Bob Burdick (October 20, 1936 – October 4, 2007) 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 ...

driver from

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. He competed in fifteen

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 ...

events in his career. His win in Atlanta in 1961 made him the only

-born driver to win a race on the NASCAR circuit. Burdick made his debut in 1959, where he won the pole at

Trenton Speedway Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway. Racing histor ...

in his first career NASCAR start. Although a fire took Burdick out of the event early, he earned his first career top-10 finish with a 9th-place effort in the next race at

Nashville Speedway USA Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Nati ...

. After a crash at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly known Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a 1.54-mile entertainment facility in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Cup Series ...

, Burdick ended the year with finishes of 6th, 6th and 2nd, including a pole at

Columbia Speedway Columbia Speedway was an oval racetrack located in Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971.Columbia Speedway page of Racing-Reference websit retrieved 8 May 2007. ...

. During the entire year, Burdick led 25 laps (when he finished 2nd at

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...

) and never started worse than 9th. In addition, the 21st-place finish in points was Burdick's career best. Burdick had a scant schedule in 1960, only competing in two events, both at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NA ...

. Burdick made it into the prestigious

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

field after finishing 7th in the qualifier race (the Daytona qualifiers were points races until 1971), but only managed to finish 60th in the actual 500. Burdick was able to rebound in 1961, finishing in the top-ten (8th) once again in the Daytona qualifier event. After another dismal finish in the 500, Burdick made up for it at

. Burdick led 43 of the 334 laps and held off

Rex White Rex White (born August 17, 1929) is a retired auto racer and NASCAR champion. White was one of the drivers who competed for the original Chevrolet racing team. He began racing in 1956, grabbing fourteen top-ten finishes. After a part-time run in ...

for Burdick's lone career victory. Following the triumph, Burdick ended the year with a 4th place at

Darlington Speedway Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is ...

and 27th at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

. Burdick once again was left to the Daytona races in 1962, as his career wound down. He finished 7th in the qualifying race, his final career top-ten, easily making the Daytona 500. Burdick then had a dismal 35th-place finish in the 500, and never again made another Cup event. On October 4, 2007, Burdick died.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burdick, Bob 1936 births 2007 deaths NASCAR drivers Sportspeople from Omaha, Nebraska Racing drivers from Nebraska