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