Norm Nelson
| Norm Nelson | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | January 30, 1923 |
| Died | November 8, 1988 |
| Retired | 1976 |
| Teams | self-owned team |
| Wins | 35 |
| Championship titles | |
| 1960, 1965, 1966 | |
Norm Nelson (January 30, 1923 – November 8, 1988) was an American stock car racer. He competed in the United States Auto Club (USAC) Stock Cars in the 1950s through 1970s. He won the season championship in 1960, 1965, and 1966 as a driver. Nelson also won five owner's championships. He competed in five NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup Series) events and won one. He had 35 USAC victories including 11 at the Milwaukee Mile near his hometown Racine, Wisconsin. He was nicknamed "The Great Dane" because he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.
Nelson prepared for racing when, as a 14-year-old, he borrowed his sister's 1934 Chevrolet and he raced it on the back streets of Racine. He competed for the first time on a rainy 1939 afternoon race in a swampy field near Pleasant Prairie. His first race ended when his jalopy got stuck on the straightaway. He continued in the car until the 1940-41 winter indoor series, when he got a ride in a midget car at the Chicago Amphitheater. He ended up driving the midget into the wall in the first corner. Racing in the United States ended for World War II and he served the United States Army. After the war ended, he returned to successfully race midget cars. He stopped racing midgets in favor of late model so he could race more frequently.
Nelso had been introduced to in 1948 when Milwaukee promoter Tom Marchese brought stock cars to the region. Nelson said "Once I got into stock car racing, I knew that it was for me. I couldn't get into just any midget. We always had to make special ones for me." He raced in his first stock car race on the dirt of the Milwaukee Mile in 1948 and finished third in the 100 miles (160 km) event.
In 1950, Nelson was racing the American Automobile Association (AAA) Stock Car division in its first season and was leading the national points going into the final race at the Springfield Mile. Second-place driver Jay Frank was the only driver who could catch him in the points and he had to win while Nelson had to not finish the race. "That's exactly what happened", Nelson said. "The engine on my Oldsmobile blew and he won the race." Earlier that season he lost all of his points earned for winning a race at Milwaukee after USAC determined he had used an illegal gear. He was using a special mountain gear in his Oldsmobile; he pointed out (to no avail) that the part can be found in a parts catalog. He continued to race in AAA Stock Car races in 1952, 1953, and 1954 - collecting top five finishes at Toledo Raceway Park, Dayton Speedway, Illiana Speedway, and Milwaukee.
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