 Southern 500 and at all subsequent Southern 500 races. Out of the numerous contestants that signed up from the Darlington area, Miss Martha Williams (from Myrtle Beach
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
) won the honors of becoming Miss Southern 500 and accepted the ceremonious position that she held during the race.
A marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
was also used as a part of the pre-race festivities. It was unknown whether NASCAR had a pre-race invocation
Invocation
An invocation may take the form of:*Supplication or prayer.*A form of possession.*Command or conjuration.*Self-identification with certain spirits....
service or not during the 1950s as the highlight film never showed a detailed coverage of the pre-race ceremonies like today's live coverage on television. The singing of The Star-Spangled Banner
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
(which had been the official anthem of the nation since 1931) would be performed but not filmed in the highlight video. NASCAR would become one of the first major league sports where the American national anthem was used since its inception. Even back in those days, it was customary to hear "Gentlemen start your engines" to fire up the racers into a rolling start. Qualifying would take up the whole month just like it does at today's Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
races; regulations made in the "modern era" of the sport (1972–2003) modified the rules so that qualifying would eventually be contracted to one day.
In-race summary
Fireball RobertsFireball Roberts
Edward Glenn Roberts, Jr. , nicknamed "Fireball", was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.-Background:...
earned the pole position for the beginning of the race driving a maximum speed of 110.682 mi/h. The average speed of the race (with full racing traffic), however, was 92.281 mi/h. Out of the 336 laps, there were eight yellow flag periods consisting of fifty-one laps. Fifty thousand people attended the live event to see sixty-nine cars race (less than half of them survived the entire 366 lap race). Regulations made decades after this race would finally standardize the field to forty-three racing vehicles; a far cry from the fairly unregulated days that the 1955 Southern 500 took place in.
Vehicles ranged in production year from the 1953 models that were driven by the less affluent teams to the 1955 models driven by wealthy teams like Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises was a NASCAR racing team based in Randleman, North Carolina, USA. The team was owned by Richard Petty, his son Kyle Petty, and Boston Ventures. At the time of its folding the team operated the #43 and #45 Dodge Chargers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Petty Enterprises ran from...
(now Richard Petty Motorsports with the merger of Gillett Everham Motorsports in 2009). All drivers were expected to race in the vehicles that they personally drove to the racetrack in by virtue of NASCAR's then-strict homologation
Homologation (motorsport)
In motorsports, homologation is the approval process a vehicle, race track or standardised part must go through to race in a given league or series. The regulations and rules that must be met are generally set by the series' sanctioning body...
rules against producing vehicles specifically for racing. Some of the other notable NASCAR Grand National Series drivers that participated in this racing event were Junior Johnson
Junior Johnson
Robert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
, Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett
Ned Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
, and Lee Petty
Lee Petty
Lee Arnold Petty was an American stock car driver in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR, and one of its first superstars. He was born near Randleman, North Carolina.-Career:...
. All of the drivers competing at this race were Caucasian American males; foreigners and minorities did not attempt to qualify for this race. By comparison, at least one or two foreign-born drivers compete in today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races (usually Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint...
and/or Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose
Marcos Ambrose is a championship winning Australian racing car driver. He currently drives the #9 Stanley Black & Decker Ford Fusion for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series...
).
Mounts' appearance at this racing event, where he would crash into Don Duckworth
Don Duckworth
Don Duckworth is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series driver from Gray Court, South Carolina, U.S.A.. Duckworth made his sole Cup Series appearance at the 1955 Southern 500 under the Woodruff Motors sponsorship livery while driving a 1955 Chevrolet....
's stalled vehicle, would be captured on highlight films for generations. While Bill Champion
Bill Champion
Buford Billy Champion , is a retired American professional baseball player, a right-handed pitcher who played in 202 games in the Major Leagues from -. He would play for the Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies.-External links:...
managed to avoid Duckworth by swerving past the vehicle rapidly, Arden Mounts managed to see the stalled vehicle too late and crashed into him in a very hard manner. The proper usage of seat belt
Seat belt
A seat belt or seatbelt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may result from a collision or a sudden stop...
s on the stock car automobiles would save the lives of both Mounts and Duckworth.
