Enoch Arden Mounts was an American 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 Series driver from Gilbert

Gilbert, West Virginia

Gilbert is a town in Mingo County, West Virginia, United States, along the Guyandotte River. The population was 417 at the 2000 census. Gilbert was incorporated in 1918 and named for Gilbert Creek, which derives its name from the name of an early traveler in the area who was killed by Native...

, Mingo County, West Virginia

Mingo County, West Virginia

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,253 people, 11,303 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile . There were 12,898 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile...

. His primary vehicle was the #18 self-owned 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...

 machine; although he would occasionaly drive a 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...

 vehicle on the race track.

Summary

He raced in the NASCAR Grand National Series from 1953

1953 in NASCAR

The 1953 NASCAR Grand National Season began on February 1 and ended on November 1. Herb Thomas, driving his own #92 Hudson Hornet, won the championship and became the first repeat champion of the Grand National Series.- 1953-01 :...

 to 1956. Like J.D. McDuffie

J.D. McDuffie

John Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...

, Alan Kulwicki

Alan Kulwicki

Alan Dennis Kulwicki , nicknamed "Special K" and the "Polish Prince", was an American NASCAR Winston Cup Series racecar driver. He started racing at local short tracks in Wisconsin before moving up to regional stock car touring series...

, and Joe Nemechek

Joe Nemechek

Joseph Frank Nemechek III is a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver and owner of NEMCO Motorsports. He won the 1992 Busch Series championship...

, Mounts was an "independent" race car driver who would never receive manufacturer's support or the support of blockbuster sponsors.

Arden would earn six finishes in the top ten from the 37 races that he would compete in NASCAR. The 1954 Grand National season would see Mounts record his best championship finish at 21st place in the standings. During his career, Mounts would earn $2,505 in race winnings ($ in today's money) and race 4489 laps - the equivalent of 3505.8 miles (5,642 km). Only the 1953 and 1956 NASCAR Cup Series seasons would see him finish better than he started in the races. Mounts would end up losing nearly one position on average from start to finish during his entire career.

His appearance at the 1955 Southern 500

1955 Southern 500

The 1955 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Grand National 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 on a paved oval track...

, 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.

Death

Mounts would die while being a patient at St. Mary's Hospital

St. Mary's Medical Center (Huntington)

St. Mary's Medical Center is a hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, USA. It is the largest medical facility in the tri-state region of West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. The medical center is the largest private employer in Cabell County with over 2000 employees.-Academics:As a teaching...

, a medical center in Huntington

Huntington, West Virginia

Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...

, West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

.