NASCAR question

That information is wrong. Lee Petty never raced a Hudson. He won the 1954 Championship in a Chrysler. Hudson won the championship in 1951-52 and 53.

Maybe a Matra ?

jasper wrote:

Not to change the subject (what's a Mata?), but did any stepdown Hudsons race in Nascar prior to the Hornet?

Also, did all Hornets run with a manual transmission, or did they also run with automatics?

Merry Christmas

I recall being at a stock car race somewhere near or in Birmingham Alabama prior to the introduction of the 51 Hornet. The race was a dirt track obviously designed to be a horse track. probably a fairgrounds. There was at least one Hudson a '48 or '49. Many otherbrands. Back in those days many local dealers would enter cars.usually off the showroom. Any transmission could be and was used. The hard core racers that came out of those early years stuck to manual transmissions.Hard to imagine..Lincoln, Ford, Buick, Packard, Studebaker are some I am sure of. Now this was when they were REALLY stock. Tape over the headlights..That race was shortened because no one could see the track including the DRIVERS due to the dust. Huge holes appeared in the turns and cars were actually rolling over if they happened to get sideways in the HOLE. I don't know if it was a Nascar sponsored event or just thrown together by a local promoter.

That was my first race to attend at the age of about 10 or 11.

Later in Rougemont NC speedway, also dirt, I saw Lee Petty driving a "Red Ram Dodge". Richard was about 12 then. The present Rougemont track is in a different location. Don't remember the year but there were two '53 red and white Oldsmobiles sponsored by "Hellzapoppin" a broadway play. One rolled over and my buddy and I got the chrome "88" off the left rear quarter of the wreck. We borrowed a screw driver from Richard out of his daddys tool box . In those days the infield was the same as the pits. Someone with a more lucid memory might be able to pinpoint the year.:)

dougson wrote:

Sounds like great fun, do you still have the "88" piece? Where I grew up, there were no tracks anywhere nearby. The only race I tried to get to (in New Hamphire), my buddy and I ran out of gas and money. A cop gave us 50 cents to buy two gallons of gas so we could get home.

Nope don't have it. Billy Richardson got it..and I think it was two pieces two "8"s.

I was lucky to spend my teen years in Raleigh NC and went to many Nascar Races. I would go to Raleigh Speedway on weekends and sell programs, Pepsi's what ever it took to get in free! Got to see all the soon to be greats race. Fireball Roberts, Glenn Wood, Bobby and Billy Meyers, and many others.They would come in from Virginia and Western NC. Bowman Gray Stadium was another hot track that attracted the serious racers. Most all drove Early Ford "buggy spring" cars. Later in the fifties they allowed the OHV V8's. Sure changed the speeds! One of my favorites were Fuzzy and Eb Clifton of Germantown NC. They drove GM cars with GMC inline sixes. Kicked some butt too! sounded really neat..:) I don't recall any Hudsons in the local races. But many in the Nascar sanctioned races in Fayettville, Rougemont and others. Herb Thomas was my idol back then.. Of course he had the most "inovative" mechanic..Smokey.

[Super Dave's question, "What is a Matra?" This brings up another mata. Does anyone have an answer to put this mata to rest?



Happy new year to everone. Lee[/QUOTE]



A French car..Had some success in F-1 in later years.:cool: