|| *Comments on the 1949 unnamed race (1949-01):* View the most recent comment <#87> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. CD posted: 10.31.2004 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) The first race NASCAR, a classic in its own league! 2. HomeDepotKid posted: 11.17.2004 - 2:00 pm Rate this comment: (11) (0) I wonder if anyone who was attending the race had any idea what NASCAR would become? 3. Sergio Cimino posted: 12.17.2004 - 1:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Bill Blair dominates but Jim Roper, in a team car, takes the checkered flag in NA$CAR's first ever event! [anyone know why the winner only ran one hundred and ninety seven out of two hundred laps?] 4. James Reisdorf posted: 12.19.2004 - 7:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (11) That's because Johnny Beauchamp got disqualified after the race for having illegal shocks. Beauchamp took the checkered flag and was the only driver to run the scheduled distance. That's why Roper can win like that. 5. Anonymous posted: 12.19.2004 - 8:31 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) It wasn't Beauchamp. You even read the results? Jeez. 6. Christian posted: 02.20.2005 - 6:12 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) Jeez is right. 7. JJ Lehto posted: 02.21.2005 - 12:08 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) If only those 13,000 people sitting at a lil dirt track knew what it would become. 8. JC posted: 07.28.2005 - 8:24 am Rate this comment: (9) (0) Lee Petty takes the family car, raced it, and crashed it. Richard and Lee had to thumb a ride home. 9. Thomas posted: 11.04.2005 - 2:39 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Glenn Dunnaway had illegal rear shocks and was disqualified. He was 3 laps ahead of 2nd place Jim Roper. That's how Roper won by only running 197 laps. The aforementioned Johnny Beauchamp debacle took place in the inaugural Daytona 500 in 1959 when everyone thought he beat Lee Petty to the finish line. However, 3 days later NASCAR determined via photos that Petty beat Beauchamp by 2 feet. 10. Biffle16fan posted: 11.20.2005 - 4:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone know how they awarded points for the race? 11. Anonymous posted: 12.02.2005 - 10:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) For tracks over a mile the winner got 200 with a 3 point drop every position For tracks under one mile winner got 100 points with a one point drop every position 12. DaleJrfan14 posted: 03.22.2006 - 8:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) lets see if that works 13. Dalejrfan14 posted: 03.24.2006 - 8:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) no your wrong.the system wasFirst NASCAR point system used for championship from 1949 till 1951 awarded points on basis 10 points for the 1st place, 9 pts for 2nd, 8 pts for 3rd and so on, multiplied by 0.05*race purse (Race worth $4000 paid 200 points to the winner, 180 for 2nd place...). No info about how many points were given to drivers finishing below 10th place. 14. DaleJrfan14 posted: 04.03.2006 - 8:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) i shall now give ratings to every race based on lead changes,margin of victory, number of leaders and prize money(less is more points in earlier times) 15. DaleJrfan14 posted: 04.03.2006 - 8:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (4) this race gets a 68 out of 100. 16. DaleJrfan14 posted: 04.03.2006 - 8:18 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) also i will take notice of cars on the lead lap and those running at the finish 17. Eavn posted: 04.05.2006 - 9:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) I heard somerwhere that the race winner Jim Roper never got to have the real trophy and was given a replica?! And the real trophy was kept by Glenn Dunnaway even though he was disqualified. I do not know if this is correct or not, but correct me if I'm wrong. 18. Chevy posted: 07.27.2006 - 2:46 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) Actually it wasn't first NASCAR race, it was first race of NASCAR Strictly Stock series which has became Nextel Cup now. Firs race under NASCAR banner should be a non-championship race in '47 or '48. Also Red Byron had the first NASCAR title, the 1948 Modified championship under his belt. 19. Chevy posted: 07.28.2006 - 12:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The point system for 1949 season was: 200-180-160-140-120-100-80-60-40-20 for Charlotte, Daytona Beach, Hamburg, Martinsville, Pittsburgh and North Wilkesboro races and 300-270-240-210-180-150-120-90-60-30 for Hillsboro and Langhorne races. Points were given only for top-10 finishers. Shared drives shared points depending on how much of the distance each driver completed (like in Champ Car races). That's the reason why the final standings don't exactly refer to the point system. 