Fantasy NASCAR Racing

Smith became known as 'the first lady of racing'.  She went as a spectator to her first NASCAR race at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949.  She could not stand watching the races, so she entered her family's shiny new Ford coupe in the race and rolled it.  She finished 20th.  She returned to Greenville by bus and when her husband asked why, she told him the car had broken down in Augusta, Ga.  He then produced a copy of the local newspaper with a photo of the crash and a headline "Louise Smith Wrecks At Daytona."  Her hometown Greenville, SC. paper featured photos of the wreck, and the town knew about it before she got home.  She raced from 1949 to 1956; running 11 events.  Smith started 38th in the 45 car field, and had a career best finish of 16th at Langhorne Speedway in PA.  She won 38 races in her career in numerous formats: late models, modifieds (28 victories), midgets, and sportsman.  Her driving style was aggressive and she often crashed, endearing her to spectators.  Her nickname was “The Good Ol’ Gal” and she became the subject of NASCAR legends - it has proved impossible to work out when she really started racing, and which stories about her are true.  For example, she is supposed to have come third in her first race, but failed to stop at the checkered flag, because the team owner had told her only to stop in the event of a red flag.  She returned in 1971 as a car owner for