1958 Wilkes 160
Race details[1] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 50 of 51 in the 1958 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||||
![]() North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||||
Date | October 19, 1958 | ||||
Official name | Wilkes 160 | ||||
Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | ||||
Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.625 mi (1.00 km) | ||||
Distance | 160 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||||
Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 64 °F (18 °C); wind speeds of 24.1 miles per hour (38.8 km/h) | ||||
Average speed | 84.906 miles per hour (136.643 km/h) | ||||
Pole position | |||||
Driver | Wood Brothers Racing | ||||
Most laps led | |||||
Driver | unknown | unknown | |||
Laps | unknown | ||||
Winner | |||||
No. 11 | Junior Johnson |
Network | untelevised | ||
Announcers | none |
The 1958 Wilkes 160 was a
The race car drivers still had to commute to the races using the same stock cars that competed in a typical weekend's race through a policy of homologation (and under their own power). This policy was in effect until roughly 1975. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
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
After hosting only one NASCAR event in 1949 and one in 1950, the track began running two
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 (Fonty Flock and Tim Flock) were strong, but the Thomas brothers (Herb Thomas 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.
Herb Thomas 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 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 led 70 laps and finished behind Herb Thomas. Fonty Flock 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 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 sixth position at the finish. Speedy Thompson led 25 laps, and Fonty Flock led 37. Curtis Turner 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 Herb Thomas and his Hudson Hornet's three-race winning streak at North Wilkesboro.
At the 1954 Wilkes County 160, Gober Sosebee won the pole with a lap speed of 78.698 mph. Sosebee led a race-high 112 laps but finished in 12th position, eight laps down. The only other leader was Dick Rathmann, who led 48 laps. Rathmann blew a tire while leading, with three laps to go, and still managed to finish and win the race. Herb Thomas finished some 20 seconds behind in second place.
In the 1954 Wilkes 160,
In 1956, the Wilkes County 160 was the only
The Wilkes County 160 in 1957 was dominated by the Pete DePaolo Fords. DePaolo entered five 1957 Fords in the race, and they all finished in the top six positions. Fireball Roberts put his DePaolo Ford on the pole with a qualifying speed of 81.5 mph. It was the first time the pole sitter had a speed over 80 mph. Roberts was the only driver to lead during the race, leading all 160 laps. Roberts won the race without making a single pit stop. DePaolo's other drivers were second-place finisher Paul Goldsmith, third place Ralph Moody, fourth place Marvin Panch, and sixth place Allen Adkins. Buck Baker's was the only non-Depaolo car in the top six. He finished in fifth place.
The Wilkes 160 of 1957 was Junior Johnson's first race after spending 11 months in jail for his moonshining activities. It was also his only start of the 1957
The NASCAR Convertible Series ran two races at North Wilkesboro. In 1957, Ken Rush won the pole and led the first 21 laps before Glen Wood took the lead for the next 42 laps. Paul Goldsmith took the lead on Lap 64 and led the rest of the 160-lap race.
Summary
Junior Johnson managed to defeat Glen Wood and 23 other American-born drivers after more than an hour (160 laps) of racing action.[2] Wood would end up qualifying for the pole position with a then-rapid speed of 86.805 miles per hour (139.699 km/h).[2] Clarence DeZalia ran out of gas while Barney Shore finished in last place on the 26th lap due to a problem with his radiator.[2]
While the winner earned $800 in total prize winnings ($8,448.44 when adjusted for inflation), the last-place finisher walked away with a meager $50 paycheck ($528.03 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Officials at North Wilkesboro Speedway approved a grand total of $3,885 in monetary winnings to be given out at this event ($41,027.75 when adjusted for inflation).[3] Notable crew chiefs for this race include Clyde Holder, William Coble and Jess Potter.[4]
Most of the car owners for this race were individuals who had the money and the knowledge to guide their chosen drivers through a typical season of NASCAR Grand National Series racing.