20. MegaRacer posted: 03.31.2007 - 1:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "The first ever NASCAR Nextel Cup race!!" is how the current TV commentator might refer to this race as. 21. biffle16 posted: 05.31.2007 - 3:17 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) NA$CAR debut for Herb Thomas. He is my favorite driver of the early days. 22. SK posted: 09.06.2007 - 10:31 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) NASCAR debut for everyone in the field. But here's a list of future race winners whose careers began that day in Charlotte. Buck Baker Bill Blair Red Byron Bob Flock Fonty Flock Tim Flock Frank Mundy Jim Paschal Lee Petty Jim Roper Jack Smith Herb Thomas Curtis Turner 23. BF posted: 11.03.2007 - 10:51 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) its amazing how only 8 drivers had sponsors, and even more amazing that 5 of those were sponsored by their team! 24. Chevy posted: 11.08.2007 - 9:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) OK, here are the points for this race: Jim Roper 250 Fonty Flock 225 Red Byron 200 Sam Rice 175 Tim Flock 150 Archie Smith 125 Sterling Long 100 Slick Smith 75 Curtis Turner 50 Jimmy Thompson 25 Buck Baker 20 Bill Blair 15 Jack Smith 10 Bob Flock 5 (relieved Sara Christian and it seems that he got all the points) No idea if others got any points. Lee Petty, Herb Thomas, Bill Snowden, Frank Mundy definitely didn't. 25. Nuck Chorris posted: 01.09.2008 - 2:55 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I don't know who got points or who didn't, but I know Clarence Benton, Bob Flock, and Glenn Dunnaway didn't recieve any. 26. Joe Jobbs posted: 02.16.2008 - 5:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) $2,000 was a good payout for back then especially for Jim Roper, who only raced two races in his whole carrer! 27. WillG_46 posted: 08.14.2008 - 9:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lee Petty became the first driver to flip in a NASCAR race. He borrowed his neighbors Buick and brought it back in a heap after 3 rolls. 28. Anonymous posted: 02.23.2009 - 6:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) BF: I'm sure most of the field had sponsors of some kind, they just aren't known anymore. 29. Ken posted: 04.12.2009 - 8:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Does anyone know the exact address of this race track as it sat in 1949 or what is in its location now? 30. DieselDan posted: 07.09.2009 - 4:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This track is where Douglas International Airport currently sits. The first NASCAR race is what is now the Modified Division at Daytona Beach on the Beach and Road Course in 1948. A full schedule followed including a champion. 31. Jeff posted: 09.05.2009 - 7:22 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) This track was located between what is now Charlotte Douglas International Airport and I-85. The actual property is off Little Rock Road and Keeter Drive. Currently, there are three properties: Penske Truck Leasing, FSI Intermodal and a building owned by Keeter and Associates. 32. Anonymous posted: 01.26.2010 - 1:28 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Beauchamp wasn't even in this race, his first Cup race wasn't until 1953 33. awesomegordonfan posted: 10.25.2010 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) The weird thing is, Roper is the only driver ever of the 34, running the first 3 races in it. 34. awesomegordonfan posted: 10.25.2010 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) And the only start ever for the 0 car. 35. ii posted: 11.03.2010 - 6:53 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Above is wrong. That was only for the 1949 season. Surely you know of Kevin Conway... 36. ii posted: 11.22.2010 - 4:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also John Barker got 2.5 points, no one else recieved any 37. reffy posted: 04.04.2011 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) awesomegordonfan - in all seriousness, Gene Haas owned the 0 (chosen for it's sponsor, NetZero) in the mid 2000's. And that's just going by memory... I'm sure it was used a couple times in the six decades after this race. 38. AnonymousEFR posted: 04.27.2011 - 9:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lee joked after overturning the car that he's scared to go home cuz he doesn't know how to tell his wife he destroyed the family Olds. 39. Graham Clayton posted: 06.26.2011 - 6:42 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) A couple of stories showing how "stock" these cars were. After the race, Jim Roper's Lincoln Cosmpolitan had its engine stripped. Roper had to get a new engine from a Lincoln dealer in Charlotte before driving back home to Kansas. Tim Flock's 5th place '49 Oldsmobile was a brand new car with barely 1,000 miles on the clock, which belonged to newlyweds Buddy and Betty Elliott. 