Herb Thomas
Herb Thomas
Herbert Watson Thomas was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s.-Background:...
would end up winning the race after five hours, twenty-five minutes, and twenty-five seconds of racing. He would receive $7,480 in American dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
($ in today's money) while the total winnings for the race were considered to be $28,270 ($ in today's money). Thomas drove a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
Chevrolet Bel Air
The Chevrolet Bel Air is a full-size automobile that was produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1950–1975 model years. Hardtops in the Chevrolet Deluxe Styleline model range were designated with the Bel Air name from 1950–1952, but it was not a distinct series of its own until...
during a time where NASCAR was used to test the endurance of the newest passenger automobiles. However, the eventual championship winner would be Tim Flock with 18 season wins and an annual salary of $37,780 ($ in today's money). Vehicle manufacturers involved in the race were Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
(defunct), Plymouth
Plymouth (automobile)
Plymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
(defunct), Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
(active), Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
(active but not racing), Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
(active), Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
(active), Hudson
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other brand automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, from 1909 to 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator Corporation to form American Motors. The Hudson name was continued through the 1957 model year, after which it was dropped.- Company strategy...
(defunct), Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
(active but not racing), Pontiac
Pontiac
Pontiac was an automobile brand that was established in 1926 as a companion make for General Motors' Oakland. Quickly overtaking its parent in popularity, it supplanted the Oakland brand entirely by 1933 and, for most of its life, became a companion make for Chevrolet. Pontiac was sold in the...
(defunct), and Nash Motors
Nash Motors
Also see: Kelvinator and American Motors CorporationNash Motors was an automobile manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in the United States from 1916 to 1938. From 1938 to 1954, Nash was the automotive division of the Nash-Kelvinator Corporation...
(defunct).
More than half of the vehicles used were manufactured by Chevrolet while Nash Motors only had one vehicle in the running along with Studebaker. Sponsors for the drivers in the race included Mercury Outboards
Mercury Marine
Mercury Marine, founded in 1939, is a division of Brunswick of Lake Forest, Illinois, in the United States. Mercury provides engines for private, commercial and government sales. Mercury also has its own line of very successful racing engines tailored for power and speed. The company's primary...
, Marion Cox Garage
Marion Cox
Marion "Preacher" Cox was a NASCAR Grand National Series car owner. Cox has a widow named Mrs. Nina Cox whose birthday is January 25, 1930...
, Schwam Motors, Helzafire (owned by Kentucky Colonel Ernest Woods), The Racing Club, Paper Hangers, and Fish Carburetor.
Lloyd Moore
Lloyd Moore
Lloyd D. Moore was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver from 1949 to 1955, recording 13 top-5 and 23 top-10 finishes. He was born in Frewsburg, New York, USA. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former NASCAR driver.In 1950, Moore was a teammate of NASCAR champion Bill Rexford...
would announce his permanent retirement from HASCAR after this race. He would end up having six daughters; whose names were withheld from the media.
Results
- Herb Thomas† (only driver to end the race on lead lap)
- Jim ReedJim Reed (racer)Jim Reed is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.-Summary:From 1951 to 1963, Reed has raced 16299 laps - the equivalent of . His total career earnings is $16,299 . Reed's biggest win came in the 1959 Southern 500 driving a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air...
- Tim FlockTim FlockJulius Timothy Flock was one of NASCAR's early pioneers, and a two time series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and NASCAR pioneers Bob Flock and Fonty Flock.- NASCAR career :...
(highest finishing Chrysler) - Gwyn StaleyGwyn StaleyGwyn Staley was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Burlington, North Carolina, USA.-Career:...
† - Larry FlynnLarry FlynnLarry Flynn of Holly Hill, Florida, USA was a retired NASCAR Grand National race car driver that competed in eight races from 1955 to 1961. As a competitor in the 1955 Southern 500, he had the fastest finishing Ford in the race. His win gave creditability to the Ford racing teams...
† (highest finishing Ford) - Buck BakerBuck BakerElzie Wylie Baker Sr. , better known as Buck Baker, was an American race car driver.-Racing career:...
† (highest finished Buick) - Lou SpearsLou SpearsLou Spears is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver from Ardmore, Pennsylvania, USA. He competed in a two-year career that spanned from 1955 to 1957. Spears scored one position in the top ten and finished the race in 20th place on average. His average starts were in 31st place and spent in a...
