1950-01
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
- Harold Kite
- Red Byron
- Lloyd Moore
- Al Gross
- J.C. Van Landingham
- Tim Flock
- Bob Flock
- Otis Martin
- Buck Baker
- Fonty Flock
Read more about this topic: 1950 In NASCAR