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1956 Virginia 500

Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1956

Field	Value
Type	CUST
Description	Race 18 of 56 in the 1956 NASCAR Grand National Series season
Race Name	Virginia 500
Details ref
Fulldate
Year	1956
Race_No	18
Season_No	56
Image	1956_Virginia_500_program_cover.png
image-size	200px
image-alt
Caption	1965 Virginia 500 program cover
Weather	Temperatures of 67.7 F; wind speeds of 11.16 mph
Official name	Virginia 500
Location	Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia
Course_mi	0.525
Course_km	0.844
Distance_laps	500
Distance_mi	262.5
Distance_km	442.4
Avg	60.824 mi/h
Attendance	20,000
Pole_Driver	Buck Baker
Pole_Team	Carl Kiekhaefer
Most_Driver	Speedy Thompson
Most_Team	Carl Kiekhaefer
Most_laps	259
Car	502
First_Driver	Buck Baker
First_Team	Carl Kiekhaefer
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

| image-size = 200px | image-alt =

The 1956 Virginia 500 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on May 20, 1956, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. 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.

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. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 mi long. 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

Five hundred laps took place on a paved oval track spanning 0.500 mi for a grand total of 250 mi. The time of the race was four hours and three minutes while there were seven cautions for twenty laps. The average speed was 60.824 mi/h while the pole position speed was 66.103 mi/h.

Buck Baker defeated Speedy Thompson by half a lap. Other notable drivers in the race included Arden Mounts, Cotton Owens, Fireball Roberts, Tiny Lund, Paul Goldsmith, and Lee Petty. The winning vehicle was a 1956 Dodge Coronet. Thirty-five American drivers started the race. It would be the first time that a driver with the number 502 would win a race. Joe Bill O'Dell crashed on lap 37 causing his vehicle to have all four wheels off the ground.

A vehicle made by the Packard Motor Car Company qualified for the race; eventually finishing in 34th place due to a tire problem. 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.

Twenty thousands fans were on hand to watch the race. The total winnings of the race was $10,275 ($ when considering inflation). Buck Baker received $3,100 for the victory. ($ when considering inflation).

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

Timeline

Section reference:

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:

Fin	St	#	Driver	Make	Team/Owner	Sponsor	Laps	Led	Pts
1	502	Buck Baker	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer		500	125	running	$3,100
2	500	Speedy Thompson	'56 Dodge	Carl Kiekhaefer		500	259	running	$1,500
5	42	Lee Petty	'56 Dodge	Petty Enterprises		497	0	running	$1,025
8	3	Paul Goldsmith	'56 Chevrolet	Smokey Yunick		496	0	running	$750
9	2	Gwyn Staley	'56 Chevrolet	Hubert Westmoreland		491	0	running	$600
7	X	Rex White	'56 Chevrolet	Max Welborn		483	0	running	$450
19	418	Sherman Utsman	'56 Chevrolet	unknown		477	0	running	$350
13	14	Billy Myers	'56 Mercury	Bill Stroppe		475	0	running	$300
21	91	Jack Smith	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Chester		475	0	running	$200
15	12	Ralph Moody	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	Southeastern Dealers	467	0	running	$175
33	19	Harvey Henderson	'56 Ford	Harvey Henderson		464	0	running	$150
22	55	Tiny Lund	'56 Pontiac	A. L. Bumgartner		463	0	running	$100
6	7A	Bobby Johns	'56 Chevrolet	Shorty Johns		458	0	running	$100
34	240	Reitzel Darner	'56 Ford	Rat Garner		441	0	rf hub	$100
12	1	Bobby Myers	'55 Chevrolet	unknown		436	0	rf hub	$100
18	22	Fireball Roberts	'56 Ford	Pete DePaolo	DePaolo Engineering	435	0	running	$75
30	16	Ray Chaike	'56 Chevrolet			430	0	running	$75
25	9	Pee Wee Jones	'56 Ford	unknown		419	0	running	$75
32	211	George Cork	'55 Plymouth	unknown		405	0	running	$75
3	92	Herb Thomas	'56 Chevrolet	Herb Thomas		377	116	engine	$75
29	209	Pete Stewart	'56 Plymouth	Pete Stewart		356	0	rr axle	$60
28	18	Arden Mounts	'56 Pontiac	Arden Mounts		338	0	running	$60
10	285	Don Carr	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens		304	0	lug bolt	$60
14	150	Fred Lorenzen	'56 Chevrolet	Fred Lorenzen		293	0	running	$60
4	75	Jim Paschal	'56 Mercury	Frank Hayworth	C U Later Alligator	293	0	bearing	$60
31	59	Blackie Pitt	'56 Buick	Brownie Pitt		252	0	rf hub	$60
7	286	Cotton Owens	'56 Pontiac	Jim Stephens		243	0	rf hub	$60
24	32	Ted Cannady	'56 Chevrolet	Ted Cannady		156	0	transmission	$60
23	204	Darvin Randahl	'56 Ford	Darvin Randahl		149	0	piston	$60
16	11	Tim Flock	'56 Chevrolet	Mauri Rose	Mauri Rose Engineering	69	0	crash	$60
26	264	Johnny Allen	'55 Plymouth	Spook Crawford		37	0	transmission	$60
35	35	Joe Bill O'Dell	'55 Rambler	Joe Gilliam		37	0	crash	$60
20	95	Bob Duell	'56 Ford	Julian Buesink		29	0	crash	$60
27	195	Jim Rhoades	'55 Packard	Jim Rhoades		25	0	tire	$60
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.
"1956 Virginia 500 information". Racing Reference.
"Martinsville Speedway History". Visit Martinsville.
"NASCAR Race Tracks".
"NASCAR Tracks—The Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway.
"1956 Virginia 500 information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet.
"Packard Motor Car Company at the 1956 Virginia 500". Driver Averages.
"1956 Virginia 500 crew chief information". Racing Reference.
"1956 Virginia 500 - The Third Turn".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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