40. Spen posted: 08.24.2011 - 7:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clarence Benton and Skimp Hersey are the only drivers in this race that never ran again. Hersey won a Modified race at Jacksonville Speedway Park the year before. He died in 1950. Anyone know how? Odd to see Wayne Smith's dad, Archie running so well. And his grandfather, Frank was also in the field. While he never won a race, Jimmie Lewallen should also be counted among the notable debuts. All but two of the drivers in this race were from former Confederate states. One of those two was race winner Jim Roper, of Kansas. The other was Felix Wilkes, from New Jersey. Every driver except Roper was from a state bordering the Atlantic. It was mentioned earlier that this was not the first NASCAR race. That's quite true, but while the Modified season of 1948 was the first season under the NASCAR name, Bill France was the head of the short-lived National Championship Stock Car Circuit in 1947. Which for all intents and purposes, was NASCAR, only under a different name. Fonty Flock won the championship, and was considered "the 1947 NASCAR champion" at the time. His title has been forgotten about for the most part, sadly. In any event, the first NCSCC race was held at Daytona Beach on 1/26/47. Red Byron won the "Race of Champions". 41. Anonymous posted: 11.10.2011 - 4:35 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Did anybody notice that there were 5 Smith's in the same race!? 42. Anonymous posted: 11.10.2011 - 3:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to a contemporary pre-race newspaper report: Buck Baker's car was a '49 model Kaiser. John Barker's car was owned by Wade Flowers. Fonty Flock raced a Cadillac, not a Hudson. Bob Smith raced a Ford. Curtis Turner raced a '49 Buick. Other entries included Joe Barkley in a '47 Lincoln. Some cars must have failed to qualify, only 33 cars could start and I have a suspicion that there were more than 33 entries. 43. Timberwolf Frenzel posted: 08.11.2012 - 3:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Spen, Skimp Hersey died in a racing crash. He flipped several times and came out of the car on fire. A photographer who was right there started taking pictures instead of helping poor Skimp. He died of burn injuries in the hospital. I thought I heard that people wanted to kill that photographer, which isn't surprising if you ask me. 44. Anonymous posted: 12.19.2012 - 11:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lee Petty drove a '48 Buick owned by Gilmer Goode. 45. Please fix this webmaster posted: 12.21.2012 - 8:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) 44. Anonymous posted: 12.19.12 - 11:21 am Lee Petty drove a '48 Buick owned by Gilmer Goode. 46. Anonymous posted: 01.03.2013 - 11:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Please note the below comment and delete the two above, please. Lee Petty drove a 1948 Buick owned by Gilmer Goode. 47. Dan Jackett posted: 01.03.2013 - 9:13 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I just found this website today, and I'm glad I did I'm going to try to score each race according to the straight point system NASCAR adopted prior to the 2011 season...I'm also using the Chase format, but of course with the 8 races of 1949, and 19 of 1950,the "Chase" for those seasons would be less than 10 races...Because of 2 or more races being run on the same day at different tracks between 1950 and 1961, I'm going to use the final 10 race dates for the "Chase" for those seasons, regardless of the number of races left Because of data imperfections (example, Laps Led wasn't an official stat until 1967) the numbers could be wrong, but it's the best I can do 48. kidracer posted: 06.04.2013 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Jim Roper, Wendell Scott, and David Ragan are the only winners in the 34 car as of 2013. 49. Gregg33 posted: 06.19.2014 - 1:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the early 90's Mike Chase drove a couple races for A.J. Foyt in car #34. 50. Barry Caldwell posted: 06.19.2014 - 7:03 pm Rate this comment: (6) (0) I was there, eight years old.My older brother took me.I can remember Buck Baker, I thought that was such a cool name.I recall it being very dusty and the track was out near where UNCC I snow.That's about all I remember about it. 51. Big Mac Fan posted: 08.31.2015 - 2:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race that started it all. 52. oldschoolracing519 posted: 12.19.2015 - 4:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) the owner of Lee Petty's car still has not been updated the correct owner is Gilmer Goode it was a 48' Buick Roadmaster. Richard Petty's auto-biography confirms this, it is also why it is number 38 and not 42. after wrecking the car in this race Lee bought a new 49 Plymouth and raced it. 53. oldschoolracing519 posted: 12.19.2015 - 5:20 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) also to note about Lee Petty the crew chief should be Richard's uncle Julie not sure of last name it might be Toomes, Lee's wife surname. this was his crew chief for all of 1949. 