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Jack Smith (American racing driver, born 1924)

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This article is about the American racing driver from Georgia. For the Australian driver, see Jack Smith (Australian racing driver). For the American racing driver from Ohio, see Jack Smith (American racing driver, born 1973).
Jack Smith
Born(1923-05-24)May 24, 1923
Metropolis, Illinois, U.S.
DiedOctober 17, 2001(2001-10-17) (aged 78)
Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Cause of deathCongestive heart failure
AwardsInducted in the National Motorsports Press Hall of Fame
Inducted in the Daytona Beach Hall of Fame
1959 NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award
Inducted in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2002
NASCAR Cup Series career
264 races run over 15 years
Best finish4th (1962)
First race1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race1964 Sunshine 200 (Savannah)
First win1956 Old Dominion 400 (Martinsville)
Last win1962 untitled race (New Ashville)
Wins Top tens Poles
21 142 23
NASCAR Convertible Division career
16 races run over 4 years
Best finish33rd (1957)
First race1956 Race No. 39 (Atlanta)
Last race1959 Race No. 14 (Greenville-Pickens)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 7 0

Jack Thomas Smith (May 24, 1923 – October 17, 2001) was an American stock car racer. He raced in the first NASCAR race, in 1949, and is a member of the NMPA Hall of Fame in Darlington, South Carolina.

Biography

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Smith was born in Metropolis, Illinois and then moved to Georgia when he was two years old, settling in Roswell, Georgia. Jack got his start in the automotive industry by working in his father shop at a young age. Jack worked at a service station in the 1940's near Roswell. He began racing against local bootleggers on rough dirt tracks and asphalt superspeedways, and across fields. He began racing in 1947 after building a car.[1]

He made his debut in NASCAR's first race, in 1949 at the Charlotte Speedway, and finished 13th. At the 1958 Southern 500 at Darlington, Jack trailed a car blowing up and getting caught in the oil, his car started tumble, flipping his car five times and rolling into the parking lot, after a doctor checked him out, he came out un-injured and drove home that night.[1] He won the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award in 1959; although he tied Junior Johnson in the initial voting, a second ballot was opened that Smith won.[2] Jack was known in his early days to run mainly Pontiac's. As a result during a time when teams started to get a stranglehold in the sport, engineer Ray Nichols approached Jack to run his car in select races in 1960.

In the 1960s, he and team owner Bud Moore became the first to communicate in a race via two-way radio.[1] Smith was known for his racing superstitions of no green cars among other things. After his racing career ended, he focused on his transmission business, He died from congestive heart failure on October 17, 2001.[1]

Motorsports career results

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NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.)

