1952 in NASCAR

When the 1952 NASCAR season was concluded, driver Tim Flock was crowned the Grand National Champion after winning 8 of the 33 events that he competed in. This was the first year that NASCAR scheduled its events to avoid the conflicts of having two races, at two different tracks, on the same day. The only exception was on June 1, when races were held at both Toledo Speedway in Ohio, and Hayloft Speedway in Augusta, Georgia. Herb Thomas finished second to Flock after competing in 32 races, and Lee Petty finished third in the standings that year. Throughout the 1952 season, a total of 261 drivers entered at least one of the 34 events. Virtually every American car manufacturer (at the time) had at least one of their cars start that season.

1952 was also the first season that sponsors such as Pure Oil Co (which later became Union 76, and eventually Unocal), and Champion Spark Plug Inc. started paying contingency award monies in exchange for the publicity they would receive by drivers sponsoring their products.

The 1952 NASCAR Grand National season was dominated by Hudson automobiles, winning 27 of the scheduled 34 races. No other make won more than three times. The reason the Hudson Hornet was so successful, winning over 80 NASCAR races between 1951 and 1955, has been attributed to its low center of gravity, 'mono-built body' and center point steering system. The center point steering system contributed to the car's superior handling and cornering abilities; allowing the vehicle to excel on the dirt covered race tracks of the day.

Palm Beach Speedway in West Palm Beach, Florida was a half-mile, dirt track that saw its first NASCAR event when it opened the 1952 NASCAR season on January 20, 1952. The 100 mile event was slowed by two caution flags, and was won by driver Tim Flock. 6,000 fans flocked, to see Flock, capture his first of 8 victories in the 1952 season. Flock started on the pole, and drove his #91 1951 Hudson, sponsored by Ted Chester, to victory. He claimed his $1,025 winnings with only five drivers still running at the end of the race. Flock captured the pole position for the race in 27.78 seconds, with an average speed of 64.79 mph. The second event of the 1952 season took place on the famed 4.1 mile road course of Daytona Beach Speedway, and driver Marshall Teague took the victory in a 1952 Hudson. Herb Thomas led the first lap of the event, but Teague managed to lead laps 2 to 37. 20,000 spectators witnessed 61 drivers start the event; but at the end of the scheduled 200 mile race, only 10 cars were still running. The race was eventually halted on lap 37 due to the incoming tide which encroached on the beachfront straight of the track. The third event of the season took place at the half-mile dirt track of Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Marshall Teague won his second race in a row in the 200 lap, 100 mile contest, defeating the other 28 drivers who entered the contest.

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