The 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season was the inaugural season of

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Beginning at

Charlotte Speedway Charlotte Speedway was the site of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) race on June 19, 1949. The Daytona Beach Road Course held the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948. The track was a few miles west of the NASCAR ...

on June 19, 1949, the season included eight races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the

Wilkes 200 The Tyson Holly Farms 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held annually from 1949 to 1996 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was the second of two Winston Cup Series races held annually (with the ...

North Wilkesboro Speedway North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill fr ...

on October 16. Raymond Parks won the Owners' Championship, while

Red Byron Robert Nold "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960) was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first c ...

won the Drivers' Championship with a 16th-place finish at the final race of the season.

Season recap

Race summaries

1949–01

Complete Results
The very first NASCAR Strictly Stock race was held June 19 at

, a 3/4 mile dirt track in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

owned by Carl C. Allison on Little Rock Rd..

Bob Flock Robert Newman Flock (April 16, 1918 – May 16, 1964) was an American stock car racer. He qualified on the pole position for NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (now NASCAR Cup Series) race and, along with Red Byron, is considered one of the two b ...

won the pole.

Glenn Dunaway Henry Glenn Dunaway (July 6, 1914 – March 8, 1964) was an American auto racer noted for initially winning, and then being disqualified from, what is today recognized as NASCAR's first-ever race. NASCAR career 1949 Dunaway competed in NASCA ...

was declared the original winner, although a post-race inspection revealed that his car was fitted with illegal springs, causing NASCAR to disqualify him. ;Top Ten Results #34 -

Jim Roper Christian David "Jim" Roper (August 13, 1916 – June 23, 2000) was a NASCAR driver. He lived in Halstead, Kansas. He is most known as the winner of the first ever NASCAR race at Charlotte. Racing career Roper lived at his grandfather's hors ...

#47 -

Fonty Flock Truman Fontell "Fonty" Flock (March 21, 1920 – July 15, 1972) was an American stock car racer. Flock family He was the brother of NASCAR pioneers Tim Flock and Bob Flock, and the second female NASCAR driver Ethel Mobley. The four race ...

#22 -

#2 -

Sam Rice Edgar Charles "Sam" Rice (February 20, 1890 – October 13, 1974) was an American pitcher and outfielder in Major League Baseball. Although Rice made his debut as a relief pitcher, he is best known as an outfielder. Playing for the Washington Se ...

#90 -

Tim Flock Julius Timothy Flock (May 11, 1924 – March 31, 1998) was an American stock car racer. He was a two-time NASCAR series champion. He was a brother to NASCAR's second female driver Ethel Mobley and Bob and Fonty Flock. NASCAR career Tim Flo ...

#37 -

Archie Smith Archie Smith may refer to: * Archie Smith (footballer, born 1995), Australian rules football player for Brisbane * Archie Smith (footballer, born 1872), former Australian rules football player for Collingwood * Archie Smith, Jr., American horse ra ...

#31 - Sterling Long #28 -

Slick Smith Ebenezer "Slick" Smith (August 17, 1929 - January 27, 1997) was an American stock car racing driver. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, he was competitor in the NASCAR Grand National Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) and competed in the first-ever series ...

#41 -

Curtis Turner Curtis Morton Turner (April 12, 1924 – October 4, 1970) was an American stock car racer. Throughout his life, he developed a reputation for drinking and partying. In 1999, he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. History He was ...

#36 - Jimmy Thompson

1949–02

Complete Results
The second race of the Strictly Stock season was held July 10 at the

Daytona Beach Road Course The Daytona Beach and Road Course was a race track that was instrumental in the formation of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing. It originally became famous as the location where 15 world land speed records were set. Beach and ro ...

Gober Sosebee Gober C. Sosebee (October 15, 1915 – November 11, 1996) was an American racecar driver. He won on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949, 1950, and 1951. He was born in Dawson County, Georgia, and began his career in 1940 at Atlanta's Lake ...

won the pole. Sosebee led the first 34 laps and was passed by Red Byron after he got sideways in the north turn with six laps remaining. Byron won the 166-mile NASCAR Strictly Stock race on the sands of the 4.15-mile Daytona Beach and Road Course. There were 21 of the 28 starters running at the finish. Byron won the caution free race with an average speed of 80.883 mph and won with a gap of 1:51 lead over second-place finisher

. Three female drivers,

Sara Christian Sara Williams Christian (August 25, 1918 – March 7, 1980) was the first woman driver in NASCAR history. Driving career Christian raced at the Looper Speedway, the former racetrack which now lies beneath the waters of Lake Lanier. She won a ...