- Cotton OwensCotton OwensEverett "Cotton" Owens "the King of the Modifieds" was a NASCAR driver. For five straight years , Owens captured at least one Grand National series win.-Modified driving career:...
- Bill WidenhouseBill WidenhouseBill Widenhouse was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Midland, North Carolina, USA.During his 14-year NASCAR career, Widenhouse managed to earn two top-finishes, five top-ten finishes, completed 4131 laps for , and earned $3,275 in take-home pay...
†* - Jimmy MasseyJimmy MasseyJimmy Massey is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver who has competed in 51 races . Out of these 51 races, there has been twelve finishes in the top-five and twenty-eight finishes in the top ten. Massey's total career earnings was considered to be $14,974...
* - Banks SimpsonBanks SimpsonBanks Simpson is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver who participated in only the 1955 season. He was a competitor in the 1955 Southern 500, the 1955 Mid-South 250, and the 1955 Wilkes 160...
- Joe EubanksJoe EubanksJoe Eubanks was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA. Eubanks raced from 1950 to 1961 collecting one win, thirty-seven finishes in the top five, and eighty-one finishes in the top ten along the way. His total career earnings were $35,338 and he successfully...
† (highest finishing Oldsmobile) - Marvin PanchMarvin PanchMarvin Panch Marvin Panch Marvin Panch (born May 28, 1926, in Menomonie, Wisconsin, is a former NASCAR driver.-Early career:He started his racing career as a car owner in Oakland, California. One week, his driver did not show up, and he raced the car to a third place finish...
- Nace Mattingly
- Jimmie LewallenJimmie LewallenJimmie Lewallen was an American racecar driver from High Point, North Carolina, USA. He competed in NASCAR's Strictly Stock/Grand National division from its first race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949 until 1960.-Racing career:Lewallen began his racing career in motorcycles in 1934...
† - Ralph LiguoriRalph LiguoriRalph Liguori is a former American racing driver from New York City.-Indycar career:He competed in the USAC Championship Car series from 1957 to 1971 making 61 starts. His best finish was 2nd place at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Speedway in 1970. 1966 was his most active year, when he made 7...
(highest winning Mercury) - Banjo MatthewsBanjo MatthewsEdwin Keith "Banjo" Matthews was a NASCAR driver, car owner and builder.-Driver:...
† - Dave TerrellDave TerrellDave Terrell is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver/owner who participated from 1952 to 1957....
- Russ Graham
- Bill Champion
- Lee PettyLee PettyLee Arnold Petty was an American stock car driver in the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR, and one of its first superstars. He was born near Randleman, North Carolina.-Career:...
† (highest winning Dodge) - Johnny Patterson
- Billy Myers
- Lloyd Moore† (last Cup Series start)
- Ray PlatteRay PlatteRay Platte was a NASCAR Grand National driver from the American town of Norfolk, Virginia. Platte only competed in the 1955 Southern 500. As a competitor in the 1955 Southern 500, he raced for Harry Parry in a Chevrolet and finished in 25th place...
† (the only employee of NASCAR owner Harry Parry) - Bill Blair†
- Bobby Waddell
- Blackie PittBlackie PittWilliam H. "Blackie" Pitt is a NASCAR Grand National Series born in the American town of Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He is best known as the 1954 NASCAR Rookie of the Year.-Career:...
† - Jimmy Thompson
- Bob WelbornBob WelbornRobert "Bob" Joe Welborn of Denton, North Carolina, USA is a former NASCAR Grand National driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998...
† - Curley Hatfield
- Roy BentleyRoy BentleyRoy Thomas Frank Bentley is a retired English football player who played most notably for Chelsea and the England national side. He later became a manager...
- Joe WeatherlyJoe WeatherlyJoseph "Joe" Weatherly was a two-time NASCAR championship driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National championships in 1962 and 1963, three A.M.A...
†* (led 140 laps in his third career start) - Jim PaschalJim PaschalJames Roy "Jim" Paschal, Jr. was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup driver. He won twenty-five races and twelve poles over his career. Elected to the "Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame" in 1977, he won the World 600 in 1964 and the 1967 Charlotte Motor Speedway...
† - Bill BowmanBill BowmanWilliam George Bowman was a catcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Colts in 1891. Bowman appeared in 15 games for the Colts, batting just .089 with one double and five RBI. He died on April 6, 1918 in Arlington Heights, IL.-References:*...
