1950-05
The fifth race of the 1950 season was run on May 30 at Canfield Speedway in Canfield, Ohio. Jimmy Florian won the pole. Bill Rexford of Conewango Valley, NY stalked Curtis Turner for over half the race, then took command to win the "Poor Man's 500", a 100-miler at Canfield Speedway. Rexford took the lead in the 121st lap and went on to beat runner-up G1enn Dunnaway by two laps. Lloyd Moore finished third and took the lead in the Grand National point standings by 36.5 points over Tim Flock, who finished ninth. Lee Petty crossed the finish line in fourth place and Bill Blair took fifth. The event was staged on the same day as the Indianapolis 500—hence the title "Poor Man's 500". The promoters did pay some lap money, with $5 going to the leader of each lap from the 101 through the 200. Rexford's earnings came to $1,400 with the lap money. Turner led the first 120 laps before his engine went sour. He departed after 133 laps and wound up 19th. A crowd of 11,000 showed up on Memorial Day and watched Al Gross, former stunt car driver for the Jimmy Lynch Thrill Show, flip his Olds in the ninth lap. Gross suffered a broken back and was taken to the hospital for an extended stay. Frank Canale posted the second fastest qualifying time but overheating problems forced him to the sidelines after 74 laps. Joe Merola was on hand with a new radically designed 1948 Tucker Torpedo, one of the most controversial and advanced automobiles ever to hit the market. The car conked out before Merola was able to complete a lap.
Top Ten Results
- Bill Rexford
- Glenn Dunaway
- Lloyd Moore
- Lee Petty
- Bill Blair
- Jimmy Florian
- Dick Burns (driver)
- Bobby Courtwright
- Tim Flock
- Bob Dickson
Read more about this topic: 1950 In NASCAR