The 1954 Wilkes County 160 was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 to 1970, then the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand Nation ...

event held on April 4, 1954, at

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 ...

North Wilkesboro, North Carolina North Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States, approximately 80 miles north of Charlotte. The population was 4,131 at the 2020 US Census. North Wilkesboro is the birthplace and original home of Lowe's Home Improveme ...

. Until the

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

running of the Wilkes 160, North Wilkesboro Speedway was a dirt oval track.

Background

North Wilkesboro carried a reputation as one of the fastest short-tracks in auto racing in the late 1940s and 1950s. In 1950, speeds reached 73 mph at the track, compared to the next fastest short-track, Charlotte Speedway, where top speeds only reached 66 mph. Most of the fans in the early years of the sport saw the track as notorious for being a great venue to watch races between the legendary racers of the time. Racing at North Wilkesboro was intense and physical. The 1950 Wilkes 200 was the second

race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Twenty-six cars entered the race. Twenty-one-year-old

Fireball Roberts Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts Jr. (January 20, 1929July 2, 1964) was an American stock car racer. Background Roberts was born in Tavares, Florida, and raised in Apopka, Florida, where he was interested in both auto racing and baseball. He was ...

qualified with a lap speed of 73.266 mph on the dirt track for his first ever Grand National pole, but engine problems dropped him out of the running.

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 ...

started in the third position and led the most laps in the race with 104, but engine troubles also ended his day. Ultimately, Leon Sales led eight of the 200 laps to become the victor, the fourth NASCAR driver to win an event in his debut race. Jack Smith finished second after leading 55 laps in the race. After hosting only one NASCAR event in 1949 and one in 1950, the track began running two

events per year in 1951 (with the exception of 1956, when only one race was held; the track was being prepared for pavement).

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

race was held in the spring, normally in late March or early April, and another was held in the fall, normally in late September or early October. In 1957, owner Enoch Stanley had the 5/8-mile track paved. The Wilkes 200 in 1952 turned into a battle between brothers. Two sets of brothers competed in the race, and they took the top four spots at the finish. The Flock Brothers (

and

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 ...

) were strong, but the Thomas brothers (

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 ...

and Donald Thomas) had the better outcome. Herb Thomas, driving his 1952 "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet, won the pole, led 192 of the 200 laps, and grabbed the victory. Fonty Flock led the first eight laps and finished the race second. Donald Thomas, also in a 1952 "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet, finished third, and Tim Flock finished fourth. Eleven of the 27 cars entered in the race finished. Six of the top nine positions were driving Hudson Hornets.

started on the pole for the 1953 Wilkes 200 with his record-setting qualifying speed of 78.424 mph on the dirt surface. Outside pole sitter Tim Flock led the first 100 laps before experiencing engine problems.

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 ...

took the lead on Lap 101 and continued the lead until his car also succumbed to engine troubles nine laps later. Thomas in his Number 92 Hudson Hornet only lead 18 laps in the race but ended the race by taking his third consecutive win at North Wilkesboro. Starting from the third spot,

Dick Rathmann Dick Rathmann (born James Rathmann; January 6, 1924February 1, 2000) was an American race car driver. He drove in the American Automobile Association, AAA Championship Car series in the 1949 and 1950 seasons with 4 starts, including the 1950 In ...

led 70 laps and finished behind Herb Thomas.

managed to work his way up from the fourth starting position to the front and led three laps before dropping back and finishing third. Pole sitter

Buck Baker Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his first race three years later at Columbia ...

ran 78.288 mph to gap the pole for the 1953 Wilkes 160. Baker ran strong and led the most laps in the race with 80 out front before falling back into the sixth-place position at the finish.

Speedy Thompson Alfred Bruce "Speedy" Thompson (April 3, 1926, in Monroe, North Carolina – April 2, 1972, in Charlotte, North Carolina) was an American stock car racer in the NASCAR Grand National series from 1950 to 1971, capturing 20 wins along the way. R ...

led 25 laps, and Fonty Flock led 37.

led a total of 18 laps. At the end of the race, Thompson finished two laps ahead of second-place Flock. Thompson's win ended

and his

Hudson Hornet The Hudson Hornet is a full-sized automobile that was manufactured by Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan from 1951 until 1954, when Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson merged to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). Hudson automobiles ...

's three-race winning streak at North Wilkesboro.

Race report

It took one hour and twenty-seven minutes for the race to reach its full conclusion.

would acquire a significant victory over

by a margin of twenty seconds in front of five thousand and five hundred people. All 24 drivers that were involved in this racing event were born 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 ...