Richard Petty would never race using the #2 ever again after this race; he would eventually race in a single-digit number again by 1986. Every number that Richard would have from the remainder of 1958 to 1986 would be a variation on his father's No. 42.
Qualifying
Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 21 | Glen Wood | '58 Ford |
2 | 11 | Junior Johnson | '57 Ford |
3 | 3 | Cotton Owens | '58 Pontiac |
4 | 46 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet |
5 | 55 | Jimmy Massey | '57 Pontiac |
6 | 36 | Tiny Lund | '58 Ford |
7 | 42 | Lee Petty | '57 Oldsmobile |
8 | 87 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet |
9 | 97 | Barney Shore | '57 Chevrolet |
10 | 2 | Richard Petty | '57 Oldsmobile |
Results
Pos | Grid | Car # | Driver | Owner | Make | Laps | Laps led | Status | Winnings |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 11 | Junior Johnson | '57 Ford | 160 | $800 | |||
2 | 1 | 21 | Glen Wood | '58 Ford | 159 | $525 | |||
3 | 4 | 46 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Chevrolet | 158 | $350 | |||
4 | 3 | 3 | Cotton Owens | '58 Pontiac | 158 | $250 | |||
5 | 11 | 86 | Jack Smith | '57 Chevrolet | 155 | $225 | |||
6 | 5 | 55 | Jimmy Massey | '57 Chevrolet | 154 | $200 | |||
7 | 14 | 14A | Wilbur Rakestraw | '57 Pontiac | 154 | $165 | |||
8 | 16 | 32 | Brownie King | '57 Chevrolet | 154 | $150 | |||
9 | 7 | 42 | Lee Petty | '57 Oldsmobile | 150 | $140 | |||
10 | 8 | 87 | Buck Baker | '57 Chevrolet | 150 | $130 | |||
11 | 13 | 50 | Gober Sosebee | $125 | |||||
12 | 12 | 14 | Larry Frank | $110 | |||||
13 | 18 | 17 | Fred Harb | $100 | |||||
14 | 6 | 36 | Tiny Lund | $85 | |||||
15 | 22 | 0 | Bunk Moore | $70 | |||||
16 | 17 | 19 | Herman Beam | $60 | |||||
17 | 19 | 94 | Clarence DeZalia | Clarence DeZalia | Out of Gas | $50 | |||
18 | 21 | 74 | L.D. Austin |
$50 | |||||
19 | 20 | 711 | Bill Poor | $50 | |||||
20 | 18 | 96 | Bobby Keck | Electrical | $50 | ||||
21 | 23 | 63 | R.L. Combs | Piston | $50 | ||||
22 | 24 | 202 | Johnny Gardner | Fuel Pump | $50 | ||||
23 | 10 | 2 | Richard Petty | Overheating | $50 | ||||
24 | 9 | 97 | Barney Shore | Radiator | $50 |
Race summary
- Lead changes: N/A
- Cautions: 0
- Red flags: N/A
- Time of race: 1:10:40
- Average speed: 84.906 mph
- Margin of Victory: 1 lap +
Timeline
Section reference: [2]
- Start of race: Glen Wood started the race with the pole position.
- Lap 26: The radiator on Barney Shore's vehicle acted up, forcing him to accept a last-place finish.
- Lap 35: Richard Petty overheated his vehicle, bringing his race weekend to an end.
- Lap 67: Problems with Johnny Gardner's fuel pump ended his chances of finishing the race.
- Lap 79: Troublesome pistons ended R.L. Combs' day on the track.
- Lap 112: Electrical problems forced Bobby Keck into the sidelines.
- Lap 136: Clarence DeZalia ran out of gas, forcing him off the track.
- Finish: Junior Johnson was officially declared the winner of the event.
References
- ^ "1958 Wilkes 160 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
- ^ a b c d e 1958 Wilkes 160 racing information at Racing Reference
- ^ Prize winnings information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
- ^ 1958 Wilkes 160 crew chief information at Racing Reference
- ^ Team information Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages