1951 in NASCAR

1951 Grand National season
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The 1951 NASCAR Grand National season was the third season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at the Daytona Beach Road Course on February 5, 1951, the season included forty-one races. The season concluded with the at New Mobile Speedway on November 25. Herb Thomas won the Drivers' Championship with a 21st place finish at the final race of the season.

Contents 1 1951-01 2 1951-02 3 1951-03 4 1951-04 5 1951-05 6 1951-06 7 Wilkes County 150 8 1951-08 9 Poor Man's 500 10 1951-10 11 1951-11 12 1951-12 13 1951-13 14 1951-14 15 1951-15 16 1951-16 17 1951-17 18 1951-18 19 1951-19 20 Motor City 250 21 1951-21 22 1951-22 23 1951-23 24 Southern 500 25 1951-25 26 1951-26 27 1951-27 28 1951-28 29 1951-29 30 1951-30 31 1951-31 32 1951-32 33 1951-33 34 1951-34 35 1951-35 36 Wilkes 200 37 1951-37 38 1951-38 39 1951-39 40 1951-40 41 1951-41 42 References

1951-01

The first race of the 1951 season was run on February 5 at the Daytona Beach Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida. Tim Flock won the pole position.

Top Ten Results

1. Marshall Teague
2. Tim Flock
3. Fonty Flock
4. Bill Blair
5. Buck Baker
6. Lee Snow
7. Curtis Turner
8. Bill Snowden
9. Johnny Mantz
10. Lloyd Moore

1951-02

The second race of the 1951 season was held April 1 at the Charlotte Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole

Top Ten Results

1. Curtis Turner
2. Lee Petty
3. Marshall Teague
4. Herb Thomas
5. Frank Luptow
6. Weldon Adams
7. Ewell Weddie
8. Fireball Roberts
9. Joe Merola
10. Jim Fiebelkorn

1951-03

The third race of the 1951 season was held April 8 at the Lakeview Speedway in Mobile, Alabama. Red Harrelson won the pole

Top Ten Results

1. Tim Flock
2. Fonty Flock
3. Herb Thomas
4. Bill Osbourne
5. Donald Thomas
6. Lamar Crabtree
7. Lee Petty
8. Bob Flock
9. Sonny Black
10. Jimmy Ayers

1951-04

The fourth race of the 1951 season was held April 8 at the Carrell Speedway. Andy Pierce won the pole

Top Ten Results

1. Marshall Teague
2. Johnny Mantz
3. George Seeger
4. Fred Steinbroner
5. Erick Erickson
6. Dick Meyer
7. Dick Rathman
8. Danny Letner
9. Leo Breithaupt
10. Lloyd Dane

1951-05

The fifth race of the 1951 season was held on April 15 at the Occoneechee Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole. The race ended after 95 laps due to rain.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Frank Mundy
3. Bill Blair
4. Tim Flock
5. Neil Cole
6. Earl Moss
7. Herb Thomas
8. Jim Paschal
9. Lee Petty
10. Glenn Dunnaway

1951-06

The sixth race of the 1951 season was held on April 22 at the Arizona State Fairgronds in Phoenix, Arizona. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Marshall Teague
2. Erick Erickson
3. Tim Flock
4. Fonty Flock
5. Dick Meyer
6. Danny Weinberg
7. Walt Sprague
8. Bill Holland
9. Leland Colvin
10. Bill Stammer

Wilkes County 150

The seventh race of the 1951 season was held on April 29 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Tim Flock
3. Lee Petty
4. Bill Holland
5. Donald Thomas
6. Lloyd Moore
7. Jimmie Lewallen
8. Glenn Dunnaway
9. Dale Williams
10. Jimmy Ayers

1951-08

The eight race of the 1951 season was held on May 6 at the Martinsville Speedway. Tim Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Curtis Turner
2. Frank Mundy
3. Tim Flock
4. Herb Thomas
5. Fonty Flock
6. Lee Petty
7. Walt Sprague
8. Bill Blair
9. Leland Colvin
10. Bob Flock

Poor Man's 500

The ninth race of the 1951 season was held on May 30 at the Canfield Speedway. Bill Rexford won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Marshall Teague
2. Tim Flock
3. Fonty Flock
4. Herb Thomas
5. Lee Petty
6. Bob Flock
7. Frank Mundy
8. Mike Klapak
9. Dick Rathmann
10. Don Eggett

1951-10

The tenth race of the 1951 season was held on June 10 at the Columbus Speedway in Columbus, Georgia. Gober Sosebee won the pole. During the first caution, Marshall Teague suffered a leg injury when he was T-Boned near the back straightaway by Fireball Roberts.

