Fantasy NASCAR Racing

During the early years of late model stock car racing on the west coast, no name was more well known than that of the South Gate, California driver Lou Figaro.  Figaro started his racing career in the early 1930’s and drove everything he could get his hands on. He liked stock cars, and by the end of WWII had decided to direct most of his energy to that type of racing.  He was always a Hudson man and when the Hudson Hornet came out in 1951, was there driving one of Jimmy Dane’s cars. He was especially fast on the high bands of Oakland, and the ½ mile dirt at Carrell Speedway.  He competed in 17 NASCAR Grand National (now Monster Cup Series) races in 1951 and 1954.  His first Cup start would come at Phoenix AZ State Fairgrounds.  He would drive a 1951 Hudson to a 21st place finish. His first career win would come in his eighth start at Carrell Speedway in Gardena CA.  He would win the pole and lead all 200 laps just edging out Chuck Meekins by 1/4 of a lap.  He ran a total of 14 races in 1951 posting three Top 5 finishes.  Along with his win he also finished fourth at Toldeo  OH and also in a second race in Gardenia. After being out of racing for three years, Figaro came back to run the last three races of the 1954 season.  He was killed in an accident during the 1954 Wilkes 160 at North Wilkesboro Speedway on October 24, 1954, when his vehicle smashed through the guardrail