54. The Long Shot posted: 12.19.2015 - 5:32 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/racing-history-minute-june-19-1949?commentId=1981311%3AComment%3A971631 Archie Smith drove the #37 Ford. 55. The Long Shot posted: 12.19.2015 - 5:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) http://www.randyayersmodeling.com/modelingforum/viewtopic.php?p=98532&sid=6c92a8994667f3888e2b827fdfdd71e9 According to this, it seems as though Jim Paschal ran the #60 Ford. 56. simonracer posted: 12.19.2015 - 6:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In regards to Lee Petty's crew chief - that would be Julius Hilton Petty, who seems to have been known variously as Julian, Julie and J.H. Petty. On this site, he is referred to as Julian (he both owned and drove cars in the 50s and early 60s), except for on the Convertible Series page, where he is listed as J.H. Petty in the owner column (!) Considering he is referred to as Julian for his Grand National/Strictly Stock races as a driver and owner, I think perhaps he should be called Julian in this case. 57. Antmanb posted: 01.28.2016 - 3:21 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kinda wierd multiple drivers ran the same car number in this race. 58. RACE34 posted: 11.28.2016 - 3:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jim Roper's trophy from this first ever NASCAR Strictly Stock Series race is held on display at the Kansas Auto Racing Museum in Chapman, Kansas. 59. Anthony posted: 01.31.2017 - 7:09 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) No segments in this one! 60. Anonymous posted: 05.29.2017 - 1:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Is this the only time in NASCAR history where the winner did not finish on the lead lap? Jim Roper is credited with 0 LLF finishes in his career. Did Roper truly lead a lap, I know he is credited with leading the last 47 but did he really lead those laps or did Dunaway lead them? 61. Sean posted: 05.29.2017 - 6:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Since Roper finished 3 laps down, I would assume Dunaway led all those laps. There weren't many lead changes on short tracks prior to the modern era, and usually only when somebody pitted or broke down. 62. Scott B posted: 11.29.2017 - 7:20 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) 9 car makes represented in the starting field, 5 of those still produced as of 2017, only Ford still active in NASCAR. 63. NascarFan2429 posted: 12.25.2017 - 11:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Only race Lee Petty drove a car that was not numbered 41 or 42 64. Spen posted: 08.01.2018 - 4:12 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lee drove Gary Drake's #100 for one race in '54, and Fred Frazier's #35 for the Southern 500 in '57, I think. Plus he ran Richard's car a couple of times (boththe #2 and the #43) in the late '50's, even giving the #43 its first win at North Wilkesboro. I think that's everything he ran without the #42, but I could be forgetting one. 65. Andy U posted: 12.07.2018 - 11:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Maybe I am imagining things, but I think you can still see the ghost of the track on Google earth. It is 200 yards W of the intersection of Little Rock Rd and I-85 (according to the NC Historical Marker. There is a vague outline in the brush that seems to be a smooth half circle...just like a part of a track. 66. Anonymous posted: 12.21.2018 - 9:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I saw a picture of the cars on track and I'd say either the John Barker or Jack Smith car was a #20 67. Anonymous posted: 01.09.2019 - 7:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The pilot 68. Danish Pie posted: 01.09.2019 - 9:20 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is a picture of Jack Smith's car from this race, with his car owner, the Bishop Brothers listed on the side as a sponsor. Unfortunately, Jack himself is covering the car number. But you can at least tell that the first number is a 2. http://www.legendsofnascar.com/Jack_SmithBesideRacecar.jpg @66 If you can confirm that this was or was not the number 20 car from the picture you saw (or better yet share the picture if possible), that could help narrow down two of the longest car number mysteries remaining in NASCAR! 