Grand National Series

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NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 NGNC Pts Ref
1949 Bishop Brothers 52 Ford CLT
13 		DAB HBO LAN HAM MAR HEI NWS 58th 12 [3]
1950 25 Olds DAB
27 		CLT LAN MAR CAN VER DSP MCF CLT HBO DSP HAM 32nd 180 [4]
19 Olds DAR
29 		LAN
Bishop Brothers Plymouth NWS
2 		VER MAR WIN HBO
1951 Hubert Westmoreland 2-B Plymouth DAB
29 		CLT NMO GAR HBO ASF NWS MAR CAN CLS CLB DSP GAR GRS BAI HEI 39th 360.5 [5]
98 Plymouth AWS
13 		MCF ALS
B. J. Dantone 44 Plymouth MSF
37 		FMS MOR ABS
Wally Marks 57 Olds DAR
48 		CLB CCS LAN CLT DSP WIL HBO TPN PGS MAR OAK NWS HMS
Jack Smith 44 Hudson JSP
2 		NMO
22
44X ATL
3 		GAR
1952 44 PBS
20 		34th 729 [6]
Harold Mays 77 Chrysler DAB
31 		JSP NWS MAR CLB
9
Perry Smith 23 Studebaker ATL
19 		CCS
16* 		LAN
8 Studebaker DAR
17 		DSP CAN HAY FMS HBO CLT MSF NIF OSW MON MOR PPS MCF AWS
Ted Chester 9 Hudson DAR
11 		CCS LAN DSP WIL HBO MAR NWS
Walt Chapman 120 Hudson ATL
6 		PBS
1954 Jack Smith 122 Olds PBS DAB
6 		JSP ATL
24 		OSP
19 		OAK NWS HBO CCS
22 		LAN WIL MAR SHA RSP CLT GAR CLB 64th 376 [7]
14 Plymouth LND
23 		HCY MCF WGS PIF AWS SFS GRS
141 Ford MOR
17 		OAK CLT SAN COR DAR CCS CLT LAN MAS MAR NWS
1955 1 Chevy TCS PBS JSP DAB OSP CLB HBO NWS MGY LAN CLT HCY ASF TUS MAR RCH NCF FOR LIN MCF FON AIR CLT PIF CLB AWS MOR ALS NYF SAN CLT FOR MAS RSP DAR
DNQ 		MGY
6 		LAN RSP GPS
8 		MAS CLB MAR LVP NWS HBO 141st – [8]
1956 Joe Jones 999 Ford HCY CLT WSS PBS ASF DAB
70 		PBS
23 		WIL
14 		ATL NWS LAN RCH CLB CON GPS HCY HBO 21st 2320 [9]
Ted Chester 91 Chevy MAR
9 		LIN MAS
10 		CLT MCF POR AWS
29 		RSP
10 		PIF CSF CHI CCF MGY
7 		OKL ROA OBS SAN NOR PIF MYB POR DAR
27 		CSH
11 		CLT LAN POR CLB HBO NWP CLT
A. L. Bumgarner 55 Pontiac CLT
9 		POR EUR NYF MER
DePaolo Engineering 296 Ford CCF
18
Carl Kiekhaefer 502 Dodge MAR
1*
500 HCY
18 		WIL
14
1957 Ted Chester 610 Chevy WSS CON
20 		TIC 5th 8464 [10]
Hugh Babb 47 Chevy DAB
34 		CON
1* 		WIL
10 		HBO
3 		AWS
4 		NWS
18 		LAN
7 		CLT
15 		PIF
12 		GBF
2 		POR CCF
5 		RCH
14 		MAR
6 		POR EUR LIN
6 		LCS
6 		ASP
Jack Smith NWP
4 		CLB
1 		CPS PIF
5 		JAC
5 		RSP
17 		CLT
13* 		MAS
13* 		POR HCY
1 		NOR
5 		LCS
12 		GLN KPC LIN
18 		OBS
5 		MYB
8 		DAR
10 		NYF
17 		AWS
5 		CSF SCF LAN
38 		CLB
13 		CCF CLT
9 		MAR
7 		NBR
3 		CON
5 		NWS
1 		GBF
4
1958 FAY
7* 		CON
6 		FAY
25 		WIL
4 		HBO
12 		FAY
27 		CLB
2 		PIF
2 		ATL
13 		CLT
2 		ODS
2 		OBS
6 		GPS
1 		GBF
19 		STR
8 		NWS
2 		TRN
33 		CLB
6* 		NBS
4 		REF
21 		LIN
20 		HCY
4 		AWS
25 		MCC
5 		SLS TOR BUF MCF
17 		BEL
5 		BRR
1** 		CLB NSV
8 		BIR
12 		CSF GAF RCH HBO SAS 5th 7666 [11]
Pontiac DAB
3 		MAR
21 		RSD
3 		RSP
32 		DAR
31 		CLT
48 Chevy BGS
22
Shorty Rollins 99 Ford AWS
31 		BGS MBS
Gene White 25 Chevy MAR
13
Buck Baker Racing 86 Chevy NWS
5
8 Chevy ATL
28
1959 Jack Smith 47 Chevy FAY DAY
27 		DAY
7* 		HBO CON ATL
21 		WIL BGS CLB
1 		NWS
2 		REF HCY MAR TRN CLT
10 		NSV ASP PIF
1 		GPS
20 		ATL
7 		CLB WIL RCH BGS AWS DAY
4 		HEI CLT
1 		MBS CLT NSV AWS
3 		BGS DAR
28 		HCY
13 		RCH
16 		CSF HBO
16* 		MAR
29 		AWS
3 		NWS
11 		CON
1* 		8th 6150 [12]
Gerald Duke 92 Ford GPS
4 		CLB
1960 Jack Smith 47 Chevy CLT
1 		CLB
2 		DAY 14th 6944 [13]
Pontiac DAY
1** 		DAY
23 		CLT NWS PHO CLB MAR
DNQ 		HCY WIL BGS GPS AWS
17 		DAR PIF
18 		HBO
3 		RCH HMS CLT
12* 		BGS DAY
1* 		HEI MAB MBS ATL
3 		BIR NSV AWS
5 		PIF CLB SBO BGS DAR HCY CSF GSP HBO MAR NWS CLT
44 		RCH ATL
26
1961 CLT JSP DAY
3 		DAY DAY
6 		PIF AWS HMS ATL
21 		GPS
19 		HBO BGS MAR NWS CLB
21 		HCY
13 		RCH MAR DAR CLT PIF
9 		GPS
1 		BGS NOR HAS
2 		STR CLB
18 		MBS
20 		AWS
9 		RCH SBO DAR HCY
2 		RCH CSF ATL
4 		MAR CLT
37 		7th 15186 [14]
46 CLT
3 		RSD ASP CLT
7 		BIR
3 		DAY
3 		ATL
5 		BRI
1* 		NSV
15 		BGS NWS
24 		BRI
21 		GPS
14 		HBO
1962 CON
1* 		AWS
4 		4th 22870 [15]
47 DAY
2 		DAY DAY
4 		CON
4 		AWS
5 		SVH
1* 		HBO
4 		RCH
14 		CLB
3 		NWS
9 		GPS
13 		MBS
1 		MAR
7 		BGS
2 		BRI
3 		RCH
2 		HCY
1** 		CON
4 		DAR
4 		PIF
7 		CLT
24 		ATL
13 		BGS
10 		AUG
12 		RCH
8 		SBO
2* 		DAY
4 		CLB
3 		ASH
1* 		GPS
2 		AUG
14 		SVH
18 		MBS
3 		BRI
21 		CHT
10 		NSV
18 		HUN
6 		AWS
5 		STR
5 		BGS
2* 		PIF
3 		VAL
11 		DAR
34 		HCY
23 		RCH
29 		DTS AUG
12 		MAR
4 		NWS
13 		CLT
24
17 ATL
9
1963 47 BIR
6 		GGS THS RSD 24th 8218 [16]
Chrysler DAY
25 		DAY DAY
44 		PIF AWS HBO
Plymouth ATL
29 		HCY
21 		BRI
29 		AUG RCH
12 		GPS SBO BGS MAR
10 		NWS
10 		CLB
5 		THS DAR ODS RCH CLT
41 		BIR
5 		ATL
24 		DAY
32 		MBS BRI
24 		AWS
6 		PIF BGS ONA
17 		DAR HCY
19 		RCH
12 		MAR
9 		DTS NWS
24 		THS CLT
15 		SBO
21 		HBO RSD
6
48 SVH
4 		DTS BGS
5 		ASH
14 		OBS BRR CLB
7
Dodge GPS
20 		NSV
1964 Plymouth CON
21 		81st 932 [17]
Archie Smith 47 AUG
32 		JSP
3 		SVH
2 		RSD DAY DAY DAY RCH BRI GPS BGS ATL AWS HBO PIF CLB NWS MAR SVH DAR LGY HCY SBO CLT GPS ASH ATL CON NSV CHT BIR VAL PIF DAY ODS OBS BRR ISP GLN LIN BRI NSV MBS AWS DTS ONA CLB BGS STR DAR HCY RCH ODS HBO MAR SVH NWS CLT HAR AUG JAC
Daytona 500
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Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1959 Jack Smith Chevrolet 41 7
1960 2 23
1961 Pontiac 5 6
1962 3 4
1963 Chrysler 38 44

