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1955 Mid South 250

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Official name
  
Mid-South 250

Date
  
August 14, 1955 (1955-August-14)

Location
  
Memphis-Arkansas Speedway (LeHi, Arkansas)

Course
  
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (3.000 km)

Distance
  
160 laps, 250.1 mi (402.8 km)

Weather
  
Hot with temperatures approaching 89.1 °F (31.7 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)

The 1955 Mid-South 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on August 14, 1955, at the Memphis-Arkansas Speedway in LeHi, Arkansas.

Contents

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 any more.

Background

The Memphis-Arkansas Speedway was a dirt oval track located just west of West Memphis, Arkansas, United States, in the community of LeHi.

This speedway had a total distance spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km). Its elevation is 200 feet above sea level and all races used the Central Time Zone. While the track opened on October 7, 1954, it soon ran out of money. Paving the track cost $100,000 ($852,725.12 when adjusted for inflation) and the dirt surface was unmanageable after a certain number of years. As a result, the track was closed permanently in 1957 when it was sold to a local farmer named Clayton Eubanks Sr., who used the abandoned race track for catfish, rice, and soybeans for a number of years. The proposed Interstate highway that was being built near the abandoned rack track was not finished in time to save it.

Summary

One hundred and sixty-seven laps were done on a dirt oval track spanning 1.500 miles (2.414 km). There were no cautions and the time of the race was two hours, forty-seven minutes, and twelve seconds. The average speed was 89.982 miles per hour (144.812 km/h) while the pole position speed was 99.944 miles per hour (160.844 km/h). Fifteen thousand people attended this live and completely untelevised race. Total winnings for this race were $10,625 ($94,991.46 when adjusted for inflation) with the winner receiving $2,950 ($26,374.10 when adjusted for inflation).

Fonty Flock managed to break his brother's eight-race pole streak. However, Tim Flock qualified in second place for this race. Fonty would eventually win the race in his 1955 Chrysler C-300 but Tim would finish in third place (one position worse than he started in). None of the speed records from qualifying portion of this race survive today. This is due NASCAR's tendency to throw away data during that era instead of tabulating it into a more permanent form at the end of each season. Records that survive from the earlier years of NASCAR are often spared from being burned or shredded. Lee Petty was knocked out of the race due to problem with his car's U joint and Jimmie Lewallen was forced out of the race due to a broken gas line.

Ted Cannady and Banks Simpson would make their NASCAR debuts at this racing event while Ken Johns and Jim McLain would end their NASCAR careers here. No record pertaining to the points system used in NASCAR was recorded for this event.

Finishing order

* Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Timeline

  • Start of race: Fonty Flock started the race with the pole position
  • Lap 3: Gwyn Staley became the last place finisher due to faulty bearings
  • Lap 5: Gordon Smith's engine blew, which ended his race weekend a bit too soon
  • Lap 11: Billy Carden noticed that the bearings on his vehicle were acting funny; forcing him to end his race weekend early
  • Lap 18: Tim Flock takes over the lead from Fonty Flock; Woodie Wilson managed to overheat his vehicle
  • Lap 23: Harold Kite had troubles with his pistons, ending his race weekend prematurely
  • Lap 56: Jack Hubbard experienced enough problems with his push rod to not finish the event
  • Lap 65: The push rod on Hooker Hood's vehicle became problematic, preventing him from finishing the race
  • Lap 96: Jimmie Lewallen's gas line no longer worked properly, making him exit the event prematurely
  • Lap 97: Fonty Flock takes over the lead from Tim Flock
  • Lap 135: Lee Petty's vehicle developed a problematic U-joint, forcing him to leave the race
  • Finish: Fonty Flock was officially declared the winner of the event
  • References

    1955 Mid-South 250 Wikipedia


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