Bill Blair (racing driver)

William Ivey "Bill" Blair (July 14, 1911 in High Point, North Carolina, US – November 2, 1995) was an American stock car racing driver in the 1940s and the 1950s, and he was one of the pioneers of NASCAR.

Bill Blair
Born(1911-07-14)July 14, 1911
High Point, North Carolina
DiedNovember 2, 1995(1995-11-02) (aged 84)
NASCAR Cup Series career
123 races run over 10 years
Best finish4th (1949)
First race1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race1958 Lakewood Speedway (Atlanta)
First win1950 Vernon Fairgrounds (Vernon, NY)
Last win1953 Daytona Beach
Wins Top tens Poles
3 54 1

Racing career

Blair started his racing career as a bootlegger in the 1930s. In 1939, he began racing at the newly-constructed High Point Speedway, and he opened his own track Tri-City Speedway after World War II.[1][2]

Blair won three NASCAR Strictly Stock/Grand National races:

  • June 18, 1950 – Blair piloted a 1950 Mercury owned by Sam Rice to victory in a race at Vernon Faigrounds in Vernon, NY.
  • April 20, 1952 – Blair drove a 1952 Oldsmobile owned by George Hutchens to his second win at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, GA.
  • February 15, 1953 – In his final series victory, Blair drove his 1953 Oldsmobile to victory lane at the Beach & Road Course in Daytona Beach, FL.[3]

Memorial

Blair, Jimmie Lewallen, and Fred Harb are the subject of the independent movie Red Dirt Rising" which is based on the book Red Dirt Tracks: The Forgotten Heroes of Early Stockcar Racing by Gail Cauble Gurley.[4]

References
  1. Salchert, Ryan (February 29, 2016). "Hillsborough's racing past". The Daily Tar Heel. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  2. Floyd, David (August 21, 2015). "Moonshine and stock car racing have a longstanding relationship". Johnson City Press. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  3. Film of 1953 Daytona Beach event
  4. Movie tells stories of race drivers and the community they live in; Jamie Kennedy Jones, July 15, 2007, Greensboro News & Record; Retrieved December 24, 2007


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