1950 in NASCAR

The 1950 NASCAR Grand National season was the second season of professional in the United States. Beginning at the Daytona Beach Road Course on February 5, 1950, the season included 19 races. The season concluded at Occoneechee Speedway on October 29. Julian Buesink won the Owners' Championship, while Bill Rexford won the Drivers' Championship with a 26th finish at the final race of the season.

The first race of the 1950 season was run on February 5 at the Daytona Beach road course in Daytona Beach, Florida. Joe Littlejohn won the pole.Harold Kite of East Point,Ga, a former Army tank driver who began racing on the short tracks after World War II, drove past Red Byron in the 25th lap and went on to score a convincing victory in the 200-mile Grand National lid-lifter of the 1950 season. Kite, competing in his first Grand National event, pushed his Lincoln around the sandy course at a record 89.894 mph and beat runner-up Byron to the finish line by 53 seconds. Third place went to Lloyd Moore, Al Gross was fourth, and J.C.Van Landingham, ending a lengthy retirement, finished fifth. A crowd estimated at 9,500 watched Kite take the lead at the outset from Pole sitter Joe Littlejohn. Kite, a captain in the National Guard, held the top spot until Byron passed him on the 15th lap. The defending NASCAR champ relinquished the lead to Kite in the 24th lap when he made a pit stop. Several laps later Byron was forced to make another pit stop to repair gear shift problems. He finally returned to the fray, running seventh. Kite went uncontested for the second half of the 48-lap affair on the 4.167-mile course, but Byron provided plenty of action as he worked his way up through the pack. He nipped Moore for second place with a final lap pass. Forty-one cars started the event and 21 were still running at the finish despite the fact that conditions on the beach were less than ideal. Bob Flock turned in one of the most spirited efforts on the cloudy, breezy day. He finished seventh despite the fact that the left front wheel wobbled around every turn

Top Ten Results

The second race of the 1950 season was run on April 2 at Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Red Byron won the pole.Tim Flock, wheeling the same Lincoln that carried Harold Kite to victory at Daytona, drove around Red Byron in the 48th lap and stormed to victory in the 150-mile Grand National race at Charlotte Speedway. It was Flock's first win on the NASCAR major league tour. Bob Flock finished second, a half lap behind his younger brother. Clyde Minter wound up third, Byron came in fourth and Bill Snowden was fifth. Byron's fourth-place effort, coupled with his runner-up finish at Daytona, enabled him to move to the top of the Grand National point standings, 2.5 points ahead of Tim Flock. A crowd of 13,000 was on hand to watch Bob Flock lead the opening laps in his Oldsmobile. Pole sitter Byron then charged past and led for 42 laps on the three-quarter mile dirt track. Tim surged past Byron in the 48th lap and led the rest of the way. Lash LaRue, Western movie star, greeted Flock in victory lane. "This is my biggest win," said the happy Flock. "To win a Grand National race is a dream come true." June Cleveland was running in the top five when he flipped his Buick in the 85th lap. The roof was pancaked, and Cleveland was transported to a Charlotte hospital with cuts. He was reported not to be seriously injured. His crash occurred in the exact spot where Virginia driver Jesse Elmo "Hank" Stanley was killed a few weeks earlier in a Modified Sportsman race. Curtis Turner, Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Fonty Flock and Bill Blair—all rated as pre-race threats—failed to finish the 200-lap grind.

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