1956 Old Dominion 400 Explained
The 1956 Old Dominion 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 28, 1956, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. As a NASCAR-sanctioned "Sweepstakes" race, sedan vehicles from the Grand National Series and stock convertibles from the NASCAR Convertible division raced side-by-side with other for the same amount of money and championship points.[1]
Background
Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races.[2] The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short oval track that is 0.526miles long.[3] The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking.
Race report
Four hundred laps were completed on a paved oval track spanning 0.5miles for a grand total of 200miles. The race took three hours, sixteen minutes, and seventeen seconds to complete with four caution flags. Forty vehicles would qualify to start this race; a large amount for the NASCAR Cup Series in its formative years.[4]
Nine thousand and five hundred fans attended to see Jack Smith win the race in his 1956 Dodge vehicle (beating thirty-nine other drivers in the process). A Canadian named Norman Schihl participated in the race and finished 23rd; making his only Grand National appearance. Notable speeds were: for the average speed and for the pole position speed. Bun Emery makes his only Cup start and comes home with a top-20 finish although he 36 laps down at the checkered flag.
While some multi-car teams were present in the race, the majority of drivers had an owner that wasn't incorporated into a team.[5] Jack Smith officially became the fiftieth different driver to win what is now known as a Cup Series race. Total winnings for this race were $11,739 ($ when considering inflation). The winner (Jack Smith) would receive $2,264 ($ when considering inflation) being awarded to him while last place finisher Jimmie Lewallen would walk away with $100 ($ when considering inflation).
Larry Frank, Bill Lutz, Larry Odo, and Bill Poor would make their NASCAR debut in this race.[6] Carl Kiekhaefer was one of the notable crew chiefs for this race.[7]
Qualifying
| Grid | | Driver | Manufacturer |
|---|
| 1 | 00 | Buck Baker | '56 Chrysler |
|---|
| 2 | 82 | Joe Eubanks | '56 Ford |
|---|
| 3 | 300 | Speedy Thompson | '56 Chrysler |
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| 4 | 26 | Curtis Turner | '56 Ford |
|---|
| 5 | 97 | Bill Amick | '56 Ford |
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| 6 | 21 | Glen Wood | '56 Ford |
|---|
| 7 | 42 | Lee Petty | '56 Dodge |
|---|
| 8 | 86 | Don Oldenberg | '55 Buick |
|---|
| 9 | 95 | Don Duell | '56 Ford |
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| 10 | 2 | Bill Lutz | '56 Ford |
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| 11 | 12 | Ralph Moody | '56 Ford |
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| 12 | 72 | Joe Weatherly | '56 Ford |
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| 13 | 64 | Johnny Allen | '56 Plymouth |
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| 14 | 49 | Bob Welborn | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 15 | 4 | Billy Myers | '56 Mercury |
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| 16 | 34 | Gwyn Staley | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 17 | X | Rex White | '56 Ford |
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| 18 | 7 | Larry Odo | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 19 | 22 | Fireball Roberts | '56 Ford |
|---|
| 20 | 33 | Jimmy Massey | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 21 | 98 | Marvin Panch | '56 Ford |
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| 22 | 48 | Jimmie Lewallen | '56 Ford |
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| 23 | 502 | Jack Smith | '56 Dodge |
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| 24 | 15 | Tom Pistone | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 25 | 29 | Billy Carden | '56 Ford |
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| 26 | 76 | Larry Frank | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 27 | 83 | Johnny Dodson | '56 Chevrolet |
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| 28 | 55 | Mel Larson | '56 Ford |
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| 29 | 50 | Frank Mundy | '56 Dodge |
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| 30 | 71 | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet | |
|---|
Finishing order
Section reference:
- Jack Smith† (No. 502)
- Marvin Panch (No. 98)
- Bill Amick† (No. 97)
- Speedy Thompson† (No. 300)
- Fireball Roberts† (No. 22)
- Joe Weatherly† (No. 72)
- Buck Baker† (No. 00)
- Bunk Moore (No. 35)
- Frank Mundy† (No. 50)
- Gwyn Staley† (No. 34)
- Jimmy Massey (No. 33)
- Paul Goldsmith (No. 3)
- Billy Myers (No. 4)
- Johnny Allen (No. 64)
- Bob Welborn† (No. 49)
- Don Oldenberg (No. 86)
- Bill Poor (No. 71)
- Bun Emery (No. 99)
- Larry Odo (No. 7)
- Tiny Lund† (No. 16)
- Lee Petty† (No. 42)
- Bobby Keck† (No. 14)
- Norman Schihl (No. 23)
- Art Brinkley (No. 44)
- Johnny Dodson (No. 83)
- Billy Rafter (No. 41)
- Bill Champion† (No. 31)
- Curtis Turner*† (No. 26)
- Bob Duell* (No. 95)
- Ralph Moody*† (No. 12)
- Jim Paschal*† (No. 75)
- Rex White* (No. X)
- Glen Wood*† (No. 21)
- Tom Pistone* (No. 15)
- Joe Eubanks*† (No. 82)
- Billy Carden*† (No. 29)
- Mel Carson* (No. 55)
- Larry Frank*† (No. 76)
- Bill Lutz* (No. 2)
- Jimmie Lewallen*† (No. 48)
- Driver failed to finish race
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
Timeline
Section reference:
- Start of race: Joe Eubanks had the pole position to start the race.
- Lap 11: Fuel pump issues forced Jimmie Lewallen to become the last-place finisher.
- Lap 62: Bill Lutz managed to blow his engine while racing.
- Lap 77: Oil pressure issues forced Larry Frank out of the race, Mel Larson had to deal with a troublesome piston.
- Lap 87: The RF hub on Billy Carden's vehicle had problems that were terminal enough to knock him out of the race.
- Lap 103: The RF lugs were acting problematically on Joe Eubanks' car, forcing his exit from the race.
- Lap 104: Speedy Thompson took over the lead from Joe Eubanks.
- Lap 106: Tom Pistone had some problems with his connecting rod and had to leave the event.
- Lap 110: Glen Wood managed to blow his engine while racing.
- Lap 143: Rex White managed to blow his engine while racing.
- Lap 163: Jim Paschal managed to blow his engine while racing.
- Lap 179: Jack Smith took over the lead from Speedy Thompson.
- Lap 183: The rear end of Ralph Moody's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner to continue racing.
- Lap 189: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Jack Smith.
- Lap 201: Bill Amick took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
- Lap 210: Marvin Panch took over the lead from Bill Amick.
- Lap 226: Jack Smith took over the lead from Marvin Panch.
- Lap 245: Bob Duell managed to overheat his vehicle.
- Lap 299: Curtis Turner managed to blow his engine while racing.
- Finish: Jack Smith was officially declared the winner of the event.
Notes and References
- http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=4084 Additional information about the 1956 Old Dominion 400
- Web site: NASCAR Race Tracks . October 26, 2012 . NASCAR . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101012082703/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ . October 12, 2010 .
- Web site: NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway. Martinsville Speedway. October 26, 2012. October 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20101007095733/http://www.martinsvillespeedway.com/About-The-Track/About-The-Track.aspx. dead.
- http://fantasynascarracin.yolasite.com/sdrivers.php Fantasy NASCAR Racing
- http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1956054 NASCAR stats for the 1956 Old Dominion 400
- http://www.race-database.com/results/results.php?year=1956&race=54&series_id=2 NASCAR Cup Series debuts at the 1956 Old Dominion 400
- http://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/1956-54/W/C Crew chief information
