The 1950 NASCAR Grand National season was the second season of professional stock car racing in the United States. Beginning at the Daytona Beach Road Course on February 5, 1950, the season included 19 races. The season concluded at Occoneechee Speedway on October 29. Bill Rexford won the Drivers' Championship with a 26th-place finish at the final race of the season, racing for Julian Buesink.
Schedule 19 different races were held at 14 different circuits, in 8 different states. The Southern 500 had the largest purse and therefore awarded the highest points, whilst race 1950–04, at the Martinsville Speedway, had the smallest purse. No.DateRace titleTrackPurse 1 February 5 1950–01 Daytona Beach Road Course, Daytona Beach 200 $6200 2 April 2 1950–02 Charlotte Speedway, Charlotte 150 $4125 3 April 16 1950–03 Langhorne Speedway, Middletown 150 $5500 4 May 21 1950–04 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 75 $3625 5 May 30 Poor Man's 500 Canfield Speedway, Canfield 100 $4350 6 June 18 1950–06 Vernon Fairgrounds, Vernon 100 $3850 7 June 25 1950–07 Dayton Speedway, Dayton 100 $3850 8 July 2 1950–08 Monroe County Fairgrounds, Rochester 100 $3850 9 July 23 1950–09 Charlotte Speedway, Charlotte 150 $4350 10 August 13 1950–10 Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsboro 100 $3975 11 August 20 1950–11 Dayton Speedway, Dayton 98 $3850 12 August 27 1950–12 Hamburg Speedway, Hamburg 100 $4350 13 September 4 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway, Darlington 500 $25325 14 September 17 1950–14 Langhorne Speedway, Langhorne 200 $5450 15 September 24 Wilkes 200 North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro 125 $3900 16 October 1 1950–16 Vernon Fairgrounds, Vernon 100 $3850 17 October 15 1950–17 Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 100 $3850 18 October 15 1950–18 Funk's Speedway, Winchester 100 $3750 19 October 29 1950–19 Occoneechee Speedway, Hillsboro 175 $4675
Race summaries
1950-01
The first race of the 1950 season was run on February 5 at the Daytona Beach Road Course in Daytona Beach, Florida. Joe Littlejohn won the pole. Harold Kite of East Point, Georgia, a former tank driver who began racing on the short tracks after World War II, drove past Red Byron in the 25th lap and went on to score a victory in the 200-mile Grand National opener of the 1950 season. Kite, competing in his first Grand National event, pushed his Lincoln around the sandy course at a record 89.894 mph and beat runner-up Byron to the finish line by 53 seconds. Third place went to Lloyd Moore, Al Gross was fourth, and J. C. Van Landingham, ending a lengthy absence, finished fifth. A crowd estimated at 9,500 watched Kite take the lead at the outset from pole sitter Littlejohn. Kite, a captain in the national guard, held the top spot until Byron passed him on the 15th lap. The defending NASCAR champion relinquished the lead to Kite in the 24th lap when he made a pit stop. Several laps later Byron was forced to make another pit stop to repair gear shift problems. He returned to the race running seventh. Kite went uncontested for the second half of the 48-lap affair on the 4.167-mile course, and Byron provided plenty of action as he worked his way up through the pack. He edged out Moore for second place with a final lap pass. Forty-one cars started the event and 21 were still running at the finish despite the fact that conditions on the beach were less than ideal. Flock turned in one of the most spirited efforts on the cloudy, breezy day. He finished seventh despite the fact that his car's left front wheel wobbled around every turn
Top-ten results
21- Harold Kite 22- Red Byron 59- Lloyd Moore 88- Al Gross 35- J. C. Van Landingham 90- Tim Flock 7- Bob Flock 4- Otis Martin 70- Buck Baker 47- Fonty Flock
1950-02
