Donald Thomas (racing driver)

Donald Thomas
Born(1932-07-10)July 10, 1932
Olivia, North Carolina
DiedDecember 16, 1977(1977-12-16) (aged 45)
Sanford, North Carolina
NASCAR Cup Series career
79 races run over 7 years
1956 position110th
Best finish9th (1952)
First race1950 Race No. 4 (Martinsville)
Last race1956 Race No. 11 (Langhorne)
First win1952 Race No. 33 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 37 1

Donald Thomas (July 10, 1932 – December 16, 1977) was an American professional stock car racing driver. The younger brother of Herb Thomas, he made 79 NASCAR Grand National Series starts, scoring one win and one pole position.

Racing career

Thomas' NASCAR Grand National Series career spanned from his season in 1950 with age of 17 to 1956 with age of 23, although the bulk of his starts came between 1951 and 1954.[1] Thomas won the season's penultimate contest in 1952, capturing the checkered flag at Lakewood Speedway, taking the lead from his brother Herb in the closing stages of the race after the latter ran into mechanical trouble.[2] In doing so, he became NASCAR's youngest winner, a record that stood until Kyle Busch's 2005 triumph at Auto Club Speedway.[3]

Personal life

Thomas' childhood was spent on the family tobacco farm.[4] He was married and had two sons and two daughters.[5] He died in December 1977 and was buried near his home in Sanford, North Carolina.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Donald Thomas NASCAR Statistics". Driver Averages. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  2. ^ "On This Day Sunday 16th November 1952". 365 Days of Motoring. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  3. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (June 15, 2017). "NASCAR 101: The 10 Youngest First-Time Cup Winners". Frontstretch. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  4. ^ "Herb Thomas". Motor Sport. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Donald Thomas". Raleigh News and Observer. December 18, 1977. Retrieved October 31, 2020.