Race 35 of 45 in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1955 Southern 500 program cover
Date
September 5, 1955 (1955-September-05)
Official name
Southern 500
Location
Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
Course
Permanent racing facility 1.375 mi (2.221 km)
Distance
400 laps, 500 mi (800 km)
Weather
Very hot with temperatures of 82.9 °F (28.3 °C); wind speeds of 11.10 miles per hour (17.86 km/h)
Average speed
92.281 mph (148.512 km/h)
Attendance
50,000[3]
Pole position
Driver
Fireball Roberts
Bob Fish
Time
178.890 seconds
Most laps led
Driver
Joe Weatherly
Charlie Schwam
Laps
140
Winner
No. 9
Herb Thomas
Thomas Racing
Television in the United States
Network
WJMX (local AM radio)
Announcers
Local radio announcers
Motor car race
The 1955 Southern 500, the sixth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event. The event was held on September 5, 1955, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. This race spanned 500 miles on a paved oval track. An unofficial 30-minute highlight film of this race would appear on the collector's set of Stock Cars of 50s & 60s – Stock Car Memories: Darlington-Southern 500; which was released in 2008.[4]
The local radio station WJMX made it possible to hear the entire race.[4] Coverage of the race would be spotty outside the Darlington area due to the broadcasting limitations of AM radio. Confederate flags were frequently flown in all parts of the state back then;[5] they were shown alongside the Stars and Stripes.
^"Climate information for Darlington, South Carolina, on September 5, 1955". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
^"Pole qualifying time for the 1955 Southern 500". Ultimate Racing History. Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
^"1955 Southern 500 information". Racing-Reference. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2009-07-09.
^ abCite error: The named reference 1950sdvd was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Brunner, Borgna (2000-06-30). "Confederate Flag Controversy". Archived from the original on 27 September 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
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formative years in professional stock car racing. As a competitor in the 1955Southern500, he had the fastest finishing Ford in the race with a fifth-place...
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55- Junior Johnson 14- Slick Smith 3- Jimmy Ayers 23- Ken Johns The 1955Southern500 took place on September 5 at the Darlington Raceway in Darlington...
when adjusted for inflation) in take home pay. He competed in the 1955Southern500 in a 1954 Hudson Hornet as a driver/owner. Comstock was one of the...
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appearance at the 1955Southern500 under the Woodruff Motors sponsorship livery while driving a 1955 Chevrolet. In the 1955Southern500, Duckworth qualified...
appearances was at the 1955Southern500, one of the most prestigious NASCAR races before the inaugural running of the Daytona 500. During his career, Van...
the American town of Norfolk, Virginia. Platte only competed in the 1955Southern500, racing for Harry Parry in a Chevrolet with a 25th-place finish. In...
NASCAR Grand National driver who competed in 51 races (along with the 1955Southern500). Out of these 51 races, there has been twelve finishes in the top-five...
cricketer Tommy Thompson (NASCAR), American race car driver in the 1955Southern500 Tommy Thompson (racing driver) (1943–1978), Formula Super Vee racing...
1980s. For example, the 1955Southern500, one of the highest paying events prior to the inaugural running of the Daytona 500 paid only $50 as its lowest...
This owner competed in the 1955Southern500; with one of the highest paying prize purses prior to the 1959 Daytona 500. One of Ditz's wins came at the...
1912 – May 18, 2008) was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver from 1949 to 1955, recording 1 win, 13 top-5 and 23 top-10 finishes. He was born in Frewsburg...
driving a 1951 Hudson Hornet automobile. Joe was a competitor for the 1955Southern500 and was credited for having the fastest Oldsmobile 88 vehicle of that...
driver/owner who participated from 1952 to 1957. Terrell participated in the 1955Southern500. While failing to win a race in his entire career, Terrell managed...
average finish position was 21st. This driver was a competitor at the 1955Southern500 and received a ninth-place finish as the result of the race. Widenhouse's...
his most memorable appearances in NASCAR was at the 1955Southern500; where he would race in a 1955 Ford Fairlane owned by his brother W.W. "Brownie" Pitt...
course for Eakin. His only DNQ came at the 1955Southern500. The previous year at the 1954 Southern500, Eakin started in 31st in his 1954 Nash vehicle...
experience at the top level. He was a participant at both the 1955Southern500 and the 1959 Daytona 500 which were seen as the major events of his generation...
from start to finish during his entire career. His appearance at the 1955Southern500, where he would crash into Don Duckworth's stalled vehicle, would...
1947. This station also covered NASCAR races in the past like the 1955Southern500 that took place in nearby Darlington. The station featured local as...
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