Top Ten Results

1. Tim Flock
2. Gober Sosebee
3. Herb Thomas
4. Jim Paschal
5. Lee Petty
6. Red Byron
7. Donald Thomas
8. Frank Mundy
9. Jimmy Ayers
10. Ed Massey

1951-11

The eleventh race of the 1951 season was held on June 16 at the Columbia Speedway in Columbia, South Carolina. Frank Mundy won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Frank Mundy
2. Bill Blair
3. Marshall Teague
4. Herb Thomas
5. Buck Baker
6. Jim Paschal
7. Tim Flock
8. Bill Snowden
9. Weldon Adams
10. Jim Harris

1951-12

The twelfth race of the 1951 season was held on June 24 at the Dayton Speedway. Tim Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Curtis Turner
2. Dick Rathmann
3. Tim Flock
4. Fonty Flock
5. Lloyd Moore
6. Marshall Teague
7. Walt Sprague
8. Bub King
9. Don Eggett
10. Red Harvey

1951-13

The Thirteenth race of the 1951 season was held on June 30 at the Carrell Speedway. Lou Figaro won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Lou Figaro
2. Chuck Meekins
3. Lloyd Dane
4. Fred Bince
5. Fred Steinbroner
6. Erick Erickson
7. Hal Cole
8. Freddie Farmer
9. Bill Stammer
10. Jim Byrd

1951-14

The fourteenth race of the 1951 season was held on July 1 at the Grand River Speedrome in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Marshall Teague won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Marshall Teague
2. Dick Rathmann
3. Fonty Flock
4. Tim Flock
5. Lloyd Moore
6. Lee Petty
7. Frank Mundy
8. Jimmy Florian
9. Quinton Daniels
10. Tommy Lane

1951-15

The fifteenth race of the 1951 season was held on July 8 at the Bainbridge Speedway in Bainbridge, Ohio. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Dick Rathmann
3. Frank Mundy
4. Jimmy Florian
5. Oda Greene
6. Lee Petty
7. Jim Fiebelkorn
8. Norm McCarthy
9. Lyle Scott
10. Jim Romine

1951-16

The sixteenth race of the 1951 season was held on July 15 at the Heidelberg Raceway. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Jim Fiebelkorn
3. Augie Walackas
4. Bud Farrell
5. Tom Jerris
6. Jack Flynn
7. Bob Dietrich
8. Dick Moffitt
9. Harry Scott
10. Charles Gillman

1951-17

The seventeenth race of the 1951 season was held on July 29 at the Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Gober Sosebee
3. Herb Thomas
4. Frank Mundy
5. Speedy Thompson
6. Bub King
7. Bill Miller
8. Billy Myers
9. Bill Snowden
10. Bob Flock

1951-18

The eighteenth race of the 1951 season was held on July 31 at the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester, New York. Fonty Flock won the pole. Jim Delaney declared the 6th place finish. Following the race a post-race inspection revealed that his car was fitted with illegal adjustments on the sway bar. Jim Delaney disqualified him after this race.

Top Ten Results

1. Lee Petty
2. Charles Gattalia
3. Ronnie Kohler
4. Don Bailey
5. Pappy Hough
6. Bill Rexford
7. Chuck Stimus
8. Ted Chamberlain
9. Ernie Yorton
10. Dick Linder

1951-19

The nineteenth race of the 1951 season was held on August 1 at the Altamont-Schnectady Fairgrounds. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Herb Thomas
3. Lee Petty
4. Perry Smith
5. Jerry Morese
6. Pappy Hough
7. Dick Moffitt
8. Wimpy Ervin
9. Jim Little
10. Dick Linder

Motor City 250

The twentieth race of the 1951 season was held on August 12 at the Michigan State Fairgrounds. Marshall Teague won the pole. This race had 5 cautions including 9 cars had mechanical problems and a 10 car wreck on lap 130. The race ended only 21 cars finished on the lead lap. Late in the race leaders Curtis Turner and Tommy Thompson tangled. Thompson went on to win while Turner finished 9th.

