William H. "Blackie" Pitt (March 18, 1925 – March 28, 1992) was a NASCAR Grand National Series racer born in the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

town of Rocky Mount,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. He is best known as the

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

Career

Pitt raced from

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

and competed in 81 races in his four-year NASCAR career. One of his most memorable appearances in NASCAR was at the

1955 Southern 500 The 1955 Southern 500, the sixth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event. The event was held on September 5, 1955, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. This race spanned 500 miles on a paved oval track. An ...

; where he would race in a 1955 Ford Fairlane owned by his brother W.W. "Brownie" Pitt. This race would be captured on film and memorialized for future generations. His total career in NASCAR consisted of completing 9326 laps of professional American stock car racing. According to history, Pitt generally did better on short tracks than he did on road courses and intermediate tracks. Pitt would end up contributing nineteen finishes in the top ten and accumulating of stock car racing experience. His total career earnings is considered to be $5,619 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Pitt was the recipient of the 1954 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award although he never received an official

trophy A trophy is a tangible, durable reminder of a specific achievement, and serves as a recognition or evidence of merit. Trophies are often awarded for sporting events, from youth sports to professional level athletics. In many sports medals (or, in ...

. Due to the sudden disqualification of

Joe Weatherly Joseph Herbert Weatherly (May 29, 1922 – January 19, 1964) was an American stock car racing driver. Weatherly was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2009 after winning NASCAR's Grand National Series championships in ...

and Jim Reed at the end of an untitled 1955 Palm Beach Speedway race in West Palm Beach,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, Pitt was awarded an additional $50 ($ when adjusted for inflation). The money came from a Mrs. Gail John Bruner using her Wachovia Bank and Trust Company bank account to access the funds. Pitt's ultimate retirement came after finishing in last place at a 1958 race at

Old Bridge Stadium Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

that had a 27-driver grid that included

Elmo Langley Elmo Harold Langley (August 21, 1928 – November 21, 1996) was a NASCAR driver and owner. Langley primarily used the number 64 on his race cars during his NASCAR career. Racing career Langley began his racing career racing modified cars in Vir ...

, Lee Petty, and Junior Johnson.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Blackie 1925 births 1992 deaths Deaths from cancer in Florida NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Rocky Mount, North Carolina Racing drivers from North Carolina