1959 Hickory 250
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 44 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
| Date | May 2, 1959 | ||
| Official name | Hickory 250 | ||
| Location | Hickory Speedway, Hickory, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 0.400 mi (0.644 km) |
||
| Distance | 250 laps, 100 mi (160 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures approaching 90 °F (32 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 62.165 miles per hour (100.045 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 5,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Paul Spalding | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Speedy Thompson | Steve Pierce | |
| Laps | 138 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 71 | Junior Johnson | Paul Spalding | |
The 1959 Hickory 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that was held on May 2, 1959, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.
Harlan Richardson would make his grand debut into the NASCAR Cup Series during this event.
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of 's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars".
The track first opened in 1951 as a 1⁄2-mile (0.80 km) dirt track. Gwyn Staley won the first race at the speedway and later became the first track champion. Drivers such as Junior Johnson, Ned Jarrett, and Ralph Earnhardt also became track champions in the 1950s, with Earnhardt winning five of them.
In 1953, NASCAR's Grand National Series (later the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) visited the track for the first time. Tim Flock won the first race at the speedway, which became a regular part of the Grand National schedule. After winning his track championship in 1952, Junior Johnson became the most successful Grand National driver at Hickory, winning there seven times.
The track has been re-configured three times in its history. The track became a 0.4-mile (644 meters) dirt track in 1955, which was paved for the first time during the 1967 season.
There were 21 drivers who were on the starting grid for this 250-lap racing event. Drivers who were on the lead lap were Junior Johnson, Speedy Thompson, Joe Weatherly, and Buck Baker. Eleven drivers were knocked out of the race due to various vehicle-related problems; Rex White was credited with the last-place finish due to troubles with his transmission on lap 27. All of the drivers were born in the United States of America. Only four cautions were given out for an unknown period of time. Five thousand people eventually got to see Junior Johnson defeat Joe Weatherly by two and a half laps.
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