The second race of the 1950 season was run on April 2 at Charlotte Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Red Byron won the pole. Tim Flock, wheeling the same Lincoln that carried Harold Kite to victory at Daytona, drove around Byron in the 48th lap and stormed to victory in the 150-mile Grand National race. It was Flock's first win on the NASCAR major league tour. Bob Flock finished second, a half lap behind his younger brother. Clyde Minter wound up third, Byron came in fourth and Bill Snowden was fifth. Byron's fourth-place effort, coupled with his runner-up finish at Daytona, enabled him to move to the top of the Grand National points standings, 2.5 points ahead of Tim Flock. A crowd of 13,000 was on hand to watch Bob Flock lead the opening laps in his Oldsmobile. Pole sitter Byron then charged past and led for 42 laps on the three-quarter mile dirt track. Tim surged past Byron in the 48th lap and led the rest of the way. Lash LaRue, Western movie star, greeted Flock in victory lane. "This is my biggest win", said Flock. "To win a Grand National race is a dream come true." June Cleveland was running in the top five when he flipped his Buick in the 85th lap. The roof was flattened, and Cleveland was transported to a Charlotte hospital with cuts. He was not seriously injured. His crash occurred in the exact spot where Virginia driver Jesse Elmo "Hank" Stanley was killed a few weeks earlier in a modified sportsman race. Curtis Turner, Lee Petty, Buck Baker, Fonty Flock and Bill Blair—all rated as pre-race threats—failed to finish the 200-lap race.
Top-ten results
21- Tim Flock 7- Bob Flock 19- Clyde Minter 22- Red Byron ??‐ Bill Snowden 49- Glenn Dunaway ??‐ Jack White 10- Fred Johnson 92- Herb Thomas Huey Dunn
1950-03
The third race of the 1950 season was run on April 16 at Langhorne Speedway in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. Tim Flock won the pole.-- Curtis Turner prevailed in an intense struggle and won the 150-mile race on the one-mile dirt track. His second career Grand National win came at an average speed of 69.399 mph. The lead changed hands seven times as five drivers waged a furious duel. Tim Flock led the opening two laps from the pole position. Bill Blair pushed his Cadillac past Flock in the third lap and led until Flock assumed command again on lap eight. Flock led for 35 laps while 23-year-old rookie Bill Rexford moved into second. The two toured the circular oval in bumper-to-bumper fashion. Rexford sneaked past Flock in the 43rd lap and paced the action for 18 laps. Rexford's Oldsmobile began sputtering, which allowed Turner to take the lead on lap 61. Ray Erickson moved into the lead when he raced his Mercury past Turner in the 84th lap. He was bidding for his first Grand National triumph when a rock pierced his radiator, forcing him out after 114 laps. Turner took the lead at that point and led the rest of the way. Lloyd Moore, Jimmy Florian, Tim Flock and Lee Petty rounded out the top five. Flock was running third when a wheel came off his Lincoln and bounced into the path of Blair, who struck it. The steering column in Blair's Cadillac snapped, came up through the driver's compartment and hit the driver. The High Point, North Carolina, star spent one night in the hospital. Turner won $1,500 for his efforts as only six cars finished after 28 started. Points leader Red Byron did not enter the race. Tim Flock took over the points lead on the strength of his fourth-place finish. Turner's John Eanes-owned Oldsmobile was running on Dunlop tires. Dunlop had plenty of space on Turner's car — placing its name on the hood and side doors. Erickson's appearance was his last start of the year. A short time later, he lost an arm in a hot-rod crash. Also following the race, the FBI began investigating some individuals who were trying to introduce racketeering and gambling into stock car racing.
