1949 in NASCAR

The 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season was the inaugural season of professional in the United States. Beginning at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949, the season included eight races and two exhibition races. The season concluded with the Wilkes 200 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 16. Raymond Parks won the Owners' Championship, while Red Byron won the Drivers' Championship with a 16th-place finish at the final race of the season.

The very first NASCAR Strictly Stock race was held June 19 at Charlotte Speedway, a 3/4 mile dirt track in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Carl C. Allison on Little Rock Rd.. Bob Flock won the pole. Glenn Dunaway was declared the original winner, although a post-race inspection revealed that his car was fitted with illegal springs, causing NASCAR to disqualify him.

The second race of the Strictly Stock season was held July 10 at the Daytona Beach Road Course. Gober Sosebee won the pole. Sosebee led the first 34 laps and was passed by Red Byron of Atlanta with six laps remaining. Byron won the 166-mile NASCAR Strictly Stock race on the sands of the 4.15-mile Daytona Beach and Road Course. There were on 21 of the 28 starters running at the finish. Byron won the caution free race with an average speed of 80.883 mph. Louise Smith, one of three female drivers to start the race flipped early on, but with the help of spectators, uprighted her Ford and continued on to a 20th-place finish. The other female racers entered, Sara Christian in a Ford finished 18th and Ethel Mobely in a Cadillac finished 11th. Pre-race favorites Curtis Turner, Bob Flock and Glenn Dunnaway all DNF'd. This race took two hours, three minutes and 13 seconds to complete 40 laps. The lead was swapped twice by Sosebee and Byron.

The third race of the Strictly Stock season was held August 7 at Occoneechee Speedway. Jimmy Thompson won the pole. Bob Flock scored his first win of the season in the 200-mile Strictly Stock race at Hillsboro's Occoneechee Speedway, giving Oldsmobile its second straight victory. Flock outdistanced runner-up Gober Sosebee to collect the $2,000.00 first prize. Third place went to Glenn Dunnaway, Fonty Flock took fourth, and Bill Snowden fifth.

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