Louise Smith Louise Smith (July 31, 1916, in Barnesville, Georgia – April 15, 2006) was tied for the second woman to race in NASCAR at the top level. She was known as "the first lady of racing." She went as a spectator to her first NASCAR race at the Dayt ...

, and

Ethel Mobley Ethel Ann Mobley (née Flock; March 8, 1914 – June 26, 1984) of Fort Payne, Alabama was tied for the second female to drive in NASCAR history. Her brother Tim Flock said she was named after the gasoline her father used in his car. "Flying Flock ...

, started the race. Mobley was the highest finishers of the female drivers, finishing in 11th place with her Cadillac. Christian in her Ford finished 18th, while Smith finished 20th after flipping her car early in the race. Pre-race favorites Curtis Turner, Bob Flock and Glenn Dunaway all failed to make it to the finish. This race took two hours, three minutes and 15 seconds to complete 40 laps. The lead was swapped twice by Sosebee and Byron. Dunaway finished last in this race, which, along with his disqualification at Charlotte, means that Dunaway finished last in the first two races in the season. ;Top Ten Results #22 -

#90 -

#5 -

Frank Mundy Frank "Rebel" Mundy (born June 18, 1918 in Atlanta, Georgia, as Francisco Eduardo Menendez – died May 15, 2009) was an American stock car racer. He competed in the American Automobile Association (AAA) stock cars, winning the 1955 national champ ...

#7 -

Joe Littlejohn Joe Littlejohn (January 3, 1908 – July 29, 1989) was an American stock car racing driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina. He competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division in 1949 and 1950. Career Littlejohn raced in two races at Daytona ...

#44 - Bill Blair #37 - Frank Christian #16 - Bill Snowden #50 -

#36 - Jimmy Thompson #15 - Jack Etheridge

1949–03

Complete Results
The third race of the Strictly Stock season was held August 7 at

Occoneechee Speedway Occoneechee Speedway was one of the first two NASCAR tracks to open. It closed in 1968 and is the only dirt track remaining from the inaugural 1949 season. It is located just outside the town of Hillsborough, North Carolina. Site history Occon ...

. Jimmy Thompson won the pole. Bob Flock scored his first win of the season in the 200-mile Strictly Stock race at Hillsboro's Occoneechee Speedway, giving Oldsmobile its second straight victory. Flock won the race with a gap of 42 seconds from runner-up Gober Sosebee to collect the $2,000.00 first prize. Third place went to Glenn Dunnaway, Fonty Flock took fourth, and Bill Snowden fifth. Tim Flock was pressuring brother Bob in the late stages, but a broken right-front spindle sent his Oldsmobile to the sidelines with ten laps to go. The younger Flock got credit for seventh in the final rundown. The race was marred by a five-car crash triggered by Sara Christian. Christian spun her Ford after losing the right front wheel in the 38th lap and as she tried to steer her car toward the pit area on the next lap, Felix Wilkes' Lincoln collided with her. Red Byron, the point leader in the Strictly Stock series, collided with Wilkes's car as he exited turn four. Bob Smith's Olds also crashed in a solo crash. There were no drivers injured in the crash. A crowd of 18,000 watched as Flock averaged 76.8 mph on the low-banked, one-mile dirt oval. ;Top Ten Results #7 -

#50 -

#55 -

#47 -

#3 - Bill Snowden #44 - Bill Blair #90 -

#19 -

Otis Martin Otis Mason Martin (March 1, 1918 – November 21, 1955) was an American stock car racing driver. One of the pioneers of the NASCAR Grand National Series, he competed in 23 races over the first six years of the sport, with a best finish of sixt ...

#42 -

Lee Petty Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He was one of the pioneers of NASCAR and one of its first superstars. He was NASCAR's first three-time Cup ch ...

#28 -

Buddy Helms Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...

