Roy Hall (racing driver)
| Roy Hall | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
January 30, 1920 Dawsonville, Georgia, United States |
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| Died | March 14, 1991 (aged 71) | ||||||
| Achievements | 1939, 1941, 1945 National Stock Car Champion | ||||||
| Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 2 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 26th () | ||||||
| First race | Wilkes 200 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
| Last race | 1952 Southern 500 (Darlington) | ||||||
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Roy Hall (January 30, 1920, in Dawsonville, Georgia – March 14, 1991), known as "Rapid Roy" and "Reckless Roy", was a pioneering American racing driver, who achieved success in the early days of the sport driving cars owned by Raymond Parks and prepared by Red Vogt. Hall was also involved in the moonshine trade in north Georgia in the 1930s and 1940s, and would compete in three events in the NASCAR Strictly Stock Series shortly following its formation.
Born to a poor family in Dawsonville, Georgia, Roy Hall was described as "obscenely handsome and absurdly cocky". Roy Hall had a theory on life: "When it's time to go, I'll go. Until then, I have nothing to lose." Hall became involved in the moonshine trade at an early age, dropping out of school at age 10 and relocating to Atlanta with an uncle, where he assisted his cousin, Raymond Parks, in running a numbers game ("the bug") and, soon afterwards, running moonshine.Rum-running would land Hall in prison repeatedly; later bank robbery would see him jailed for three years from 1946 to 1949; occasionally to escape the pursuit of the law Hall would compete in races under an assumed name.
Hall's racing skills were honed though his prowess at moonshine-running in the hills of northern Georgia; a mechanic described Hall's driving style as "...[not knowing] what a brake was". His first major stock car race was at Lakewood Speedway near Atlanta, Georgia on November 11, 1938; he was credited with a fifth-place finish. He would go on to dominate the 1939 racing season, being credited with the "national championship", which was at the time essentially an honorary title; he won races at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1939, then again in 1940, setting a race record speed of 76.53 mph (123.16 km/h); Hall used a unique driving style that saw Hall driving on two wheels through the course's turns. Hall would win the 1941 national stock car championship following the death of teammate Lloyd Seay.
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