1949 Wilkes 200
Race details[1][2]
Race 8 of 8 in the 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Date October 16, 1949 (1949-October-16)
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 owner)
Time 31.27 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Bill Blair (Sam Rice owner)
Laps 180
Winner
No. 7 Bob Flock (Frank Christian owner)
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.[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 ($18,448.95 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[7] ST # DRIVER SPONSOR / OWNER CAR LAPS MONEY STATUS LED
17  Bob FlockBob Flock Garage   (Frank Christian)'49 Oldsmobile2001500running 20
242  Lee PettyPetty Enterprises'49 Plymouth200750running 0
347  Fonty FlockGreen Leaf Cafe   (Ed Lawrence)'47 Buick199400running 0
419  Clyde MinterClyde Minter'47 Ford199300running 0
592  Herb ThomasHerb Thomas'49 Ford197175running 0
614  Roy HallParks Novelty   (Raymond Parks)'49 Oldsmobile196150 0
75  Ray EricksonEd Hastings'49 Mercury194100 0
89  Raymond LewisRobert Dixon'49 Cadillac19475 0
941  Curtis TurnerFrank Christian'49 Oldsmobile19350 0
10244  Bill BlairSam Rice'49 Cadillac19150engine 180
1111  Bob AppersonBob Apperson'47 Ford19150 0
1271  Sara ChristianFrank Christian'49 Oldsmobile18850 0
1328  Slick SmithBuddy Helms'47 Hudson17450 0
1420  H.F. Stikeleather'48 Lincoln16750 0
15115  Kenneth WagnerMoyer Co.   (Dailey Moyer)'49 Lincoln16550 0
1622  Red ByronParks Novelty   (Raymond Parks)Oldsmobile155 0
1721  Bobby GreenBobby Greene'48 Ford148 0
181  Bill Greever'48 Mercury134 0
1990  Tim FlockBuddy Elliott'49 Oldsmobile117 0
208  Dick LinderLaBelle Motors'49 Kaiser59 0
214  Otis MartinRaymond Lewis'47 Buick50 0
222  Frank Mundy'49 Ford38 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

  1. 1 2 "1949 Wilkes 200 temperature information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "1949 Wilkes 200 racing results (second reference)". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2011-03-10.
  4. ↑ "Bob Flock's prize winnings (1949 Wilkes 200)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-20.
  5. 1 2 "NASCAR's first champion and first female driver". Save the Speedway. Retrieved 2011-03-08.
  6. ↑ "1949 Wilkes 200 crew chiefs". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  7. ↑ "Race Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
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