Glenn Dunaway

Glenn Dunaway
Born (1914-06-06)June 6, 1914
Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Died March 8, 1964(1964-03-08) (aged 49)
Camden, South Carolina
Cause of death Grade crossing accident
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
18 races run over 3 years
Best finish 9th (1949)
First race 1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race 1951 Atlanta 100 (Lakewood)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 8 1

Henry Glenn Dunaway[1] (July 6, 1914 – March 8, 1964) was an American auto racer noted for initially winning, and then being disqualified from, what is today recognized as NASCAR's first-ever race.

NASCAR career

1949

Dunaway competed in NASCAR first Strictly Stock (now Sprint Cup) race on June 19, 1949. He won the race by three laps over Jim Roper after all 33 cars in the race were overheating. Chief NASCAR inspector Al Crisler disqualified Dunaway’s car because car owner Hubert Westmoreland had shored up the chassis by spreading the rear springs, a favorite bootlegger trick to improve traction and handling.[2]

When asked about the illegal modifications, Dunaway responded: “Just one of them deals”. The night after the race ended, Dunaway went to Bill France's hotel room at the Alamo Plaza, told France that he knew he had won the race and France promptly gave Dunaway his winnings.[3] Westmoreland sued NASCAR for US$10,000,[4] but Greensboro, North Carolina Judge John J. Hayes threw the case out of court, thus setting a legal precedent that recognized NASCAR's power to oversee its own races. Dunaway received no money, and was credited with finishing last in the 33 car field. Roper was credited with the win in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock race.[5]

Dunaway used his own car to compete in five more events in 1949. He finished last at the next event at the Daytona Beach Road Course. He rebounded and finished third at Occoneechee Speedway, ninth at Hamburg Speedway, and seventh at Martinsville Speedway (then a half-mile dirt track). He finished ninth in the final 1949 points standings.[6]

1950–1951

He competed in seven events in 1950, and had his career high second-place finish at Canfield Speedway. He had 3 Top-10 finishes. He competed in five events in 1951, with 2 Top-10 finishes. He finished 89th in the final points.[6]

Death

Dunaway died at a train crossing near Camden, South Carolina on Sunday morning, March 8, 1964; he was 49 years old.[7]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

References

  1. ↑ Dutton, Monte (September 8, 2012). "NOTEBOOK: The wire keeps right on crackling". Gaston Gazette. Gastonia, NC. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  2. ↑ Profile on motorracing, dailypress.com; accessed December 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ Bill France incident, gastongazette.com; accessed December 8, 2014.
  4. ↑ Westmoreland sues NASCAR, tricklefan.com; accessed December 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ Reference to Judge Hayes' legal ruling, jcs-group.com; accessed December 8, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Profile, racing-reference.info; accessed December 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Two Gastonians Killed In Train-Car Collision". The Gastonia Gazette. Gastonia, NC. March 9, 1964. p. B1. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
  8. ↑ "Glenn Dunaway − 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Glenn Dunaway − 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Glenn Dunaway − 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved March 1, 2015.

Links

External links

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