Blast From The Past: 1952
Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 6:59pm CDT
By Frank Morrison, Thunder Lounge
Published on Thunder Lounge.
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[thumb:385:l:s=1:l=x]In world news, King George VI dies, Elizabeth II becomes queen of England, and Greece and Turkey join NATO. In national news, President Eisenhower visits Korea. In other sports, the NY Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers (4-3), and Michigan State and Georgia Tech split the national championship. In entertainment news, the Today show begins, and Singin’ in the Rain is the top grossing movie of the year. In science, the polio vaccine is developed, and the first plastic valve for hearts is developed. Famous deaths of the year: John Dewey, Hattie McDaniel, and Maria Montessori. Now… time for the year that brought the Hudson Hornet 31 wins in 35 starts.
January 20:
Tim Flock wins the 100 mile opener in Palm Beach. After a crash and the roof collapses on Bernard Alvarez NASCAR makes steel roll bars mandatory.
February 6:
Herb Thomas receives 2,264.50 for being Grand National Champ in 1951.
February 9:
Jack Smith wins at Daytona Road Course after Tim Flock is disqualified for having improper roll bars.
April 12:
Lee Petty moves to the points lead as Buck Baker wins the race in Columbia, SC.
April 17:
Marshall Teague leaves NASCAR to join AAA for a shot at the Indy 500.
May 10:
Dick Rathman wins at Darlington. (Added race to boost crowd for NASCARs open wheeled division.)
July 1:
Buddy Shuman wins the first NASCAR event held outside the US in Niagara Falls, Canada.
August 17:
In his first start since breaking his neck at Mobile, AL Bob Flock wins at the Ashville-Weaverville Speedway.
August 20:
NASCAR makes a rule for off track driving, any driver found guilty of speeding on regular roads will receive a hefty fine and point deductions.
September 1:
Fonty Flock wins the Southern 500.
September 14:
Lee Petty wins the race at Langhorne Speedway, as rookie driver Larry Mann dies in an accident on lap 211. (3rd driver to die in a green car and started the taboo of driving in green cars. Maybe that is why Bobby LaBonte only won one championship?)
September 28:
Herb Thomas wins at Wilson, NC, and closes withing 174 points of Tim Flock for the championship.
November 16:
Donald Thomas becomes the youngest driver to win a NASCAR event at the ripe old age of 20.
November 30:
Herb Thomas wins the finale at West Palm Beach and Tim Flock wins the title.
December 8:
The Press takes notice; The Dec 8 issue of Time Magazine features Tim Flock on the cover.
| DRIVER | POINTS | STARTS | WINS | TOP-5’s | TOP-10’s | WINNINGS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Flock: | 6858.50 | 33 | 8 | 22 | 25 | $22,890 |
| Herb Thomas: | 6752.50 | 32 | 8 | 19 | 22 | $18,965 |
| Lee Petty: | 6498.50 | 32 | 3 | 21 | 27 | $16,876 |
| Fonty Flock: | 5183.50 | 29 | 2 | 14 | 17 | $19,112 |
| Dick Rathman: | 3952.00 | 27 | 5 | 14 | 14 | $11,248 |
| Bill Blair: | 3449.00 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 13 | $7,899 |
| Joe Eubanks: | 3090.50 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 9 | $3,630 |
| Ray Duhigg: | 2986.50 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 10 | $3,811 |
| Donald Thomas: | 2574.00 | 21 | 1 | 5 | 14 | $4,477 |
| Buddy Shuman: | 2483.00 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 7 | $4,587 |
Ok there it is, the highlights of 1952 at a glance. See you Wednesday with a look at Herb Thomas.
See Y’all Next Week With 1953!
All stats and dates compiled from NASCAR Chronicles by Greg Fielden.
(???) next to a date indicates that the particular day the event occurred is unknown.
Filed Under: Features, Frank Morrison, Guest Authors, Nascar, Nascar History
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