Top-ten results
41- Curtis Turner 59- Lloyd Moore 27- Jimmy Florian 21- Tim Flock 42- Lee Petty 90- Frank Mundy 66- Pappy Hough 293- Bob Dickson 8- Dick Linder 89- Pepper Cunningham
1950-04
The fourth race of the 1950 season was run on May 21 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, the first race in the lineage of the Virginia 500, the spring race at the track. Buck Baker won the pole. Curtis Turner got his second-straight Grand National win with a decisive triumph. The Roanoke, Virginia, "Blond Bomber" dashed ahead of Baker in the 11th lap and led the rest of the way in the 150-lap, 75 mile feature at the half-mile dirt oval. Jim Paschal finished second in a four-year-old Ford, Lee Petty was third and Glenn Dunnaway came in fourth. Cyde Minter picked up fifth spot. Turner's Oldsmobile outdistanced the field by two full laps. He up to only 2.5 points behind leader Tim Flock, who fell victim to rear end problems after 97 laps. Baker started on the pole at 54.216 mph in a Ford police special. He faded to eighth at the finish. Herb Thomas was running among the leaders in his Ford when a spindle broke in the final laps. He got credit for 14th in the field of 25.
Top-ten results
41- Curtis Turner 79- Jim Paschal 42- Lee Petty 49- Glenn Dunaway 19- Clyde Minter 31- Bill Long 91- Donald Thomas 87- Buck Baker 60- Bill Rexford 59- Lloyd Moore
Poor Man's 500
The fifth race of the 1950 season was run on May 30 at Canfield Speedway in Canfield, Ohio. The event was staged on the same day as the Indianapolis 500 — hence the title of the "Poor Man's 500". Jimmy Florian won the pole. Bill Rexford of Conewango Valley, New York, stalked Curtis Turner for over half the race, then took command to win the 100-mile race. Rexford took the lead in the 121st lap and went on to beat runner-up Glenn Dunnaway by two laps. Lloyd Moore finished third and took the lead in the Grand National point standings by 36.5 points over Tim Flock, who finished ninth. Lee Petty crossed the finish line in fourth place and Bill Blair took fifth. The promoters did pay some lap money, with $5 going to the leader of each lap from the 101st through the 200th. Rexford's earnings came to $1,400 with the lap money. Turner led the first 120 laps before his engine went sour. He departed after 133 laps and wound up 19th. A crowd of 11,000 showed up on Memorial Day and watched Al Gross, former stunt car driver for the Jimmy Lynch Thrill Show, flip his Oldsmobile in the ninth lap. Gross suffered a broken back and was taken to the hospital for an extended stay. Frank Canale posted the second-fastest qualifying time but overheating problems forced him out after 74 laps. Joe Merola was on hand with a new radically designed 1948 Tucker Torpedo, one of the most controversial and advanced automobiles. The car went out before Merola was able to complete a lap. This was the first NASCAR race with a name.
Top-ten results
60- Bill Rexford 49- Glenn Dunaway 59- Lloyd Moore 42- Lee Petty 22- Bill Blair 27- Jimmy Florian 48- Dick Burns 89- Bobby Courtwright 90- Tim Flock 293- Bob Dickson
1950-06
The sixth race of the 1950 season was run on June 18 at Vernon Fairgrounds in Vernon, New York. Chuck Mahoney won the pole. Bill Blair of High Point, North Carolina, took the lead in the 25th lap and led the remaining distance to score his first Grand National win at the Vernon Fairgrounds. A crowd of 15,000 showed up for the one-year anniversary of NASCAR Grand National stock car racing. Blair's Mercury was comfortably ahead of Lloyd Moore at the finish of the 100-mile race. Moore extended his point lead to 216.5 points over Tim Rock, who did not enter. Chuck Mahoney was third, while Dick Burns came in fourth and Lee Petty fifth. Mahoney started on the pole and led the first 18 laps. He was in the lead when his Mercury hit a loose wheel rolling on the track, blew a tire and bent an axle. His pit crew did an excellent job of repairing the damage, and even more incredible was his drive back into third place. Bill Rexford finished sixth and moved into the top-ten in points. Ann Chester became the fourth female driver to race in the Grand National ranks. Her Plymouth fell victim to early problems and she finished 22nd in the 23 car field.
Top-ten results
2- Bill Blair 59- Lloyd Moore 77- Chuck Mahoney 18- Dick Burns 42- Lee Petty 60- Bill Rexford 9- Art Lamey 27- Jimmy Florian 25- Dick Linder