NASCAR’s history is arguably one of the most interesting in global sports. There was once a time when a whopping 82 cars started the Southern 500, However, perhaps nothing was more unbelievable than the Convertible Series. Yes, NASCAR ran a competition from 1956 to 1962 in which convertibles ran on track. It saw several race winners during its time, including ‘The King’ Richard Petty.
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Convertibles were all the craze during the 1950s and NASCAR founder Will France decided to cash in on the trend. The cars looked much better than the commercial sedans of the time and were built for a young consumer market. A lot of these consumers were race fans who got a chance to showcase their skills thanks to NASCAR. However, the biggest drawback of the competition was its lack of safety measures.
On this day in 1957 Glen Wood won the 1957 NASCAR Convertible Series race at Champion Speedway. Wood started second and led 4 of the 150 laps to win the race pic.twitter.com/U1ZISZMjtJ
— NASCAR History Page (@nascar_by13) March 10, 2023
The first-ever NASCAR Convertible Series had a hectic schedule of 47 races. There were 36 races in the second and 19 in the third season. However, the championship winner remained the same in all three years. Bob Welborn was in unreal form during those years, The 1958 season was his best as he won eight of the 19 races.
The Pettys have a rich history in the convertible series. Richard’s father, the legendary Lee Petty, started 28 races in the competition, winning twice, and earning 14 top-five finishes. ‘The King’ himself won his first NASCAR Convertible race in the competition’s fourth season at the South Carolina Speedway on July 18, 1959. However, the family’s history isn’t limited to inside the car.
Lee Petty’s younger brother Julian Petty was the car owner for three-time champion Welborn in the 1958 season. That was one year before the last official Convertible Season. While some tracks hosted convertible races until 1962, the last full season was in 1959. There were far too many concerns to keep it going, safety perhaps being the biggest.
It had its issues but there were several memorable moments in the NASCAR Convertible Series. The Pettys were responsible for some that the fans look back at and cherish.
