HERBERT WATSON "HERB" THOMAS - 04/06/1923 - 08/09/2000
Was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s. In 1949, Thomas took part in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (the forerunner to the modern Cup Series) race, and made four starts in the series' first year. The following year, he made thirteen appearances in the series. He started the 1951 season with moderate success before switching to a Hudson Hornet, at the suggestion of fellow driver Marshall Teague. Thomas won the Southern 500 rather handily in what was famously dubbed "The Fabulous Hudson Hornet", which would be the first of six wins in a two month span. His late charge helped him narrowly defeat Fonty Flock to win the Cup championship. With help from crew chief Smokey Yunick, Thomas subsequently became the first owner/driver to take the championship in the process. In 1952, Thomas and his Hornet were involved in a close championship race with another Flock, Fonty's younger brother Tim. The two drivers won 8 races in their respective Hudsons, but Flock came out on top at the end. He returned with a vengeance in 1953 and dominated the entire season, winning a series best twelve races en route to becoming the first two-time series champion. Thomas won twelve races again in 1954, including a second Southern 500 win, but he was beaten by a more consistent Lee Petty in the championship standings. In 1955 he crashed heavily behind the wheel of a Buick at a race in Charlotte, forcing him to miss six months of the season. He returned to score his third Southern 500 win in his Motoramic Chevy, one
of three wins during the season. In 1956, Thomas briefly abandoned being an owner/driver and, after winning a race for himself early in the season, he drove for two other owners. He won once for Yunick, and later won three consecutive races while driving for Carl Kiekhaefer, then dominating NASCAR with the first professional team. He was severely injured at a race in Shelby, North Carolina. The wreck effectively ended his NASCAR career, though he had two starts in 1957 and one in 1962 without success. For his career Thomas ran 228 CUP events, claiming 48 wins. He had a 21% winning percentage. He won the Southern 500 three times, also getting three wins at Langhorne, and West Palm Beach. He won starting from the pole 19 times. On August 9, 2000, Herb Thomas suffered a heart attack and
died at the age of 77. Herb's younger brother Donald made 79 starts in the Grand National division between 1950 and 1956, winning at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway in 1952. Donald was the youngest driver to ever win a race in series history until Kyle Busch broke the record in 2005. Some info from Wikipedia.
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