1956 Virginia 500

1956 Virginia 500
Race details
Race 18 of 56 in the 1956 NASCAR Grand National Series season
	1965 Virginia 500 program cover
Date	April 25, 1956
Official name	Virginia 500
Location	Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia
Course	Permanent racing facility; 0.525 mi (0.844 km)
Distance	500 laps, 262.5 mi (442.4 km)
Weather	Temperatures of 67.7 °F (19.8 °C); wind speeds of 11.16 miles per hour (17.96 km/h)
Average speed	60.824 miles per hour (97.887 km/h)
Attendance	20,000
Pole position
Driver	Buck Baker;
Most laps led
Driver	Speedy Thompson
Laps	259
Winner
No. 502	Buck Baker
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1956 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 20, 1956, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia.^[2] As the inaugural event for the NASCAR Grand National Series in Martinsville, this race would set a precedent for all other 500-lap races to follow on this newly paved short track.^[3]

Background

A map showing the layout of Martinsville Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races.^[4] The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 miles (0.847 km) long.^[5] 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.^[5]

Race report

Five hundred laps took place on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for a grand total of 250 miles (400 km).^[2] The time of the race was four hours and three minutes while there were seven cautions for twenty laps.^[2] The average speed was 60.824 miles per hour (97.887 km/h) while the pole position speed was 66.103 miles per hour (106.382 km/h).^[2]^[6]

Compared to the top speed of today's passenger vehicles which is considered to be 99 miles per hour (159 km/h) in most makes and models, these stock cars were considered to be slow. Buck Baker defeated Speedy Thompson by half a lap.^[2] Other notable drivers who participated in the race included Arden Mounts, Cotton Owens, Fireball Roberts, Tiny Lund, Paul Goldsmith, and Lee Petty.^[2] The winning vehicle was a 1956 Dodge Coronet. Thirty-five American drivers dueled each other with no foreign-born competitors either in qualifying or the race itself. It would be the first time that a driver with the number 502 would win a race.^[2] Joe Bill O'Dell took quite a spill in this race; with his lap 37 crash causing his vehicle to have all four wheels off the ground.^[2]

Most of the stock car owners were independent and had no formal ties to the multi-car teams that would start to form in the 1960s and 1970s. A vehicle made by the Packard Motor Car Company even qualified for the race; eventually finishing in 34th place due to a tire problem.^[7] Years later, the Packard Motor Company would be victimized by the "Big Three" automobile manufacturers and would close due to lack of sales.

Shorty Johns and Carl Kiekhaefer were the two most notable crew chiefs to attend this race.^[8]

Twenty thousands fans were on hand to watch the race live.^[2] The total winnings of the race was $10,275 ($115,150 when considering inflation).^[6] Buck Baker received most of the day's earnings with a grand total of $3,100 ($34,741 when considering inflation).^[2]^[6]

A race lineup sheet for the 1956 Virginia 500.

Qualifying

According to the official lineup sheet from the official program, the first 20 cars would qualify based on speed. Then, positions 21-30 would be based on their positions on a 10 lap qualifying race. Positions 31-40, those who would DNQ on Saturday, would be decided on who got to the track first, i.e. the first driver would get 31st, the second would get 32nd, etc. Buck Baker would win the pole with a 27.230.

