Harold Kite (November 13, 1921October 17, 1965) was a

NASCAR 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 ...

driver from

East Point East Point is the name of several places: In Australia * East Point, Northern Territory ** East Point Military museum located in East Point, Northern Territory In Canada *East Point, Prince Edward Island In Hong Kong: *East Point, Hong Kong In ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. In his brief Grand National Series career, Kite competed in nine events to earn one win and two top-ten finishes.

Early life

Kite attended Commercial High School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, graduating in 1939. He joined the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

in June 1942, achieving the rank of

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

the following January. Kite served with the 1st Armored Division and was wounded in January 1944 during the Anzio landings. He continued to serve in the

Georgia National Guard The Georgia National Guard is the National Guard of the U.S. state of Georgia, and consists of the Georgia Army National Guard and the Georgia Air National Guard. (The Georgia State Defense Force is the third military unit of the Georgia Depa ...

while driving for

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 ...

, and was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

commanding the 201st Ordnance Medium Maintenance Company when he won at

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County near the Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. Daytona Beach is approximately nort ...

Career summary

Kite's debut came in 1950. Starting third on 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 ...

, he quickly found his way to the lead. From there, Kite led 38 of the 48 laps, holding off

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 ...

by fifty-three seconds for the victory. He recorded two midpack finishes to close out the year: a 38th in the inaugural event 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 a 12th place in a small field 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 ...

. Kite's next two races would take place during the

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

season when he finished a career-high 25th in points. He started 38th in the history-breaking eighty-two car field at the

Southern 500 The Southern 500, officially known as the Cook Out Southern 500 for sponsorship reasons, is a NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, United States. The race distance is and consists of 367 laps. Fro ...

, completed most of the laps, and kept in shouting distance of the leaders to finish 6th. Kite did not keep early-season momentum on his side, finishing his other start that year with a last (29th) place showing 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 ...

. Kite tacked on two more starts a few years later, making his return during the

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

season. Piston issues very early in the LeHi race held at

Memphis-Arkansas Speedway The Memphis-Arkansas Speedway was a dirt oval track located just west of West Memphis, Arkansas, United States, in the community of Lehi. This speedway had a total distance spanning . Its elevation is 200 feet above sea level and all races used ...

left him 25th, and various woes kept him to 43rd place in the Darlington Southern 500. Kite made a new approach during his solo 1956 appearance, making his start at the tiny Shelby track located at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds. But even the small field of 17 could not be conquered by Kite, who fell several laps down and finished 11th. Kite waited until

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

to return to the sport, competing for the first time at the speedy

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 ...

. It would be a tragic return for the former Army captain: Just one lap into the National 400, Kite was involved in a five-car pileup on the fourth turn. As Kite's vehicle got involved with Rock Harn, Sonny Hutchins, and Frank Warren, he slid down the embankment and was rammed broadside square in the drivers side door by Jimmy Helms. Kite, 43, was pronounced dead on arrival at the infield hospital. Kite was inducted into the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2011.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(

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 qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kite, Harold 1921 births 1965 deaths People from East Point, Georgia Sportspeople from Fulton County, Georgia Racing drivers from Georgia (U.S. state) NASCAR drivers Racing drivers who died while racing Filmed deaths in motorsport Sports deaths in North Carolina United States Army personnel of World War II