Top Ten Results

1. Tommy Thompson
2. Joe Eubanks
3. Johnny Mantz
4. Red Byron
5. Paul Newkirk
6. Jack Goodwin
7. Lloyd Moore
8. Ewell Weddie
9. Curtis Turner
10. Erick Erickson

1951-21

The twenty-first race of the 1951 season was held on August 19 at the newly dirted Fort Miami Speedway in Toledo, Ohio. Fonty Flock won the pole. This was the first NASCAR Grand National race held at this .500 mile dirt track. The track was removed from the schedule until at least 1952.

Top Ten Results

1. Tim Flock
2. Dell Pearson
3. Oda Greene
4. Lou Figaro
5. Herb Thomas
6. Tommy Thompson
7. Jesse James Taylor
8. George Seeger
9. Jimmy Florian
10. Jimmy Ayers

1951-22

The twenty-second race of the 1951 season was held on August 24 at the Morristown Speedway. Tim Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Tim Flock
2. Lee Petty
3. Ronnie Kohler
4. John DuBoise
5. Jim Delaney
6. Jack Reynolds
7. Oda Greene
8. Dick Eagan
9. Chuck Mahoney
10. Augie Walackas

1951-23

The Twenty-third race of the 1951 season was held on August 25 at the Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Tim Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Bob Flock
2. Tim Flock
3. Buck Baker
4. Fonty Flock
5. Erick Erickson
6. Herb Thomas
7. Lee Petty
8. Jesse James Taylor
9. Dick Rathmann
10. Buddy Shuman

Southern 500

The Southern 500. The second running of this race and the twenty fourth race of the 1951 season was held on September 3 at the Darlington Raceway. Frank Mundy won the pole. The race featured an 82-car field.

Top Ten Results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Jesse James Taylor
3. Buddy Schuman
4. Hershel McGriff
5. Fireball Roberts
6. Harold Kite
7. Leon Sales
8. Fonty Flock
9. Bill Snowden
10. Pap White

1951-25

The twenty-fifth race of the 1951 season was held on September 7 at the Columbia Speedway. Tim Flock won the pole. Prior to a race. Frank Mundy started the race with no tires during the opening race. The race had slowed by 1 competition caution because he had no tires. Frank Mundy has disqalified him.

Top Ten Results

1. Tim Flock
2. Fireball Roberts
3. Jimmie Lewallen
4. Bob Flock
5. Buck Baker
6. Donald Thomas
7. Cotton Owens
8. Bud Farrell
9. Bill Snowden
10. Fonty Flock

1951-26

The twenty-sixth race of the 1951 season was held on September 8 at the Central City Speedway. Bob Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Gober Sosebee
3. Jim Paschal
4. Fonty Flock
5. Donald Thomas
6. Cotton Owens
7. Frank Gise
8. Billy Carden
9. Bill Miller
10. Augie Walackas

1951-27

The twenty-seventh race of the 1951 season was held on September 15 at the Langhorne Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Fonty Flock
3. Dick Rathmann
4. John McGinley
5. Tim Flock
6. Marshall Teague
7. Jim Fiebelkorn
8. Bud Riley
9. Lee Petty
10. Bill Blair

1951-28

The twenty-eight race of the 1951 season was held on September 23 at the Charlotte Speedway. Billy Carden won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Shorty York
3. Donald Thomas
4. Bill Blair
5. Jimmie Lewallen
6. Buddy Shuman
7. Billy Carden
8. Dell Pearson
9. Jim Paschal
10. Clyde Minter

1951-29

The twenty-ninth race of the 1951 season was held on September 23 at the Dayton Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Neil Cole
3. Lloyd Moore
4. Lee Petty
5. Bud Riley
6. Ronnie Kohler
7. Jimmy Florian
8. Don Bailey
9. Herb Trimble
10. Bill Braun

1951-30

The thirtieth race of the 1951 season was held on September 30 at the newly .500 mile dirt track Wilson Speedway. Fonty Flock won the pole due to a 2-minute rainout.

Top Ten Results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Bob Flock
3. Jimmie Lewallen
4. Jim Paschal
5. Bill Snowden
6. Buck Baker
7. Cal Johnson
8. Leonard Tippett
9. Bill Champion
10. Donald Thomas

1951-31

The thirty-first race of the 1951 season was held on October 7 at the one-mile dirt Occoneechee Speedway. Herb Thomas won his first career pole.

