1950
By Ben White
1950
PRESIDENT: HARRY S. TRUMAN
NO. 1 AT THE BOX OFFICE: CINDERELLA
MOVIE TO WATCH: FATHER OF THE BRIDE AND DESTINATION MOON
NO. 1 SONG: “GOODNIGHT, IRENE” BY GORDON JENKINS AND THE WEAVERS
GALLON OF GAS: 27 CENTS
POP CULTURE: THE NEW YORK YANKEES, LED BY AMERICAN LEAGUE MVP PHIL RIZZUTO, SWEPT THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES IN FOUR GAMES TO WIN THE 1950 WORLD SERIES.
BEST DRIVER
In a sophomore season that saw NASCAR sanction 19 Cup Series races, Curtis Turner, driving John Eanes’ No. 41 Oldsmobile, collected four victories in 16 starts on his way to a fifth-place finish in the final standings. Turner’s victories came in Langhorne, Pennsylvania; Martinsville, Virginia; Rochester, New York; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The Floyd, Virginia, native recorded seven top-10 results, but he also failed to finish as many races as he won.
BEST RACE
With his victory in the inaugural Southern 500 at South Carolina’s Darlington Raceway on Sept. 4, 1950, Johnny Mantz became an instant NASCAR star. The open-wheel racer from Long Beach, California, used hard Indy car-style tires and led 351 of 400 laps to capitalize on attrition suffered by others. He gained the lead at lap 50 and held it to the finish. Mantz raced in only 12 NASCAR premier series events through 1956.
TOP CARS
Driving Julius Buesnik’s No. 60 Oldsmobile, Bill Rexford recorded one win and 11 top-10 finishes in 17 races.
The No. 41 Eanes Motor Co. Oldsmobile driven by Curtis Turner won four times in 16 starts with seven top-10 results.
1950 Season Recap
DATE | LOCATION | WINNER
Feb. 5 | Daytona Beach and Road Course | Harold Kite
April 2 | Charlotte Speedway | Tim Flock
April 16 | Langhorne Speedway | Curtis Turner
May 21 | Martinsville Speedway | Curtis Turner
May 30 | Canfield Speedway | Bill Rexford
June 18 | Vernon Fairgrounds | Bill Blair
June 25 | Dayton Speedway | Jimmy Florian
July 2 | Monroe County Fairgrounds | Curtis Turner
July 23 | Charlotte Speedway | Curtis Turner
Aug. 13 | Occoneechee Speedway | Fireball Roberts
Aug. 20 | Dayton Speedway | Dick Linder
Aug. 27 | Hamburg Speedway | Dick Linder
Sept. 4 | Darlington Raceway | Johnny Mantz
Sept. 17 | Langhorne Speedway | Fonty Flock
Sept. 24 | North Wilkesboro Speedway | Leon Sales
Oct. 1 | Vernon Fairgrounds | Dick Linder
Oct. 15 | Martinsville Speedway | Herb Thomas
Oct. 15 | Funk’s Speedway | Lloyd Moore
Oct. 29 | Occoneechee Speedway | Lee Petty
