Bill Blair (racing driver)
Bill Blair (July 14, 1911 in High Point, North Carolina, US – November 2, 1995) was an American stock car racing driver in the 1940's and the 1950's, and he was one of the pioneers of NASCAR.
| Bill Blair | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | July 14, 1911 High Point, North Carolina | ||||||
| Died | November 2, 1995 (aged 84) | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series statistics | |||||||
| 123 races run over 10 years | |||||||
| Best Cup position | 4th (1949) | ||||||
| First race | 1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| Last race | 1958 Lakewood Speedway (Atlanta) | ||||||
| First win | 1950 Vernon Fairgrounds (Vernon, NY) | ||||||
| Last win | 1953 Daytona Beach | ||||||
| |||||||
Wins
Blair won three NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National races:
- June 18, 1950 – Blair piloted a 1950 Mercury owned by Sam Rice to victory in a race at Vernon Faigrounds in Vernon, NY.
- April 20, 1952 – Blair drove a 1952 Oldsmobile owned by George Hutchens to his second win at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, GA.
- February 15, 1953 – In his final series victory, Blair drove his 1953 Oldsmobile to victory lane at the Beach & Road Course in Daytona Beach, FL.[1]
Memorial
Blair, Jimmie Lewallen, and Fred Harb are the subject of the independent movie "Red Dirt Rising", which is based on the book "Red Dirt Tracks: The Forgotten Heroes of Early Stockcar Racing" by Gail Cauble Gurley.[2]
References
- ↑ Film of 1953 Daytona Beach event
- ↑ Movie tells stories of race drivers and the community they live in[dead link]; Jamie Kennedy Jones, July 15, 2007, Greensboro News & Record; Retrieved December 24, 2007