Top ten results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Leonard Tippett
3. Joe Eubanks
4. Jim Paschal
5. Lee Petty
6. Donald Thomas
7. Furman Lancaster
8. Alton Haddock
9. Bill Blair
10. Coleman Lawrence

1951-32

The thirty-second race of the 1951 season was held on October 12 at the half-mile paved Thompson Speedway in Connecticut. Neil Cole won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Neil Cole
2. Jim Reed
3. Dick Eagan
4. Billy Carden
5. Reino Tulonen
6. Pappy Hough
7. Tim Flock
8. Joe Sommers
9. Bill Cintia
10. Jim Delaney

1951-33

The thirty-third race of the 1951 season was held on October 14 at the half-mile dirt Pine Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania.

Top ten results

1. Tim Flock
2. John McGinley
3. Billy Carden
4. Jimmy Florian
5. Lloyd Moore
6. Hap Jones
7. Ed Benedict
8. Bob Dietrich
9. Russ Hepler
10. Dick Stone

1951-34

The thirty-fourth race of the 1951 season was held on October 14 at the half-mile dirt Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Herb Thomas won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Frank Mundy
2. Lee Petty
3. Billy Myers
4. Bill Snowden
5. Jimmie Lewallen
6. Pappy Hough
7. Coleman Lawrence
8. Leon Sales
9. Dell Pearson
10. Cal Johnson

1951-35

The thirty-fifth race of the 1951 season was held on October 14 at the .625 mile dirt Oakland Stadium in California. Dick Rathman won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Marvin Burke
2. Robert Caswell
3. Woody Brown
4. Sam Hawks
5. Dick Meyer
6. Marvin Panch
7. Lou Figaro
8. Bill Norton
9. John Soares
10. Walt Davis

Wilkes 200

The third running of this race and the thirty-sixth race of the 1951 season was held on October 21 at the .625 mile dirt North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. Herb Thomas won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Fonty Flock
2. Lee Petty
3. Joe Eubanks
4. Tim Flock
5. Cotton Owens
6. Bill Snowden
7. Jimmie Lewallen
8. Buddy Schuman
9. Jerry Wimbish
10. Bob Flock

1951-37

The thirty-seventh race of the 1951 season was held on October 28 at the half-mile dirt Marchbanks Speedway in California. Dick Rathman won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Danny Weinberg
2. Marvin Panch
3. Bill Norton
4. Lloyd Dane
5. Woody Brown
6. Claude Wallington
7. Fred Bince
8. Fred Russell
9. Pug Blalock
10. Fred Steinbroner

1951-38

The thirty-eighth race of the 1951 season was held on November 4 at the half-mile dirt Jacksonville Speedway Park in Florida. Herb Thomas won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Herb Thomas
2. Jack Smith
3. Fonty Flock
4. Bill Snowden
5. Frank Mundy
6. Tommy Moon
7. Lee Petty
8. Jimmie Lewallen
9. Buddy Shuman
10. Billy Carden

1951-39

The thirty-ninth race of the 1951 season was held on November 11 at the one-mile dirt Lakeview Speedway in Georgia. Frank Mundy won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Tim Flock
2. Bob Flock
3. Jack Smith
4. Frank Mundy
5. Gober Sosebee
6. Ed Samples
7. Lloyd Moore
8. Buddy Shuman
9. Red Duvall
10. Don Oldenberg

1951-40

The fortieth race of the 1951 season was held on November 11 at the half-mile dirt Carrell Speedway in California. Fonty Flock won the pole.

Top ten results

1. Bill Norton
2. Dick Meyer
3. Erick Erickson
4. Lou Figaro
5. Danny Weinberg
6. Bill Ledbetter
7. Burt Jackson
8. Johnny Mantz
9. Danny Letner
10. Walt Davis

1951-41

The forty-first and last race of the 1951 season was held on November 25th at the .750 mile dirt New Mobile Speedway. Frank Mundy won the pole. Herb Thomas finished 21st and went home as 1951 NASCAR Grand National Champion. Fonty and Tim Flock finished fourth and second respectively to eventually finish second and third in the Championship. Frank Mundy's win at New Mobile propelled him to fifth in the final standings, while Lee Petty, winner of just one race at the Monroe County Fairgrounds, finished 16th in the race to claim fourth in the standings.

Top ten results

1. Frank Mundy
2. Tim Flock
3. Red Duvall
4. Fonty Flock
5. Don Oldenberg
6. Buddy Shuman
7. Gober Sosebee
8. Ed Samples
9. Jimmie Lewallen
10. Sonny Black

References

• Racing Reference

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