The Quiet Passing of Herb Thomas, A NASCAR Champion. By Michael Smith
Herb Thomas
Born: April 6, 1923 - Died: August 9, 2000
Home: Olivia, NC
Born on April 6, 1923, in Hartnett County, North Carolina, Herb Thomas started a sawmill business, supplying the military with lumber during World War II. After the war Thomas discovered racing, becoming a race car owner first, then competing in wildcat races as a driver. Thomas joined NASCAR as soon as it was started in 1947, and went on the Grand National (now Winston Cup) circuit as soon as it was organized two years later. Thomas won his first Grand National race with a Plymouth at Martinsville, Virginia in 1950. In 1951, racing a Hudson Hornet, Thomas won the Grand National Championship. Thomas won 48 NASCAR Winston Cup races during his driving career. He won the Grand National Championship twice (1951 and 1953), and came in second for that title three times (1952,1954, and 1956). Thomas was the first person to win three Southern 500's (1951, 1954 and 1955). Herb Thomas was seriously injured in a Shelby, NC race in October 1956, ending his racing career.
Thomas, a former truck driver, won 48 races in 230 starts, picking up 38 pole positions along the way, which is still 10th on the all-time list. Thomas won the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in 1951, 1954 and 1955; his '55 Southern 500 victory came despite being badly injured in racing accident three-and-a-half months earlier. He was first in laps led and races led for three consecutive seasons, beginning in 1952. Thomas was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in 1965 and the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in 1994. Thomas died in August 2000.