Grid^[2]	No.	Driver	Manufacturer	Owner	Time	Avg. Speed
1	502	Buck Baker	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer	27.230	66.125
2	500	Speedy Thompson	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer	27.290	65.930
3	92	Herb Thomas	'56 Chevrolet	Herb Thomas	27.540	65.450
4	75	Jim Paschal	'56 Mercury	Frank Hayworth	27.550	65.115
5	42	Lee Petty	'56 Dodge	Petty Enterprises	27.590	65.103
6	7A	Bobby Johns	'56 Chevrolet	Shorty Johns	27.840	64.745
7	X	Rex White	'56 Chevrolet	Max Welborn	27.890	64.515
8	3	Paul Goldsmith	'56 Chevrolet	Smokey Yunick	28.040	64.285
9	2	Gwyn Staley	'56 Chevrolet	Hubert Westmoreland	28.090	64.055
10	285	Don Carr	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens	28.110	64.053
11	286	Cotton Owens	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens	28.220	63.825
12	1	Bobby Myers	'55 Chevrolet	unknown	28.360	63.600
13	14	Billy Myers	'56 Mercury	Bill Stroppe	28.380	63.380
14	150	Fred Lorenzen	'56 Chevrolet	Fred Lorenzen	28.410	63.371
15	12	Ralph Moody	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	28.420	63.368
16	11	Tim Flock	'56 Chevrolet	Mauri Rose	28.480	63.255
17	6	Ralph Liguori	'56 Dodge	Ralph Liguori	28.490	63.201
18	22	Fireball Roberts	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	28.560	62.935
19	418	Sherman Utsman	'56 Chevrolet	unknown	28.670	62.715
20	95	Bob Duell	'56 Ford	Julian Buesink	28.680	62.712
21	91	Jack Smith	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Chester	29.180	61.640
22	55	Tiny Lund	'56 Pontiac	A.L. Bumgarner	28.910	62.265
23	204	Darvin Randahl	'56 Ford	Darvin Randahl	29.330	61.143
24	32	Ted Cannady	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Cannady	29.010	62.065
25	9	Pee Wee Jones	'56 Ford	unknown	29.010	62.065
26	264	Johnny Allen	'55 Plymouth	Spook Crawford	29.710	60.605
27	195	Jim Rhoades	'55 Packard	Jim Rhoades	33.420	53.890
28	18	Arden Mounts	'56 Pontiac	Arden Mounts	34.470	52.170
29	209	Pete Stewart	'56 Plymouth	Pete Stewart	30.600	58.820
30	16	Ray Chaike	'56 Chevrolet	Gus Holzmueller	0.000	0.000
31	59	Blackie Pitt	'56 Plymouth Fury	Brownie Pitt	0.000	0.000
32	211	George Cork	'55 Plymouth	unknown	0.000	0.000
33	19	Harvey Henderson	'56 Ford	Harvey Henderson	0.000	0.000
34	240	Reitzel Darner	'56 Ford	Rat Garner	0.000	0.000
35	35	Joe Bill O'Dell	'55 Rambler	Joe Gilliam	0.000	0.000

Timeline

Section reference:^[2]

Start of race: Speedy Thompson started the race with the pole position.
Lap 8: Piston issues caused Ralph Liguori to become the last-place finisher.
Lap 25: Jim Rhoades' "road to success" came to a dead end with tire problems.
Lap 29: Bob Duell had a terminal crash, forcing him out of the race.
Lap 37: Joe Bill O'Dell had a terminal crash, he was forced to exit the race.
Lap 69: Tim Flock had a terminal crash, forcing him to exit the race.
Lap 149: A non-functioning piston crushed Darvin Randahl's hopes of winning the race.
Lap 156: Transmission issues brought down Ted Cannady.
Lap 216: Buck Baker took over the lead from Speedy Thompson.
Lap 222: Herb Thomas takes over the lead from Buck Baker.
Lap 243: Cotton Owen's race weekend was devastated by a troublesome right front hub.
Lap 252: Blackie Pitt's vehicle had a faulty right front hub.
Lap 293: Bearing issues caused Jim Paschal to exit the event early.
Lap 304: Lug bolt problems ended Don Carr's weekend on the track.
Lap 338: Speedy Thompson took over the lead from Herb Thomas.
Lap 356: Pete Stewart's vehicle had a faulty right rear axle.
Lap 377: Herb Thomas's vehicle had a problematic engine that kept him from finishing the race.
Lap 382: Buck Baker takes over the lead from Speedy Thompson.
Lap 436: Bobby Myers developed a faulty right front hub in his vehicle.
Lap 441: Reitzel Darner developed a faulty right front hub in his vehicle.
Finish: Buck Baker was officially declared the winner of the event.