Convertible Division

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NASCAR Convertible Division results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 NCC Pts Ref
1956 Schwam Motors 99 Ford DAB CLT HBO FAY PCH MGY HCY LCS GBF OBS RSP LAN STR CLB LKS TUL TFT KSF MOF NOR WIL CHI FRS NYF TOR BUF BEL LIN FWS BGS CLB HCY CLT FRS MCF HEI RSP GPS ATL
23 		MCC CHI MAS CCF MAR PIF AWS HBO – – [18]
1957 Hugh Babb 46 Chevy JAC DAB FAY GBF ODS HBO RCH GPS WIL HCY
3 		BGS NOR LAN DAR
6 		CLT MCC PIF NYF OBS AWS 33rd 976 [19]
Bob Welborn 8 Chevy PCH
2 		MCF BGS CON PHI CHI CLB
Jack Smith 46 Chevy RSP
30 		NOR
14 		MAR
5 		FAY CLT NWS NOR WIL CLB
1958 47 Pontiac DAB NWS RCH BGS AWS HCY CLB WIL DAR
8 		39th 588 [20]
Wood Brothers Racing 21 Ford CLT
20 		ATL MAR BIR CLB GPS MBS CLT WIL SAS
1959 Bud Moore Engineering 47 Chevy DAY FAY RCH HCY MRL CLT
28 		HBO
2 		DAR
30 		CLB
28 		AWS
24 		BGS MAR CLB
2 		GPS
12 		CLT 44th 552 [21]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Winston, Chris (October 19, 2001). "Local racing legend dies JACK SMITH: Hall of Famer won 21 NASCAR races Smith's 21 wins rank 24th all-time". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  2. ^ "Jack Smith NASCAR's Most Popular Driver". Johnson City Press. AP. January 19, 1959. Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Jack Smith – 1949 NASCAR Strictly Stock Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  4. ^ "Jack Smith – 1950 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. ^ "Jack Smith – 1951 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jack Smith – 1952 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "Jack Smith – 1954 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Jack Smith – 1955 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Jack Smith – 1956 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  10. ^ "Jack Smith – 1957 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Jack Smith – 1958 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  12. ^ "Jack Smith – 1959 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Jack Smith – 1960 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  14. ^ "Jack Smith – 1961 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "Jack Smith – 1962 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  16. ^ "Jack Smith – 1963 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "Jack Smith – 1964 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  18. ^ "Jack Smith – 1956 NASCAR Convertible Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  19. ^ "Jack Smith – 1957 NASCAR Convertible Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  20. ^ "Jack Smith – 1958 NASCAR Convertible Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  21. ^ "Jack Smith – 1959 NASCAR Convertible Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
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