1949 Wilkes 200

Race details[1][2]
Race 8 of 8 in the1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock season
North Wilkesboro Speedway
Date	October 16, 1949 (1949-10-16)
Official name	Wilkes 200
Location	North Wilkesboro Speedway,North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course	Permanent racing facility
Course length	0.500 miles (0.804 km)
Distance	200 laps, 100 mi (150 km)
Weather	Chilly with temperatures reaching up to 68.0 °F (20.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
Average speed	53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h)
Attendance	10,000
Pole position
Driver	Kenneth Wagner	(Dailey Moyer owner)
Time	31.27 seconds
Most laps led
Driver	Bill Blair	(Sam Rice owner)
Laps	180
Winner
No. 7	Bob Flock	(Frank Christian owner)
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The1949 Wilkes 200 was aNASCARStrictly Stock Series racing event that took place on October 16, 1949.^[where?][3]

Ten thousand people would attend this live racing event whereKenneth Wagner qualified for the race with apole position speed of 57.563 miles per hour (92.639 km/h) – the equivalent of 31.27 seconds.^[2][3] The entire race took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) per lap.^[2][3] Weather conditions for the race were recorded at nearbyHickory Regional Airport; a publicairport located three miles (5 km) west of thecentral business district of nearbyHickory, North Carolina.^[1]

This would be the final race of the1949 NASCAR season and would take place atNorth Wilkesboro Speedway inNorth Wilkesboro,North Carolina.^[2][3]

Bob Flock would defeatLee Petty by an entire football field – 100 yards (91 m) – to win NASCAR's first racing event with an established name.^[2][3] Flock would earn a mere $1,500 in prize winnings ($19,823.08 when inflation is taken into effect).^[4]Frank Mundy would receive a last-place finish for only finishing 38 laps out of the mandated 200 laps.^[2][3]Bill Blair would lead the most laps in this race with 180 laps led out of 200.^[3]

Red Byron would go on to win NASCAR's first ever championship whileSara Christian would become one of its first female drivers.^[5] Byron almost became a cripple after being shot by an enemy fighter plane while serving as a tail gunner on aB-24 Liberator bomber duringWorld War II. He spent two years in military hospitals rehabilitating his leg so that he could compete in NASCAR after the war ended.^[5]

Notable crew chiefs who actively participated in the race wereBuddy Elliott,Julian Petty,Buddy Helms,Red Vogt, andCliff Rainwater.^[6]

While Red Byron and Lee Petty were the better drivers of the 1949 NASCAR Cup Series season, Bill Blair was the most consistent driver along with Petty.

Section reference:^[2]

• Start of race: Bill Blair starts off the race in the pole position
• Lap 38: Frank Mundy withdrew from the race for reasons unknown
• Lap 155: Red Byron withdrew from the race for reasons unknown, he was assumed not have been paid for participating in this event
• Lap 181: Bob Flock takes over the lead from Bill Blair
• Lap 188: Sara Christian ended the racing event 12 laps behind Herb Thomas
• Lap 191: Bill Blair had a terminal problem with his engine, forcing him out of the race
• Lap 196: Roy Hall may or may not have finished the race six laps behind Thomas, records of this race were not kept in the NASCAR archives
• Finish: Bob Flock was officially declared the winner of the event

• Lead changes: 2
• Cautions: N/A
• Red flags: N/A
• Time of race: 1 hours, 52 minutes, and 16 seconds
• Average speed: 53.364 miles per hour (85.881 km/h)
• Margin of Victory: 100 yards

• 1949 in NASCAR
• 1949 in sports in North Carolina
• NASCAR races at North Wilkesboro Speedway
• 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Series
• October 1949 sports events in the United States

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from February 2025
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from November 2020