1949–04

Complete Results
The fourth race of the Strictly Stock season was held September 11 at

Langhorne Speedway Langhorne Speedway was an automobile racetrack in Middletown Township, Bucks County, near the borough of Langhorne, Pennsylvania, a northern suburb of Philadelphia. According to the book ''Langhorne! No Man's Land'' by L. Spencer Riggs: "With a ...

won the pole. Curtis Turner, the "Blond Blizzard" out of Roanoke, Virginia, out dueled Bob Flock and came home first in the celebrated 200-mile Strictly Stock race at the famed circular Langhorne Speedway before 20,000 spectators. Sara Christian, leading female driver out of Atlanta, finished sixth in a sterling performance. Her effort in the grueling 200-lapper prompted race officials to escort her to victory lane to join winner Turner in the ceremonies. Turner drove his Oldsmobile into the lead in the 141st lap when Bob Flock went to the pits for a tire change. Turner led the rest of the way to pocket the $2,250.00 first prize. Flock scampered out of the pits and finished second, 20 seconds behind the winner. Third place went to point leader Red Byron as Oldsmobiles finished 1–2–3. Frank Mundy and Bill Blair rounded out the top five, both driving Cadillacs. Forty-five new Strictly Stock automobiles went to the starting post, the most cars to start a race in the 1949 season. Turner averaged 69.403 mph. Byron and Sosebee earned the front row starting positions in qualifying. Fonty Flock, however, registered the fastest time in "Speed Trials" with an 80.140 fast lap. Fonty challenged Byron and Sosebee at the start, but the engine in his Buick blew after three laps. Sosebee struggled with tire problems and wound up 19th. Len Brown drove a 1947 Ford Convertible in the 200-mile championship chase—the first person to drive an open-top vehicle on the premier NASCAR Stock car tour. Brown managed to come home 28th—earning $25.00 for his day of work. Accidents took out Pepper Cunningham, Walter Minx and Chick DiNatale. Tim Flock was a contender for victory until sidelined by a lost wheel. ;Top Ten Results #41 -

#7 -

#22 -

#44 -

#46 - Bill Blair #71 -

#42 -

#89 -

Al Keller Alvah August “Al” Keller (April 11, 1920 in Alexander, New York – November 19, 1961 in Phoenix, Arizona) was an American racecar driver. NASCAR Keller participated in the NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National series from 1949 to 1956 w ...

#6 -

Al Bonnell AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media * Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera * Al (''Fullmetal ...

#52 - Lou Volk

1949–05

Complete Results
The fifth race of the Strictly Stock season was held September 18 at

Hamburg Speedway The Erie County Fair is a fair held in Hamburg in Erie County, New York every August. Based on 2018 attendance statistics, The Erie County Fair is the second largest fair in New York and the fourth largest county fair in North America, often dra ...

. Young Jack White drove a Lincoln to victory in the 100-mile Strictly Stock race at Hamburg Speedway in an event dominated by Northern drivers. White sailed into the lead when erstwhile leader Glenn Dunaway lost a wheel on his Olds, forcing him out of the race in the 134th lap. With Dunaway out of the way, White was able to hold off Ray Erickson to take the $1,500.00 top prize. Billy Rafter wound up third, Mike Eagen was fourth and Bill Rexford took fifth. Dunaway, disqualified from victory in the season opener at Charlotte in June, appeared to be headed for an easy win until his misfortune. His 134 laps completed gave him ninth in the final rundown in the field of sixteen cars. A sell-out crowd of 11,733 jammed the wooden grandstands to watch the fifth event of the year in NASCAR's new Strictly Stock division. ;Top Ten Results #25 -

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

#5 - Ray Erickson #?? - Billy Rafter #?? - Mike Eagen #59 - Bill Rexford #?? -

Frankie Schneider Frank E. Schneider (August 11, 1926 – November 11, 2018) was a stock car, modified, midget, and sprint car racer. He had one NASCAR Grand National Series victory at Old Dominion Speedway in 1958 driving a 1957 Chevrolet. He also won the 1952 NA ...

#43 - Jack Russell #?? - Charles Muscatel #55 -

#?? - Ellis Pearce

1949–06

Complete Results
The sixth race of the Strictly Stock season was held September 25 at

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in s ...

won the pole. Red Byron all but wrapped up the 1949 Strictly Stock championship with an overwhelming triumph in the 100-miler at Martinsville Speedway. The 33-year-old veteran out of Atlanta, drove his Oldsmobile into the lead on lap 104 and led the rest of the way. Finishing second, three laps behind Byron, was Lee Petty's Plymouth. Ray Erickson finished third, Clyde Minter fourth, and Bill Blair fifth. Pole sitter Curtis Turner led the opening 18 laps, but gave way to the hard-charging Fonty Flock, who started fourth. Flock was pacing the field when his Buick lost a right front wheel and crashed into Slick Smith's Hudson. Byron took the lead when Flock departed and was never seriously challenged the rest of the way. Turner faded after leading early and wound up ninth, 29 laps off the pace. This race has consistently remained on the NASCAR championship calendar, although in 1956 it was changed from 200 to 400 laps after the track was paved and lengthened to 500 laps in 1957. It was known as the

Old Dominion 500 The Xfinity 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car racing, stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. The race is traditionally held in the fall and has been run in every NASCAR Cup Series season, starting with the sixth e ...

until 1982 and has since undergone numerous name changes. The race is now called the

Xfinity 500 The Xfinity 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race held at Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia. The race is traditionally held in the fall and has been run in every NASCAR Cup Series season, starting with the sixth event in the inaugu ...

