The 1956 Buddy Shuman 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on November 11, 1956, at Hickory Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina.
Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing'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 NaNmiles 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 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.
Ralph Earnhardt would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut here; being the first member of the Earnhardt family to enter the organization. 250 laps took place on a dirt track that spanned 0.4miles per lap; for a grand total of 100miles. The race took one hour and thirty minutes to successfully conclude with Speedy Thompson defeating Earnhardt by four seconds in front of 3500 live spectators. The average speed of the race would be 66.42mph while the pole position winner would dial in at a speed of 68.278mph. All 22 racers on the starting grid were American-born males.
Other notable racers of the era like Tiny Lund, Lee Petty, and Buck Baker would make an appearance during this race. Billy Carden would be credited for making the race's last-place finish with a clutch problem on lap 9. DePaolo Engineering would sponsor four of the drivers in the race (Earnhardt, Ralph Moody, Bill Amick, and Carden). This would be the last NASCAR race for Junior Johnson before he went to jail for 11 months for his illegal moonshine activities.
The combined prize purse for this race was $4,285; with the winner (Speedy Thompson) taking home $850 ($ when adjusted for inflation) while Pete Yow would be the 20th-place finisher bringing home a meager $50 ($ when adjusted for inflation). Blackie Pitt and Billy Carden both failed to make a paycheck during this race; causing them to lose money for their hard efforts.[1]
Carl Kiekhaefer was the only notable crew chief on attendance for this race.[2]
| Grid | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Ralph Earnhardt | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 2 | 300B | Buck Baker | Carl Kiekhaefer | ||
| 3 | 86 | Doug Cox | John Foster | ||
| 4 | 2 | Junior Johnson | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 5 | 83 | Johnny Dodson | Johnny Dodson | ||
| 6 | 4 | Bobby Myers | Bill Stroppe | ||
| 7 | 500 | Jack Smith | Carl Kiekhaefer | ||
| 8 | 97 | Billy Amick | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 9 | 300 | Speedy Thompson | Carl Kiekhaefer | ||
| 10 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | ||
| 11 | 16 | Tiny Lund | Gus Holzmueller | ||
| 12 | 12 | Ralph Moody | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 13 | 297 | Billy Carden | Pete DePaolo | ||
| 14 | 64 | Johnny Allen | Spook Crawford | ||
| 15 | 75 | Bill Blair | Frank Hayworth | ||
| 16 | 60 | Brownie King | Brownie King | ||
| 17 | 31 | Bill Champion | John Whitford | ||
| 18 | 209 | Pete Stewart | Pete Stewart | ||
| 19 | 203 | Pete Yow | Pete Yow | ||
| 20 | 59 | Blackie Pitt | Brownie Pitt | ||
| 21 | 96 | Bobby Keck | Bobby Keck | ||
| 22 | 418 | George Green | George Green |
Section reference:
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
| Driver | From lap | To lap |
| |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 38 | 38 | ||
| 39 | 81 | 43 | ||
| 82 | 96 | 15 | ||
| Speedy Thompson | 97 | 250 | 154 |
Section reference: