1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968
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First Race - August 13, 1950
The year of 1950 had an exciting start at Occoneechee. On August 13, Glenn “Fireball” Roberts scored his first win in his glorious Grand National Career. Fireball was only 21 years of age when he took the checkered flag in front of Curtis Turner to pocket $1,125. The race had one serious accident when Sterling Long flipped his Hudson several times but was unhurt. But in time trials there was a serious accident involving Lloyd Moore flipping his Mercury three times. He sustained a neck injury but was treated and released from Duke Memorial Hospital.
Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts | Laps/Led | Status | Money |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | 71 | Fireball Roberts | Oldsmobile | Sam Rice | 0 | 100/43 | Running | 1,125 |
2 | 2 | 41 | Curtis Turner | Oldsmobile | Eanes Motor… | 0 | 100/45 | Running | 750 |
3 | 1 | 25 | Dick Linder | Oldsmobile | Don Rogalla | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 500 |
4 | 0 | 80 | Bill Rexford | Oldsmobile | Julian Buesink | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 400 |
5 | 0 | 19 | Clyde Minter | Mercury | Clyde Minter | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 300 |
6 | 0 | -- | Gene Austin | Oldsmobile | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 200 |
7 | 0 | 42 | Lee Petty | Plymouth | Petty Special | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 150 |
8 | 0 | 92 | Herb Thomas | Plymouth | Herb Thomas | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 125 |
9 | 0 | 77 | Chuck Mahoney | Mercury | Brooks Motors | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 100 |
10 | 0 | 90 | Johnny Mantz | Lincoln | Red Star… | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 75 |
11 | 0 | 60 | George Hartley | Ford | Julian Buesink | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
12 | 0 | 47 | Pee Wee Martin | Buick | Ed Lawrence | 0 | 0/12 | -- | 50 |
13 | 0 | 37 | Bill Snowden | Nash | Nash Motor… | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
14 | 0 | -- | Lyle Scott | Lincoln | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
15 | 0 | -- | Don White | Ford | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
16 | 0 | -- | Pap White | Mercury | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
17 | 0 | 6 | Marshall Teague | Lincoln | Paul Cox | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
18 | 0 | -- | Bill Joslin | Ford | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
19 | 0 | 27 | Jimmy Florian | Ford | Euclid Motor… | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
20 | 0 | -- | Gayle Warren | Oldsmobile | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
21 | 0 | 0 | Jimmie Lewallen | Oldsmobile | Sam Rice | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
22 | 0 | 18 | Dick Burns | Oldsmobile | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
23 | 0 | 10 | Ray Duhigg | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
24 | 0 | 49 | Glenn Dunnaway | Oldsmobile | Glenn Dunnaway | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
25 | 0 | 11 | Bob Apperson | Oldsmobile | Bob Apperson | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
26 | 0 | 31 | Sterling Long | Hudson | Gate City… | 0 | 0/0 | Crash | 0 |
27 | 0 | 2 | Bill Blair | Oldsmobile | Sam Rice | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
Second Race - October 29, 1950
The second race was the final Grand National race of the season. And it was an exciting conclusion to the season with the points championship at stake. Bill Rexford and Fireball Roberts were vying for that title. So October 29th started off with a bang in time trials with Louise Smith leaving the track and landing upside down near the edge of the river. She was unhurt. Fonty Flock grabbed the pole with Fireball outside pole. The race was an exciting one with Fonty and Fireball battling it out early. Bill Rexford, championship leader fell out early and was 26th in final running order. One would think Fireball would go conservative but he kept charging hard. His reasoning for this, the winners purse paid $1,500 and the championship $1,000. But on the 126th lap, Fireball’s engine blew and there went the win and the championship hopes. There was one serious accident during the race. Jimmy Ayers rolled his Plymouth three times going into the first turn. In the end, Lee Petty battled hard all day and scored the win. Bill Rexford was crowned champion in 1950.
Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts | Laps/Led | Status | Money |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 15 | 42 | Lee Petty | Plymouth | Bardahl | 0 | 175/43 | Running | 1,500 |
2 | 5 | 87 | Buck Baker | Oldsmobile | Griffin Motors | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 1,000 |
3 | 18 | 72 | Weldon Adams | Plymouth | Harold Mays | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 500 |
4 | 9 | 98 | Tim Flock | Plymouth | Southern 500… | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 400 |
5 | 7 | 41.5 | Bill Blair | Oldsmobile | Bill Blair | 0 | 0/0 | Running | 300 |
6 | 13 | 44 | Gayle Warren | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 200 |
7 | 20 | 10 | Ray Duhigg | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 150 |
8 | 12 | 99 | Jim Delaney | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 125 |
9 | 10 | 18 | Herbert Burns | Lincoln | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 100 |
10 | 14 | 8 | Jack Holloway | Mercury | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 75 |
11 | 19 | 61 | George Hartley | Mercury | Julian Buesink | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
12 | 7 | 47 | Johnny Grubb | Oldsmobile | Johnny Grubb | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
13 | 4 | 21 | Tommy Melvin | Oldsmobile | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
14 | 21 | 78 | Ewell Weddle | Lincoln | Esso Service | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
15 | 24 | 93 | Ted Chamberlain | Plymouth | Ted Chamberlain | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 50 |
16 | 16 | 26 | Slick Smith | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
17 | 8 | 59 | Lloyd Moore | Oldsmobile | Julian Buesink | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
18 | 11 | 92 | Herb Thomas | Plymouth | Herb Thomas | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
19 | 25 | 94 | Louise Smith | Nash | Leslie Motor… | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
20 | 1 | 7 | Fonty Flock | Oldsmobile | Bob Flock… | 0 | 132/124 | Mount | 0 |
21 | 2 | 11 | Fireball Roberts | Oldsmobile | Sam Rice | 0 | 126/8 | Engine | 75 |
22 | 22 | 3 | Jimmy Ayers | Plymouth | Jimmy Ayers | 0 | 0/0 | Crash | 0 |
23 | 23 | 25 | Coleman Grant | Lincoln | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
24 | 17 | 53 | Jack Reynolds | Plymouth | -- | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
25 | 3 | 38 | Clyde Minter | Buick | B.F. Goodrich | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
26 | 29 | 62 | Bill Rexford | Oldsmobile | Julian Buesink | 0 | 0/0 | Engine | 0 |
27 | 27 | 101 | Bucky Sager | Plymouth | Bucky Sager | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
28 | 26 | 2 | Jim Paschal | Oldsmobile | Hubert Westmoreland | 0 | 0/0 | -- | 0 |
29 | 28 | 41 | Curtis Turner | Oldsmobile | Eanes Motor… | 0 | 1/0 | Engine | 0 |