. ;Top Ten Results #22 -

#42 -

#5 - Ray Erickson #19 - Clyde Minter #2 - Bill Blair #16 - Bill Snowden #55 -

#3 - Al Wagoner #41 -

#36 -

1949–07

Complete Results
The seventh race of the Strictly Stock season was held October 2 at

Heidelberg Raceway Heidelberg Raceway was an American auto racing track which was built near Heidelberg, Pennsylvania in Scott Township, Allegheny County, approximately southwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It held weekly races and numerous special events between ...

, near Pittsburgh, PA. In the first Strictly Stock event in Charlotte in June, Lee Petty entered a bulky Buick Roadmaster. The enormous automobile was fast on the straights, but it wobbled like a tank through the turns. Just past the halfway point, Petty rolled the Buick a number of times. After dismounting the mangled mass of metal, the North Carolina speedster vowed never to drive a heavy vehicle in competition again. In the 100-mile event at Heidelberg Speedway, Petty driving his number 42 lightweight Plymouth, was five full laps ahead of his nearest competitor. "We figured the lighter car would get through the turns better," said Petty. "It would also be easier on the suspension parts. We knew we could win one with the Plymouth." The big triumph at Heidelberg was the largest winning margin of any NASCAR Strictly Stock race in 1949. Dick Linder's Kaiser finished second, but was in no position to challenge the fleet Petty. Bill Rexford finished third, Sam Rice's Chevrolet was fourth with relief driver Glenn Dunanway at the helm. Despite finishing 10 laps down from Petty, Sara Christian managed to finish the race in fifth place, the first time a female driver has cracked the top five in a premier NASCAR event and still to this day remains as the highest ever finish recorded by a female driver in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971, ...

. Al Bonnell, a driver of open wheel fame, qualified for the pole with a speed of 61.475 mph. However, Bonnell's Olds was the first car out of the race, and was placed at the end of the 23 car field in the final rundown. Bonnell then relieved Don Rogalla and carried his Ford to 10th and the finish. Petty averaged 57.458 mph. ;Top Ten Results #42 -

#8 -

Dick Linder Richard Refeld Linder (April 6, 1923April 19, 1959) was an American, professional, race car driver from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Career Linder raced USAC open wheel as well as NASCAR stock cars. Between 1949 and 1956 he entered 28 NASCAR event ...

#4 - Bill Rexford #2 -

#1 -

#21 -

Lloyd Moore Lloyd David Moore (June 8, 1912 – May 18, 2008

John Wright #43 - Jack Russell #23 - Skip Lewis #20 -

Don Rogala Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...

Wilkes 200

The

, the eighth and final race of the Strictly Stock season, was held October 16 at

. Kenneth Wagner won the pole. Bob Flock took the lead in the closing stages when mechanical problems kayoed Bill Blair and edged Lee Petty to win the season finale at North Wilkesboro Speedway. It was the eighth and final point race of the year, although two additional non-point events were staged by Sam Nunis at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway. Red Byron, finishing 16th, was crowned Strictly Stock champion in 1949 by a margin of 117.5 points over Petty. Blair, wheeling Sam Rice's Cadallic, started second on the grid and jumped out to lead at the drop of the green flag. The diminutive High Point, NC star led the first 180 laps, but a souring engine robbed him once again of certain victory. Flock's Oldsmobile nipped Petty's Plymouth by a mere 100 yards in the finish. Fonty Flock, Clyde Minter and Herb Thomas rounded out the top five. ;Top Ten Results #7 -

#42 -

#47 -

#19 - Clyde Minter #92 -

Herb Thomas Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion. Background Born in the small town of Olivi ...

#14 - Roy Hall #5 - Ray Erickson #9 - Raymond Lewis #41 -

#44 - Bill Blair

Final points standings

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. ''Italics'' - Pole position set by owner's points standings. * – Most laps led.

References

External links

Racing Reference1949 point standings from Racing Reference
{{NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship * NASCAR Cup Series seasons