- Junior JohnsonJunior JohnsonRobert Glenn Johnson, Jr. , better known as Junior Johnson, is a retired moonshiner in the rural South who became one of the early superstars of NASCAR in the 1950s and 1960s. He won 50 NASCAR races in his career before retiring in 1966...
- Ned JarrettNed JarrettNed Jarrett is a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion.Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett", yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR Grand National stock car...
(highest winning Pontiac) - Ed Bergin
- Billy CardenBilly CardenBilly Carden was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Mableton, Georgia, USA. He was a stock car racing pioneer and an early NASCAR competitor.-History:...
† - Tojo Stephens
- Possum JonesPossum JonesPossum Jones is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver.From 1952 to 1965, Jones managed to lead 28 out of the 8234 laps that he committed in his career. This would add up to raced in total. Total earnings for Possum Jones was $13,680 . On average, Jones started in 21st place and finished in 20th...
- Eddie Skinner
- Harold KiteHarold KiteHarold Kite was a NASCAR Grand National driver from East Point, Georgia, United States of America. In his brief Sprint Cup Series career, Kite competed in nine events to earn one win and two top-ten finishes....
† - Van Van WeyVan Van WeyVan Van Wey was a retired NASCAR Grand National Series driver from West Terre Haute, Indiana, U.S.A.-Summary:He occasionally drove in the 1954 and 1955 seasons predominatly in his #10 Ford vehicle that was owned by Ray Fletcher....
* - Speedy ThompsonSpeedy ThompsonAlfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson was a NASCAR pioneer and driver in the Grand National series from 1950 to 1971; capturing 20 wins along the way.-Racing career:...
†* - Fred Johnson* (highest winning Cadillac)
- Doug CoxDoug CoxDoug Cox is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and music programmer, and is currently signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music.He is well known for his skills on the dobro and slide guitar...
* - Gene ComstockGene ComstockGene Comstock was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Chesapeake, Ohio, USA. In his career spanning from 1950 to 1955, Gene racked up one top-five position, six top-ten positions, 3038.6 miles of racing experience, and $2,549 in take home pay...
† (highest winning Hudson) - Clarence DeZalia*
- Dick Allwine*
- Fonty Flock†*
- Gene Simpson*
- Dick Beaty* (his Cup Series debut)
- Jim Thompson*
- Don DuckworthDon DuckworthDon Duckworth is a retired NASCAR Grand National Series driver from Gray Court, South Carolina, U.S.A.. Duckworth made his sole Cup Series appearance at the 1955 Southern 500 under the Woodruff Motors sponsorship livery while driving a 1955 Chevrolet....
* (involved in a crash with Arden Mounts) - Arden MountsArden MountsEnoch Arden Mounts was an American NASCAR Grand National Series driver from Gilbert, Mingo County, West Virginia. His primary vehicle was the #18 self-owned Pontiac machine; although he would occasionaly drive a Hudson vehicle on the race track.-Summary:He raced in the NASCAR Grand National Series...
†* (involved in a crash with Don Duckworth) - Jimmy Roland*
- Curtis TurnerCurtis TurnerCurtis Turner was an early NASCAR driver. In addition to his success in racing, he made a fortune, lost it, and remade it buying and selling timberlands. Throughout his life he developed a reputation for drinking and partying...
† - Elmo LangleyElmo LangleyElmo Langley was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number "64" on his race cars during his NASCAR career.-Racing career:...
†* - Donald Thomas*
- Slick Smith*
- Dick RathmannDick RathmannDick Rathmann was an American racecar driver....
†* - Bud Rackley*
- Tommy Thompson*
- Gordon Smith*
- Fireball RobertsFireball RobertsEdward Glenn Roberts, Jr. , nicknamed "Fireball", was one of the pioneering race car drivers of NASCAR.-Background:...
†* - Pop McGinnis*
- Ed ColeEd ColeEdward Nicholas Cole was an American automotive executive for General Motors.- Career :Cole was the son of a dairy farmer. In his youth, he designed, built, and sold homemade radio sets, and as a teenager became a field representative for a tractor manufacturer...
* - George ParrishGeorge ParrishGeorge W. Parrish is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver from Henderson, North Carolina, USA.-Career summary:He has competed in 1,987 laps of NASCAR stock car racing - the equvialent of...
*
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race