; no foreigners attempted to qualify for this event. Dick Rathman had overlapped the entire field at one time; making it sufficient for the veteran speedster to wheel his 1954 Hudson around the course on the final two laps with a flat tire to beat out Herb Thomas. The weather was freezing and cloudy skies were everywhere. Gober Sosebee lost a wheel on the 114th lap and was forced to the pits. It was a wheel from Sosebee's car that almost cost Rathman the race. After returning to the battle, Sosebee was again moving back into the contest when another wheel snapped and landed in the middle of the track. Rathman's car clipped the wheel, blowing out his left front tire and almost wrecking the leader. Arden Mounts lost a wheel and smashed the fence in turn 1 on lap 44 and two laps later Ted Rambo, driving in eight place at the time, blew a tire and went through the fence on the Turn 1 near the same spot of Mounts. The race was held up to put out a fire in Rambo's car. The second and final caution came on 137 th lap when Bud Harless, blew a tire and flipped over the bank on the third turn. Rambo and Harless escaped without injury. Notable speeds were: as the average speed and as the

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

speed. John Ditz would win his first race as an owner during this event; a diverse range of automobile manufacturers would enjoy starting positions within the relatively unregulated NASCAR atmosphere of the mid-1950s. Monetary winnings for each driver ranged from a then-incredible amount of $1,000 ($ when considering inflation) to a meager $25 ($ when considering inflation). Total winnings for this race were $3,825 ($ when considering inflation). Notable crew chiefs who participated fully in the race were Stuart Nelson, Lee Petty, and John Carozza. This race was also notable for being held the week before April 11, 1954; which has been analyzed by a computer search engine as being the least interesting day in the 20th century.

Rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

music was "invented" at a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

recording studio on April 12 (Monday) when

Bill Haley & His Comets Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...

would record the incredibly famous song "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

". Cf. pp.168–169. "Rock Around the Clock" quickly became a number one single on both the US and UK charts and also re-entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in the 1960s and 1970s. No NASCAR Cup Series races were held on Sunday, April 11, 1954.

Finishers

# Herb Thomas #

Joe Eubanks ''Joseph "Joe" Eubanks'' (August 9, 1925 – June 21, 1971) was a ''NASCAR Grand National'' driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.

(the third and final driver to end the race on the lead lap) #

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 ...

Ralph Liguori Ralph Liguori (October 10, 1926 – July 21, 2020) was an 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 India ...

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 ...

# Andy Winfree #

Jim Paschal James Roy Paschal, Jr. (December 5, 1926 – July 5, 2004) was a Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. Career summary Paschal won twenty-five races and twelve poles over his career. Elected to the "Stock Car Racing Hall of Fame" in 1 ...

Jimmie Lewallen Jimmie Lewallen (August 22, 1919 – October 16, 1995) was an American stock car racing driver from High Point, North Carolina, USA. He competed in NASCAR's Strictly Stock/Grand National division (now called the NASCAR Cup Series) from its fi ...

Bob Welborn Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn (May 5, 1928 – August 10, 1997) of Denton was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver. He was named to NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998. He won the final three NASCAR Convertible Division championships in 1956, ...

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 ...

Fred Dove Fred Dove (September 7, 1927 – January 5, 1990) was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Martinsville, Virginia, USA. Career He competed in 47 races from (1952 to 1955) with one finish in the top-five, 12 top-ten finishes, and 3919 laps of ...

# Billy Irvin #

Eddie Skinner Frank Edward Skinner (August 19, 1908 – March 1, 1987) was an American stock car racing racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Grand National Series during the 1950s. Career Skinner raced out of Yerington, Nevada, where he lived for 35 yea ...

(last driver to complete the entire race – 21 laps down) # Bud Harless* (involved in the only crash of the race) #

Ralph Dutton The Hon. Ralph Heneage Dutton (5 August 1821 – 8 October 1892), was a British Conservative politician. Background Dutton was the third and youngest son of John Dutton, 2nd Baron Sherborne, by his marriage to the Hon. Mary Legge, only child an ...

* # Elton Hildreth* (drove a Nash vehicle) # Ted Rambo* (drove a

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln ...

vehicle – also involved in the crash with Bud Harless) #

Arden Mounts Enoch Arden Mounts (July 9, 1917 – March 4, 2003) 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 occasionally drive a ...

* #

Dave Terrell Dave Terrell (born February 21, 1931 in Newtown, Pennsylvania, USA) is a retired NASCAR Grand National driver/owner who participated from 1952 to 1957.

* # Stan Kross* # Blackie Pitt* ''* Driver failed to finish race''

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Gober Sosebee started the race with the pole position. * Lap 12: Blackie Pitt had problems with his vehicle's wheel. * Lap 26: Stan Kross' vehicle developed a problematic post on, forcing him to leave the race. * Lap 31: Dave Terrell had a problem with his vehicle's bearings, causing him to withdraw from the race. * Lap 44: Steering wheel problems ended Arden Mounts' day on the track. * Lap 46: Ted Rambo had a terminal crash; forcing him to withdraw from the event. * Lap 58: A hose problem on Elton Hildreth's vehicle meant that his race weekend was over prematurely. * Lap 70: Ralph Dutton would see no more racing this weekend when his steering wheel started acting funny. * Lap 95: Dick Rathmann takes over the lead from Gober Sosebee. * Lap 97: Gober Sosebee takes over the lead from Dick Rathmann. * Lap 115: Dick Rathmann takes over the lead from Gober Sosebee. * Lap 129: Bud Harless had a terminal crash, forcing him to withdraw from the event. * Finish: Dick Rathmann was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

{{s-end

Wilkes County 160 The First Union 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held annually from 1951 to 1996 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It was the first of two Winston Cup Series races held annually (with the autumn ...

NASCAR races at North Wilkesboro Speedway