Herb Thomas
Herbert Thomas | |||||||
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Champion Champion Winner NASCAR's First Two-Time Champion Led Cup Series in Wins 3 times ( 1953 , 1954)
Highest win percentage of any driver with over 100 starts (21.05%). | |||||||
Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994) Named one of 1950 (Martinsville) | ||||||
Last win | 1956 (Merced) | ||||||
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NASCAR Convertible Division career | |||||||
1 race run over 1 year | |||||||
Best finish | 40th (1956) | ||||||
First race | 1956 Race #1 (Daytona Beach & Road Course) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of February 20, 2013. |
Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923 – August 9, 2000) was a stock car racer who was one of NASCAR's most successful drivers in the 1950s. Thomas was NASCAR's first multi-time Cup Champion.
Background
Born in the small town of Olivia, North Carolina, Thomas worked as a farmer and worked in a sawmill in the 1940s before his interest turned to auto racing.
NASCAR career
In 1949, Thomas took part in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (the forerunner to the
He started the 1951 season with moderate success in his Plymouth (plus one win in an
In 1952, Thomas and his Hornet were involved in a close championship race with another Flock, Fonty's younger brother Tim. The two drivers won 8 races in their respective Hudsons, but Flock came out on top at the end, despite another late-season charge from Thomas.
He returned with a vengeance in 1953 and dominated the entire season, winning a series-best twelve races en route to becoming the first two-time series champion. Thomas won twelve races again in 1954, including a second Southern 500 win (making him the first driver to win twice at Darlington), but he was beaten by a more consistent Lee Petty in the championship standings.
After four successful years in a Hudson, Thomas began driving Chevrolets and Buicks in races in 1955. He crashed heavily behind the wheel of a Buick at a race in Charlotte, forcing him to miss three months of the season. He returned to score his third Southern 500 win in his Motoramic Chevy, one of three wins during the season. He finished 5th in the championship on the strength of his win at Darlington.
In 1956, Thomas briefly abandoned being an owner/driver and, after winning a race for himself early in the season, he drove for two other owners. He won once for Yunick, after which the two broke ties, and three consecutive races while driving
Career summary
Thomas ended his career with 48 victories, which currently ranks 14th all-time. He won 21.05% of his starts (48 wins out of 228 starts) during his career, which ranks as the highest win percentage all-time among drivers with 100 career starts.
Family
Herb's younger brother
Awards
Thomas was inducted into the
Thomas was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013.[1]
He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2017.[2]
He and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet are on a historical mural on the side of a building at 133 N. Steele Street that was commissioned in 2016 by the City of Sanford.[3]
Death
On August 9, 2000, Thomas suffered a heart attack and died in Sanford, North Carolina.[4][5]
Pop culture impact
Herb Thomas was one of the primary inspirations for the character of Doc Hudson in Pixar's Cars series of films. Many aspects of Doc's life were based on Thomas, as well as the design of the "Fabulous Hudson Hornet" car and racing livery.
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)
Grand National Series
NASCAR Grand National Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | NGNC | Pts | Ref | ||||||
1949 | Thomas Racing | 93 | Ford | CLT 29 |
25th | 132 | [6] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | DAB 12 |
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92 | HBO 26 |
LAN | HAM
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MAR | HEI | NWS 5 |
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1950 | DAB
|
CLT 9 |
LAN 23 |
MAR 14 |
CAN | 11th | 590.5 | [7] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
91 | Plymouth | VER 20 |
DSP | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
92 | MCF 21 |
CLT 3 |
HBO 8 |
DSP 3 |
HAM
|
DAR DNQ |
LAN 13 |
NWS 4 |
VER 11 |
MAR 1* |
WIN | HBO 18 |
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1951 | DAB 16 |
CLT 4 |
NMO 3 |
GAR | HBO 7 |
ASF 22 |
NWS 13 |
MAR 4 |
CAN 4 |
CLS 3 |
CLB 4 |
DSP 24 |
GAR | GRS 11 |
BAI 12 |
AWS 3 |
MCF 15 |
ALS 2 |
FMS 5 |
MOR 29 |
ABS 6 |
CCS 1 |
1st | 4208.45 | [8] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hubert Westmoreland | 41.5 | Olds | HEI 1* |
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Thomas Racing | 92 | Hudson | MSF 57 |
DAR 1* |
CLB 20 |
LAN 1 |
CLT 1* |
DSP | WIL 14 |
HBO 1 |
TPN 26 |
PGS | MAR 18 |
OAK | NWS 21 |
HMS 28 |
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Marshall Teague | 9 | Hudson | JSP 1* |
ATL 19 |
GAR | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Leonard Tippett | 99 | Hudson | NMO 21 |
