1957 NASCAR Grand National Series
The 1957 NASCAR Grand National (now Sprint Cup Series) season saw driver Buck Baker win his second consecutive NASCAR championship. Baker won the championship with 10,716 points over second place driver Marvin Panch (9,956), and Speedy Thompson (8,560). Baker was the first driver to win back to back NASCAR championships. Baker accumulated $30,764 for his efforts in the 1957 NASCAR season.
Overview
In February 1957 the first '57 Chevy, affectionately known as the 'Black Widow' made its debut in NASCAR at the Daytona International Speedway. Throughout the year drivers Buck Baker, Marvin Paunch, Fireball Roberts, Larry Frank, Speedy Thompson, and Bob Welborn would pilot these now classic vehicles.[1]
Early in the 1957 season the Automobile Manufactures Association (AMA) stated that its members should become less involved in motor sports. When a car left the track at Martinsville Speedway, five spectators were injured, including a young boy. Ford, General Motors and Chrysler became less passionate about providing financial and administrative support for the teams.[2] On June 6 the auto manufactures withdrew their backing from the sport.[3] Late in the season at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a wheel from driver Tiny Lund's car was thrown into stands, and a spectator was killed.[2]
On November 27, 1957, construction began on a new race track now known as Daytona International Speedway after five years of negations. The ground-breaking ceremony takes place one month to the day after Buck Baker wins the final event of the season at Central Carolina Fairgrounds in Greensboro, N.C;[3] thus securing his second consecutive championship.[2]
Season Recap
The 1957 season opened at the Willow Springs Speedway in Lancaster, California. Marvin Panch won the event, and followed that with a second consecutive win at the following event at the Concord Speedway late in 1956. Fireball Roberts, Cotton Owens, Jack Smith, and Ralph Moody all notched wins during the next four events before Buck Baker took his first trip to victory lane at Hillsboro, North Carolina in March 1957.[4]
On February 17 Pontiac gathered its first-ever NASCAR win at Daytona Beech with Cotton Owens at the wheel.[4] In May, a scheduled 500 lap race at Martinsville Speedway was halted after 441 circuits due to a crash. On June 6 all factory supported teams disbanded as American auto manufactures withdrew their support from NASCAR.[4]
During an event on September 2, driver Bobby Myers is killed in a crash on lap 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Speedy Thompson went on to win that first race to average over 100 mph at the track. On October 12, 1957 Fireball Roberts won a 100-mile race at Newberry Speedway; and the event holds the dubious distinction of having the smallest crowd in NASCAR history as only 900 spectators looked on.[4]
When the season had ended, a total of 19 drivers had won at least one Grand National event.
1957 Final Standings
| Finish | Driver | Races | Wins | Poles | Points | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buck Baker | 40 | 10 | 6 | 10,716 | $30,763 |
| 2 | Marvin Panch | 42 | 6 | 4 | 9956 | $24,307 |
| 3 | Speedy Thompson | 38 | 2 | 4 | 8580 | $26,841 |
| 4 | Lee Petty | 38 | 2 | 4 | 8528 | $18,325 |
| 5 | Jack Smith | 40 | 4 | 2 | 8464 | $14,561 |
| 6 | Fireball Roberts | 42 | 8 | 4 | 8268 | $19,828 |
| 7 | Johnny Allen | 42 | 0 | 1 | 7068 | $9,814 |
| 8 | L.D. Austin | 40 | 0 | 0 | 6532 | $6,485 |
| 9 | Bob "Brownie" King | 36 | 0 | 0 | 5740 | $5,589 |
| 10 | Jim Paschal | 35 | 0 | 0 | 5136 | $4,999 |
Race results
References
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