Finishing order

Section reference:^[2]^[9]

Fin	St	#	Driver	Make	Team/Owner	Sponsor	Laps	Led	Status	Winnings
1	1	502	Buck Baker	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer		500	125	running	$3,100
2	2	500	Speedy Thompson	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer		500	259	running	$1,500
3	5	42	Lee Petty	'56 Dodge	Petty Enterprises		497	0	running	$1,025
4	8	3	Paul Goldsmith	'56 Chevrolet	Smokey Yunick		496	0	running	$750
5	9	2	Gwyn Staley	'56 Chevrolet	Hubert Westmoreland		491	0	running	$600
6	7	X	Rex White	'56 Chevrolet	Max Welborn		483	0	running	$450
7	19	418	Sherman Utsman	'56 Chevrolet	unknown		477	0	running	$350
8	13	14	Billy Myers	'56 Mercury	Bill Stroppe		475	0	running	$300
9	21	91	Jack Smith	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Chester		475	0	running	$200
10	15	12	Ralph Moody	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	Southeastern Dealers	467	0	running	$175
11	33	19	Harvey Henderson	'56 Ford	Harvey Henderson		464	0	running	$150
12	22	55	Tiny Lund	'56 Pontiac	A. L. Bumgartner		463	0	running	$100
13	6	7A	Bobby Johns	'56 Chevrolet	Shorty Johns		458	0	running	$100
14	34	240	Reitzel Darner	'56 Ford	Rat Garner		441	0	rf hub	$100
15	12	1	Bobby Myers	'55 Chevrolet	unknown		436	0	rf hub	$100
16	18	22	Fireball Roberts	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	DePaolo Engineering	435	0	running	$75
17	30	16	Ray Chaike	'56 Chevrolet			430	0	running	$75
18	25	9	Pee Wee Jones	'56 Ford	unknown		419	0	running	$75
19	32	211	George Cork	'55 Plymouth	unknown		405	0	running	$75
20	3	92	Herb Thomas	'56 Chevrolet	Herb Thomas		377	116	engine	$75
21	29	209	Pete Stewart	'56 Plymouth	Pete Stewart		356	0	rr axle	$60
22	28	18	Arden Mounts	'56 Pontiac	Arden Mounts		338	0	running	$60
23	10	285	Don Carr	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens		304	0	lug bolt	$60
24	14	150	Fred Lorenzen	'56 Chevrolet	Fred Lorenzen		293	0	running	$60
25	4	75	Jim Paschal	'56 Mercury	Frank Hayworth	C U Later Alligator	293	0	bearing	$60
26	31	59	Blackie Pitt	'56 Buick	Brownie Pitt		252	0	rf hub	$60
27	7	286	Cotton Owens	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens		243	0	rf hub	$60
28	24	32	Ted Cannady	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Cannady		156	0	transmission	$60
29	23	204	Darvin Randahl	'56 Ford	Darvin Randahl		149	0	piston	$60
30	16	11	Tim Flock	'56 Chevrolet	Mauri Rose	Mauri Rose Engineering	69	0	crash	$60
31	26	264	Johnny Allen	'55 Plymouth	Spook Crawford		37	0	transmission	$60
32	35	35	Joe Bill O'Dell	'55 Rambler	Joe Gilliam		37	0	crash	$60
33	20	95	Bob Duell	'56 Ford	Julian Buesink		29	0	crash	$60
34	27	195	Jim Rhoades	'55 Packard	Jim Rhoades		25	0	tire	$60
35	17	6	Ralph Liguori	'56 Dodge	Ralph Liguori		8	0	piston	$60

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race

References

^ "1956 Virginia 500 information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "1956 Virginia 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
^ "Martinsville Speedway History". Visit Martinsville. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c "1956 Virginia 500 information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-02-12.
^ "Packard Motor Car Company at the 1956 Virginia 500". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-04.
^ "1956 Virginia 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
^ "1956 Virginia 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.

Preceded by 1955	Virginia 500 races 1956	Succeeded by 1957

[race_weather-1] "1956 Virginia 500 information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2011-08-26.

[1956v500-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ "1956 Virginia 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-17.

[3] "Martinsville Speedway History". Visit Martinsville. Retrieved 2014-04-04.

[tacksnascar-4] "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.

[marttrack-5] "NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2012.

[fantasyracingsheet-6] "1956 Virginia 500 information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-02-12.

[7] "Packard Motor Car Company at the 1956 Virginia 500". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2014-04-04.

[8] "1956 Virginia 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2018-07-30.

[9] "1956 Virginia 500 - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.

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