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1952 | Thomas Racing | 92 | Hudson | PBS | DAB 2 |
JSP 2 |
NWS 1** |
MAR 8 |
CLB 17 |
ATL 8 |
CCS 1 |
LAN 21 |
DAR 13 |
DSP 6 |
CAN 1 |
HAY | FMS 21 |
HBO 16 |
CLT 1* |
MSF 3 |
NIF 2 |
OSW 2 |
MON 2 |
MOR 24 |
PPS 18 |
MCF 2 |
AWS 3 |
DAR 3 |
CCS 2 |
LAN 37 |
DSP 5 |
WIL 1 |
HBO 27 |
MAR 1 |
ATL 13* |
PBS 1** |
2nd | 6752.5 | [9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
9 | NWS 1* |
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1953 | 92 | PBS 21 |
DAB 4 |
HAR 1** |
NWS 1 |
CLT 12 |
RCH 10 |
CCS 2 |
LAN 7 |
CLB 8 |
HCY 20 |
MAR 2* |
PMS 1 |
RSP 4 |
LOU 3* |
FIF 1 |
LAN 4 |
TCS 1 |
WIL 3 |
MCF 2 |
PIF 1* |
MOR 1* |
ATL 2 |
RVS 1* |
LCF 2* |
DAV 1* |
HBO 2 |
AWS 2 |
PAS 1* |
HCY 2 |
DAR 5 |
CCS 6 |
LAN 2 |
BLF 1 |
WIL 1** |
NWS 15 |
MAR 26 |
ATL 14* |
1st | 8460 | [10] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1954 | PBS 1 |
DAB 59 |
JSP 1* |
ATL 1 |
OSP 10 |
OAK | NWS 2 |
HBO 1 |
CCS 18 |
LAN 1* |
WIL 10 |
MAR 9 |
SHA 10 |
RSP 9 |
CLT 10 |
GAR | CLB 6 |
LND 7 |
HCY 1** |
MCF 2* |
WGS 1* |
PIF 1 |
AWS 1 |
SFS 2 |
GRS 22 |
MOR 2 |
OAK | CLT 14 |
SAN 6 |
COR 4 |
DAR 1 |
CCS 20 |
CLT 6 |
LAN 1* |
MAS 4 |
MAR 16 |
NWS 3 |
2nd | 8366 | [11] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1955 | TCS 3 |
PBS 1* |
JSP 3 |
OSP 4 |
FOR 21 |
CLT | 5th | 5186 | [12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Packard | DAB 36 |
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Chevy | CLB 10 |
HBO 16 |
MGY 5 |
MAS 14 |
DAR 1* |
MGY 2 |
LAN 2 |
RSP 2 |
GPS | MAS 22 |
CLB 3 |
MAR 4 |
LVP | NWS 21 |
HBO 4 |
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Arden Mounts | 18 | Hudson | NWS 14 |
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Thomas Racing | 92 | Buick | LAN 5 |
CLT 21 |
HCY
|
ASF | TUS | MAR | RCH | NCF
|
FOR
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LIN | MCF | FON | AIR | CLT | PIF | CLB | AWS
|
MOR | ALS | NYF
|
RSP 1 |
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1956 | Chevy | HCY 16 |
CLT 11 |
WSS | PBS 1 |
ASF 9 |
ATL 3 |
NWS 4 |
MAR 20 |
RSP 4 |
CHI 18 |
CCF 8 |
MGY 6 |
OKL 4 |
ROA 6 |
OBS 7 |
NOR 10 |
PIF 4 |
MYB 13 |
DAR 49 |
CSH 6 |
CLT 5 |
LAN 5 |
POR | CLB 8 |
HBO 4 |
NWP 5 |
CLT 7 |
CCF 17 |
MAR | HCY | WIL | 2nd | 8568 | [13] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Smokey Yunick | DAB 9 |
PBS 3 |
WIL 1 |
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Carl Kiekhaefer | Chrysler | LAN 2 |
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Dodge | RCH 2 |
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501 | CLB 6 |
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300B | Chrysler | CON 3 |
HBO 11 |
POR 1 |
EUR 1* |
NYF
|
MER 1 |
POR 11 |
AWS 5 |
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901 | Dodge | GPS 14 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
502 | HCY 4 |
LIN 4* |
CLT | MAS 7 |
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500B | CLT 6 |
MCF 3 |
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500D | PIF 17 |
CSF
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Jack Chatenay | 30 | Plymouth | SAN 36 |
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Thomas Racing | 52N | Chevy | POR 7 |
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1957 | 92 | Pontiac | WSS | CON | TIC | DAB
|
CON | WIL | HBO | AWS
|
NWS | LAN | CLT | PIF | GBF | POR | CCF | RCH
|
MAR | POR | EUR | LIN | LCS | ASP | NWP | CLB | CPS | PIF | JAC | RSP 46 |
CLT | MAS | POR | HCY | NOR | LCS | GLN
|
KPC
|
LIN 28 |
OBS | MYB | DAR | NYF
|
AWS
|
CSF
|
SCF | LAN | CLB | CCF | CLT | MAR | NBR | CON | NWS | GBF | NA | - | [14] | ||||||||||
1962
|
Stoney Johnson | 91 | Chevy | CON | AWS
|
DAY
|
DAY
|
DAY | CON | AWS
|
SVH | HBO | RCH
|
CLB | NWS 14 |
GPS
|
MBS | MAR
|
BGS | BRI | RCH | HCY | CON | DAR
|
PIF | CLT
|
ATL
|
BGS | AUG
|
RCH | SBO | DAY
|
CLB | ASH
|
GPS
|
AUG
|
SVH | MBS | BRI | CHT | NSV | HUN | AWS
|
STR | BGS
|
PIF | VAL | DAR | HCY
|
RCH
|
DTS | AUG
|
MAR
|
NWS
|
CLT | ATL | 97th | 312 | [15] |
References
- ^ White, Rea (2012-05-24). "Wallace, Wood among 2013 Hall class". Fox Sports. Retrieved 2012-12-20.
- ^ Herb Thomas at the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
- ^ "Murals: Unlocking Sanford's History With Art". City of Sanford, NC. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- ^ "NASCAR pioneer Thomas dies of heart attack at 77". Sun Journal. Raleigh, North Carolina. August 10, 2000. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
- ^ "Herb Thomas, NASCAR champion, passes away". NASCAR.com. ESPN Media Ventures. August 9, 2000. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1953 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1954 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1955 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1956 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1957 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Herb Thomas – 1962 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
External links
- Herb Thomas driver statistics at Racing-Reference
- Herb Thomas owner statistics at Racing-Reference
- Article on Thomas' passing Archived 2015-09-30 at the Wayback Machine