1959 Firecracker 250
The 1959 Firecracker 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 26 of 44 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 Track map of Daytona International Speedway. | |||
| Date | July 4, 1959 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02 km) | ||
| Distance | 100 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km) | ||
| Weather | Very hot with temperatures of 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds of 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 140.581 miles per hour (226.243 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 12,900[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Jim Stephens | ||
| Time | 144.997 miles per hour (233.350 km/h) | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Fireball Roberts | Jim Stephens | |
| Laps | 82 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Fireball Roberts | Jim Stephens | |
Summary
Contested over 100 laps it was the twenty-sixth race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season. Fireball Roberts, driving for Jim Stephens, took his first win of the season, while Joe Weatherly finished second and Johnny Allen finished third.
Results
| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Owner | Car | Laps finished | Lap led | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 3 | Fireball Roberts | Jim Stephens | 1959 Pontiac | 100 | 82 | |
| 2 | 12 | 12 | Joe Weatherly | Doc White | 1959 Thunderbird | 100 | 8 | |
| 3 | 11 | 22 | Johnny Allen | W.J. Ridgeway | 1959 Chevrolet | 99 | 0 | |
| 4 | 5 | 47 | Jack Smith | Jack Smith | 1959 Chevrolet | 99 | 1 | |
| 5 | 3 | 37 | Eduardo Dibos | Van Acker | 1959 Thunderbird | 98 | 0 | |
| 6 | 2 | 73 | Bob Burdick | Roy Burdick | 1959 Thunderbird | 97 | 0 | |
| 7 | 13 | 59 | Tom Pistone | Carl Rupert | 1959 Thunderbird | 96 | 7 | |
| 8 | 21 | 6 | Cotton Owens | W.H. Watson | 1959 Thunderbird | 95 | 0 | |
| 9 | 14 | 36 | Tommy Irwin | Tommy Irwin | 1959 Thunderbird | 95 | 0 | |
| 10 | 7 | 7 | Jim Reed | Jim Reed | 1959 Chevrolet | 95 | 0 | |
| 11 | 17 | 41 | Speedy Thompson | Doc White | 1959 Thunderbird | 94 | 0 | |
| 12 | 6 | 44 | Gene White | 1959 Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | ||
| 13 | 18 | 20 | Benny Rakestraw | Spook Crawford | 1957 Mercury | 92 | 0 | |
| 14 | 16 | 92 | George Alsobrook | Joe Jones | 1957 Ford | 92 | 0 | |
| 15 | 29 | 13 | Tommy Thompson | Tommy Thompson | 1959 Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | |
| 16 | 34 | 83 | Shorty Rollins | A.J. Blackwelder | 1958 Ford | 90 | 0 | |
| 17 | 22 | 76 | Larry Frank | Larry Frank | 1957 Chevrolet | 89 | 0 | |
| 18 | 37 | 19 | Herman Beam | Herman Beam | 1957 Chevrolet | 89 | 0 | |
| 19 | 20 | 77 | Joe Lee Johnson | Joe Lee Johnson | 1957 Chevrolet | 88 | 0 | |
| 20 | 24 | 14 | Ken Rush | Manley Britt | 1958 Ford | 88 | 0 | |
| 21 | 31 | 71 | Dick Joslin | Dick Joslin | 1957 Dodge | 87 | 0 | |
| 22 | 10 | 99 | Wilbur Rakestraw | Talmadge Cochrane | 1957 Mercury | 87 | 0 | |
| 23 | 23 | 4 | Rex White | Rex White | 1959 Chevrolet | 86 | 0 | |
| 24 | 33 | 86 | Larry Flynn | Larry Flynn | 1957 Ford | 85 | 0 | |
| 25 | 32 | 89 | Roy Tyner | Roy Tyner | 1958 Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | |
| 26 | 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | 1959 Plymouth | 78 | 0 | |
| 27 | 27 | 49 | Bob Welborn | Bob Welborn | 1959 Chevrolet | 77 | 0 | |
| 28 | 26 | 32 | George Green | Jess Potter | 1958 Chevrolet | 73 | 0 | |
| 29 | 15 | 16 | Charlie Cregar | Happy Steigel | 1959 Pontiac | 70 | 0 | |
| 30 | 9 | 60 | John Paschall | 1958 Ford | 67 | 0 | ||
| 31 | 35 | 66 | Dick Foley | Dick Foley | 1959 Chevrolet | 60 | 0 | |
| 32 | 36 | 97 | Jim Austin | Jim Austin | 1959 Ford | 33 | 0 | |
| 33 | 19 | 42 | Lee Petty | Petty Enterprises | 1959 Plymouth | 27 | 0 | |
| 34 | 30 | 34 | G.C. Spencer | G.C. Spencer | 1957 Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | |
| 35 | 25 | 87 | Buck Baker | Buck Baker | 1959 Chevrolet | 12 | 0 | |
| 36 | 8 | 10 | Elmo Langley | Ratus Walters | 1959 Buick | 11 | 0 | |
| 37 | 28 | 82 | Joe Eubanks | Don Every | 1958 Pontiac | 2 | 0 | |
Source:[2] | ||||||||
Timeline
Section reference: [2]
- Start: Fireball Roberts had the pole position to start the race with.
- Lap 3: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
- Lap 4: Jack Smith took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
- Lap 5: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Jack Smith.
- Lap 11: Elmo Langley's engine suddenly stopped working.
- Lap 16: G.C. Spencer's engine suddenly stopped working.
- Lap 27: Lee Petty's fuel pump suddenly stopped working.
- Lap 33: Jim Austin's water pump suddenly stopped working.
- Lap 42: Tom Pistone took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
- Lap 49: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Tom Pistone.
- Lap 60: Timing issues managed to knock Dick Foley out of the race.
- Lap 70: Charlie Cregar's engine suddenly stopped working.
- Lap 73: George Green's vehicle developed a problematic fan; forcing him out of the race.
- Lap 78: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
- Lap 85: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
- Lap 87: Dick Joslin's vehicle developed an oil leak that knocked him out of the race.
- Lap 89: Larry Frank was officially disqualified from the race.
- Finish: Fireball Roberts was officially declared the winner of the event.
References
- Weather information for the 1959 Firecracker 250 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- "1959 Firecracker 250". Racing-Reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
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