1001 NASCAR Facts. John Close

NASCAR races up against his NSCRA events at Concord.

      Later in 1948, Smith directly challenged France, announcing that the NSCRA would sanction a Strictly Stock championship in 1949. The move prompted France into launching his own Strictly Stock division and debuted in Charlotte (Smith’s hometown) for spite. Meanwhile, the NSCRA conducted its own Strictly Stock season with Ed Samples winning the championship. Buddy Shuman (the 1948 NSCRA Modified champion) captured the 1950 NSCRA Strictly Stock title.

      While competition from NASCAR was stiff, it may have been the Korean conflict that spelled the demise of the NSCRA. Smith was drafted into service in 1951 and with him went much of the NSCRA’s organization and determination to fight France and NASCAR. When NSCRA founder Nunis broke ranks during the summer of 1951 and announced that a NASCAR Grand National race would be held at Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway. The NSCRA was finished. Milam disbanded the organization shortly after Nunis’ announcement and the NSCRA could only sit back and watch the group fade into history. A crowd of more than 25,000 cheered Georgia’s favorite son, Tim Flock, to victory in the November NASCAR GN event.

      133 The 1948 NASCAR Modified championship season featured 52 events from February 15 at Daytona Beach through November 14 in Columbus, Georgia. In a show of dominance, a Ford won each of the 52 races as Red Byron, Fonty Flock, Bob Flock, Skip Hersey, Gober Sosebee, Bill Blair, Johnny Rogers, Marshall Teague, Paul Pappy, Tim Flock, Curtis Turner, Billy Carden, Al Keller, and Buddy Shuman all wheeled a blue oval Flathead V-8 coupe to victory at least once that year. Fonty Flock led with 14 wins while Byron, the division champion, had 11 victories. With Byron and the Flocks driving his Fords, Raymond Parks was NASCAR’s first team champion owner.

      134 Bill France Sr. and his new organization knew they had something big on their hands when more than 14,000 fans paid $2.50 to witness the first NASCAR-sanctioned race at Daytona Beach on February 15, 1948. The financial and artistic success of that first race at Daytona set the tone for France and NASCAR throughout the 1948 season.

      135 Right from the start, Bill France Sr. adopted an aggressive marketing strategy for NASCAR by staging events in more than one location on the same day. In the equivalent of a Sprint Cup event in Atlanta, Richmond, and Pocono, NASCAR also ran events at Macon (Georgia), Danville (Virginia), and Dover (New Jersey), on May 23, 1948. All three races awarded points toward the 1948 NASCAR Modified Championship. Gober Sosebee grabbed the win and points at Macon while Bill Blair rolled to the win at Danville. Johnny Rogers completed the NASCAR tripleheader by coming in first at Dover.

      136 In addition to staging events in multiple locations on the same day, NASCAR also featured doubleheaders at some of its 1948 Modified Series events. At the September 5 race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Curtis Turner won a pair of 30-lap feature events. Driving a Ford for team owner Bob Smith, Curtis captured the pole and beat Jimmy Ingram to win the first 30-lapper. In the second race, Turner started 14th (shotgun on the field after a full-field inversion) and raced through the field to win the second race of the day. This marks the first time in NASCAR history that one driver won two sanctioned races in the same day. Two weeks later, September 19, Fonty Flock repeated the achievement winning both 30-lap NASCAR Modified Series races at Occoneechee Speedway.

      137 In 1948, an outbreak of polio gripped the United States. One of the hardest hit areas was North Carolina where more than 2,500 cases were reported, more than 10 times the number reported the year before. With children most vulnerable to the contagious disease, physicians across North Carolina urged cities to close public playgrounds, recreation centers, and pools while discouraging other public venues such as movie theaters, ballparks, and even churches from opening. In keeping with the times, Bill France Sr. and NASCAR canceled several 1948 events in an effort to help contain the outbreak. It is the only time in NASCAR history that races were canceled due to a public epidemic.

       Drivers lined up to get their starting positions; official Alvin Hawkins holds a hat while an unidentified person seated in the car draws a number for each competitor. (Photo Courtesy Ed Samples Jr. Collection)

      138 NASCAR’s first championship battle (the 1948 Modified title) remains one of the most hotly contested in racing history. Red Byron won four races in a row taking an early points lead in April, but Fonty Flock roared back by grabbing 6 of his division-high 15 season victories late in the 1948 campaign. Byron and Flock ended up winning the final eight races of the year between them with Byron taking the lead for good by winning the 49th race in North Wilkesboro. A week later, Byron won at Charlotte with Flock rallying back with a victory at Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Byron wouldn’t be denied the championship (and the final race of the season) at Columbus Speedway (Georgia) in mid-November. His championship-winning margin was just 32.75 points. Tim Flock finished third in standings with seven-time winner Curtis Turner fourth and Buddy Shuman, a two-time victor, fifth.

      139 Bill France Sr. promised a NASCAR drivers’ point fund and delivered at the end of the 1948 season. In all, France paid the top-20 drivers a total of $5,000 out of the $64,000 collected in ticket sales. Champion Red Byron got the lion’s share of the kitty taking home a $1,250 check signed by NASCAR treasurer Bill Tuthill. Byron gave $834 of the winnings to the car owner, Raymond Parks.

      140 The idea of racing showroom stock cars was good, if it worked. The only way to find out was to hold an experimental race. The first one (a 10-mile Novice race for Strictly Stock late-model cars) was held January 23, 1949 as part of a NASCAR tripleheader at Broward Speedway in Florida. The 2-mile speedway used taxiways at the Ft. Lauderdale-Davie Airport. Lloyd Christopher won the event with little fanfare. France then staged a second experimental 10-mile Strictly Stock race February 27, 1949, pairing it with a 100-mile National Gran Prix Roadster event and a 25-mile Sports Car clash. After Bob Flock won the Roadster race and Tom DeMetry the Sports Car event, local driver Benny Georgeson of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, wheeled his Buick to the win. Eddie Mitchell, a Mercury driver from Defiance, Ohio, was second.