69. Eric posted: 01.09.2019 - 4:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It seems as if the Bishop Brothers fielded Jack Smith in a #25 car in the 1950 Daytona Beach race...so Jack Smith could very well be the #25 in this race! 70. Eric posted: 01.09.2019 - 4:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The #20 in the picture was an unnumbered station wagon http://b.fssta.com/uploads/2017/01/012317-nascar-1949-points.vadapt.767.high.0.jpg 71. Eric posted: 01.09.2019 - 5:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To my above post...the picture in question is the season-ending North Wilkesboro race. Disregard. 72. Joshua posted: 03.04.2019 - 1:47 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) A total of 2 drivers made their lone NASCAR Cup series start in this race, the first EVER NASCAR race! 1. Skimp Hersey (18th place finisher) 2. Clarence Benton (31st place finisher) There were also 6 OWNERS of some cars that made their lone NASCAR Cup Series start in the first ever NASCAR race, with 3 of them being owner/drivers: 1. Grady Cole/Bruce Griffin (owner of the 2nd place finisher´s car, Fonty Flock) 2. Penny Mullis (owner of the 11th place finisher´s car, Buck Baker) 3. Gilmer Goode (owner of the 17th place finisher´s car, Lee Petty) 4. Skimp Hersey (owner/driver for his only NASCAR start, before passing in 1950). 5. George Mantooth (owner/driver for this only race) 6. Clarence Benton (owner/driver for this only race) If there is any information I forgot, please contact me! 73. JoeyLoganoFan22 posted: 05.07.2019 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The leader was 3 laps down? 74. JollyMeanGiant posted: 05.07.2019 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Roper was 3 laps down to original winner Dunaway when he was DNQed, hence why he is credited with winning the race but completing 3 laps less than the full distance. 75. Mile501 posted: 05.08.2019 - 5:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Assuming that Dunaway most likely actually led those last 47 laps, does anyone know if this is the only race in NASCAR history where the winner didn't lead any laps, or if there were any other such races? 76. Maverick19 posted: 06.19.2019 - 2:17 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) 70 years. 77. Anonymous posted: 09.07.2019 - 6:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Any of these competitors still alive? Or any from that season? 78. Christian posted: 09.07.2019 - 6:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) @77 Looks like only Archie Smith is alive, the rest have since died or have no information about them. 79. Eric posted: 01.04.2020 - 10:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) According to an article on reddit, it said Archie Smith passed last December. If that's true, it's the end of an era. 80. thog posted: 06.09.2020 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sad to see all the racers from this first race have indeed passed... 81. Chile posted: 06.09.2020 - 6:57 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jack Smith's car is numbered 52. 82. thog posted: 06.10.2020 - 12:02 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @81 Where you see that? That's awesome 83. DiecastCharv posted: 10.23.2020 - 5:57 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I did a deep dive on the inaugural season's points. The accepted format did not result in the final standings of record so I went through every result for the year. My research resulted in 2 formulas to determine points, one for the winner and one for everyone else: [1] WinnerPts = Purse/20 [2] Points = WinnerPts - ((WinnerPts/10)*(FinishPos-1)) Points for Charlotte Roper: 250 F. Flock: 225 Byron: 200 Rice: 175 T. Flock: 150 A. Smith: 125 Long: 100 S. Smith: 75 Turner: 50 Thompson: 25 Baker: 20 Blair: 16 J. Smith: 12 Christian: 0* Barker: 4 *Should have earned 8, appears to have been penalized 84. MTJ posted: 11.23.2020 - 3:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The race that started it all. Birth of the best sport. 85. possum posted: 11.23.2020 - 6:42 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) @84 - of course you do know that stock car racing had been going on for a long time before this race, right? France himself had been promoting races for a decade. Call it the start of NASCAR, but not the start of the sport. 86. JSPorts posted: 11.23.2020 - 7:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It wasn't even the start of NASCAR, only the start of the Cup Series. The Modified Tour ran its first season in 1948. 87. e14 posted: 02.19.2021 - 7:09 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Frank Smith's number was 36 - his is the car passing behind Petty's wreck in the picture in Fielden's first volume. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: