1959 Firecracker 250

1959 Firecracker 250
Race details[1]
Race 26 of 44 in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season
1959 Firecracker 250 program cover
1959 Firecracker 250 program cover
Date July 4, 1959 (1959-07-04)
Location Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.02 km)
Distance 100 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds of 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)
Average speed 140.581 miles per hour (226.243 km/h)
Attendance 12,900[2]
Pole position
Driver
Jim Stephens
Time 144.997 miles per hour (233.350 km/h)
Most laps led
Driver Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens
Laps 82
Winner
No. 3 Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens

The 1959 Firecracker 250 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 4, 1959, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Summary

Contested over 100 laps it was the twenty-sixth race of the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Series season. Fireball Roberts, driving for Jim Stephens, took his first win of the season, while Joe Weatherly finished second and Johnny Allen finished third.

Results

Pos Grid Car Driver Owner Car Laps finished Lap led
1 1 3 Fireball Roberts Jim Stephens 1959 Pontiac 100 82
2 12 12 Joe Weatherly Doc White 1959 Thunderbird 100 8
3 11 22 Johnny Allen W.J. Ridgeway 1959 Chevrolet 99 0
4 5 47 Jack Smith Jack Smith 1959 Chevrolet 99 1
5 3 37 Eduardo Dibos Van Acker 1959 Thunderbird 98 0
6 2 73 Bob Burdick Roy Burdick 1959 Thunderbird 97 0
7 13 59 Tom Pistone Carl Rupert 1959 Thunderbird 96 7
8 21 6 Cotton Owens W.H. Watson 1959 Thunderbird 95 0
9 14 36 Tommy Irwin Tommy Irwin 1959 Thunderbird 95 0
10 7 7 Jim Reed Jim Reed 1959 Chevrolet 95 0
11 17 41 Speedy Thompson Doc White 1959 Thunderbird 94 0
12 6 44 Gene White 1959 Chevrolet 92 0
13 18 20 Benny Rakestraw Spook Crawford 1957 Mercury 92 0
14 16 92 George Alsobrook Joe Jones 1957 Ford 92 0
15 29 13 Tommy Thompson Tommy Thompson 1959 Chevrolet 90 0
16 34 83 Shorty Rollins A.J. Blackwelder 1958 Ford 90 0
17 22 76 Larry Frank Larry Frank 1957 Chevrolet 89 0
18 37 19 Herman Beam Herman Beam 1957 Chevrolet 89 0
19 20 77 Joe Lee Johnson Joe Lee Johnson 1957 Chevrolet 88 0
20 24 14 Ken Rush Manley Britt 1958 Ford 88 0
21 31 71 Dick Joslin Dick Joslin 1957 Dodge 87 0
22 10 99 Wilbur Rakestraw Talmadge Cochrane 1957 Mercury 87 0
23 23 4 Rex White Rex White 1959 Chevrolet 86 0
24 33 86 Larry Flynn Larry Flynn 1957 Ford 85 0
25 32 89 Roy Tyner Roy Tyner 1958 Chevrolet 84 0
26 4 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises 1959 Plymouth 78 0
27 27 49 Bob Welborn Bob Welborn 1959 Chevrolet 77 0
28 26 32 George Green Jess Potter 1958 Chevrolet 73 0
29 15 16 Charlie Cregar Happy Steigel 1959 Pontiac 70 0
30 9 60 John Paschall 1958 Ford 67 0
31 35 66 Dick Foley Dick Foley 1959 Chevrolet 60 0
32 36 97 Jim Austin Jim Austin 1959 Ford 33 0
33 19 42 Lee Petty Petty Enterprises 1959 Plymouth 27 0
34 30 34 G.C. Spencer G.C. Spencer 1957 Chevrolet 16 0
35 25 87 Buck Baker Buck Baker 1959 Chevrolet 12 0
36 8 10 Elmo Langley Ratus Walters 1959 Buick 11 0
37 28 82 Joe Eubanks Don Every 1958 Pontiac 2 0
Source:[2]

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start: Fireball Roberts had the pole position to start the race with.
  • Lap 3: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
  • Lap 4: Jack Smith took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
  • Lap 5: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Jack Smith.
  • Lap 11: Elmo Langley's engine suddenly stopped working.
  • Lap 16: G.C. Spencer's engine suddenly stopped working.
  • Lap 27: Lee Petty's fuel pump suddenly stopped working.
  • Lap 33: Jim Austin's water pump suddenly stopped working.
  • Lap 42: Tom Pistone took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
  • Lap 49: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Tom Pistone.
  • Lap 60: Timing issues managed to knock Dick Foley out of the race.
  • Lap 70: Charlie Cregar's engine suddenly stopped working.
  • Lap 73: George Green's vehicle developed a problematic fan; forcing him out of the race.
  • Lap 78: Joe Weatherly took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
  • Lap 85: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Joe Weatherly.
  • Lap 87: Dick Joslin's vehicle developed an oil leak that knocked him out of the race.
  • Lap 89: Larry Frank was officially disqualified from the race.
  • Finish: Fireball Roberts was officially declared the winner of the event.

References

  1. ^ Weather information for the 1959 Firecracker 250 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. ^ a b c "1959 Firecracker 250". Racing-Reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-05-18.


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