1955 Wilkes 160

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1955 Wilkes 160
Race details[1]
Race 44 of 45 in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series season
North Wilkesboro Speedway
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Date October 23, 1955 (1955-10-23)
Official name Wilkes 160
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 0.625 miles (1.00 km)
Distance 160 laps, 100 mi (160 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 70 °F (21 °C); wind speeds up to 11.1 miles per hour (17.9 km/h)
Average speed 72.347 miles per hour (116.431 km/h)
Attendance 10,000[2]
Pole position
Driver
Pete DePaolo
Most laps led
Driver Buck Baker Pete DePaolo
Laps 160
Winner
No. 87 Buck Baker Pete DePaolo
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1955 Wilkes 160 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 23, 1955, at the North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Summary

One hundred and sixty laps were competed on a dirt oval track spanning .625 miles (1.006 km).[2] There were three cautions delivered down by NASCAR officials and the race lasted exactly one hour, twenty-one minutes, and sixteen seconds.[2] Buck Baker defeated Lee Petty by a time of three seconds.[2] Ford would make its first Grand National Series win at this speedway; making it a viable competitor against Dodge, Chevrolet and Chrysler.[3] The average speed was 72.347 miles per hour (116.431 km/h) while the pole position speed was 79.815 miles per hour (128.450 km/h).[2] Ten thousand people attended this autumn race. This race would produce Joe Weatherly's first finish in the top five.[2] Most of the drivers in this racing event were driver-owners who owned their own racing vehicle and drove their vehicle directly to the races instead of towing it from hundreds of miles away.[4]

All the drivers in this event were racing for a prize purse that totalled $4,285 ($50,296.85 when adjusted for inflation). Only 20 of the 28 competing drivers would gain financially from this race; with individual earnings that ranged from $1,110 ($13,029.06 when adjusted for inflation) to a paltry $50 for the NASCAR drivers who finished in 13th place through 20th place ($586.89 when adjusted for inflation). No financial compensation was given to the participants who finished in the bottom 9 due to NASCAR's limited budget for prize winnings in an era prior to "big money" sponsors like Sprint Nextel and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.[5]

Carl Kiekhaefer was one of the notable crew chiefs on attendance for this race; he helped to service Tim Flock's racing vehicle.[6]

Qualifying

Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Qualifying Speed
1 87 Buck Baker '56 Ford 79.815 mph
2 92 Herb Thomas '55 Chevrolet
3 98 Marvin Panch '56 Ford
4 42 Lee Petty '55 Dodge
5 B-29 Dink Widenhouse '56 Ford
6 301 Fonty Flock '55 Chrysler
7 99 Curtis Turner '56 Ford
8 49 Bob Welborn '55 Chevrolet
9 9 Joe Weatherly '56 Ford
10 20 Speedy Thompson '55 Chrysler

Results

Pos Grid Car # Driver Owner Make Laps Laps led Status Winnings
1 1 87 Buck Baker† Pete DePaolo '56 Ford 160 160 Running $1,100
2 4 42 Lee Petty† Petty Enterprises '55 Dodge 160 0 Running $700
3 12 2 Gwyn Staley† Hubert Westmoreland '55 Chevrolet 159 0 Running $475
4 9 9 Joe Weatherly† Charlie Schwam '56 Ford 159 0 Running $365
5 11 300 Tim Flock† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 159 0 Running $310
6 6 301 Fonty Flock† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 159 0 Running $250
7 10 20 Speedy Thompson† Carl Kiekhaefer '55 Chrysler 157 0 Running $200
8 5 B-29 Dink Widenhouse Dink Widenhouse '56 Ford 157 0 Running $150
9 19 198 Dave Terrell Dave Terrell '55 Oldsmobile 156 0 Running $100
10 16 44 Jim Paschal† Julian Petty '55 Chevrolet 154 0 Running $100
11 17 04 Jimmy Massey Hubert Westmoreland '55 Chevrolet 154 0 Running $75
12 18 88 Jimmie Lewallen† Ernest Woods '55 Oldsmobile 151 0 Running $60
13 8 49 Bob Welborn† Bob Welborn '55 Chevrolet 145 0 Running $50
14 23 24 Bobby Waddell Jimmy Pardue '55 Chevrolet 138 0 Running $50
15 27 460 Ed Cole Brooks Brothers '55 Plymouth 136 0 Running $50
16 24 28 Eddie Skinner Frank Dodge '53 Oldsmobile 132 0 Running $50
17 25 27 John McVitty† John McVitty '55 Chevrolet 128 0 Wheel $50
18 15 5 Ralph Liguori† Ralph Liguori '55 Buick 127 0 Stalled $50
19 13 22 Bill Blair† Bill Blair '55 Oldsmobile 127 0 RF Hub $50
20 7 99 Curtis Turner† Charlie Schwam '56 Ford 103 0 RF Hub $50
21 2 92 Herb Thomas† Herb Thomas '55 Chevrolet 90 0 Crash No Payout
22 21 89 Ned Jarrett Ned Jarrett '55 Buick 70 0 Fuel Pump No Payout
23 3 98 Marvin Panch Pete DePaolo '56 Ford 50 0 Overheating No Payout
24 14 70 Joe Eubanks† Lancaster Brothers '55 Chevrolet 40 0 Steering No Payout
25 22 20 Banks Simpson Banks Simpson '55 Buick 40 0 Radiator No Payout
26 20 55 Junior Johnson Jim Lowe & Carl Beckham '55 Oldsmobile 35 0 Bumper No Payout
27 28 9A Tom Pistone Tom Pistone '55 Chevrolet 28 0 Overheating No Payout
28 26 71 Ted Cannady Ted Cannady '55 Oldsmobile 25 0 Steering No Payout

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Race summary

  • Lead changes: 0
  • Cautions: 3
  • Red flags: N/A
  • Time of race: 1:21:16
  • Average speed: 72.347
  • Margin of Victory: 5 seconds

Timeline

Section reference:[2]

  • Start of race: Buck Baker started the race with the pole position.
  • Lap 25: Ted Cannady's steering became problematic, sealing his last-place finish in the race.
  • Lap 28: Tom Pistone's vehicle overheated, forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
  • Lap 35: The bumper on Junior Johnson's vehicle fell off, damaging his vehicle and forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
  • Lap 40: Banks Simpson's radiator went berserk; Joe Eubanks' steering stopped working properly.
  • Lap 50: Marvin Panch's vehicle overheated while he was racing.
  • Lap 70: Ned Jarrett's fuel pump became problematic while he was driving the vehicle.
  • Lap 90: Herb Thomas had a terminal crash, forcing him to retire from the race.
  • Lap 103: The RF hub on Curtis Turner developed problems.
  • Lap 127: Ralph Liguori's vehicle stalled on the track; Bill Blair had some problems with his RF hub.
  • Lap 128: A wheel came off of John McVitty's vehicle, forcing him out of the race.
  • Finish: Buck Baker was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

  1. ^ "1955 Wilkes 160 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "1955 Wilkes 160 race information". Racing Reference. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  3. ^ "Winning manufacturer for the 1955 Wilkes 160". Save the Speedway. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  4. ^ "1955 Wilkes 160 driver information". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  5. ^ "1955 Wilkes 160 race information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
  6. ^ "1955 Wilkes 160 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved June 14, 2018.