Red Byron

For other people named Robert Byron, see Robert Byron (disambiguation).

Robert Nold "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915 – November 11, 1960) was an American stock car racing driver, who was successful in NASCAR competition in the sanctioning body's first years. He was NASCAR's first Modified champion (and its first champion in any division) in 1948 and its first Strictly Stock (predecessor to NASCAR Cup Series) champion in 1949. Along with Bob Flock, he is considered one of the best drivers of the era. He won the first NASCAR race at Daytona Beach and Road Course and won the inaugural NASCAR Strictly Stock driver's championship.

Red Byron
Red Byron's car displayed in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Born	Robert Nold Byron (1915-03-12)March 12, 1915 Plasterco, Virginia, U.S.
Died	November 11, 1960(1960-11-11) (aged 45) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of death	Heart attack
Achievements	1949 Strictly Stock Champion 1948 NASCAR Modified Champion 1949 Daytona Beach Road Course Winner (Inaugural race) Strictly Stock in wins leader (1949)
Awards	National Motorsports Hall of Fame (U.S.) (1966) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2018) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023)
NASCAR Cup Series career
15 races run over 3 years
Best finish	1st (1949)
First race	1949 Race No. 1 (Charlotte)
Last race	1951 Southern 500 (Darlington)
First win	1949 (Daytona Beach)
Last win	1949 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles 2 9 2
Statistics current as of February 22, 2013.

Background

Born in Washington County, Virginia, he moved to Colorado at a young age, and then to Anniston, Alabama, which he considered his hometown. Byron began racing in 1932 and was successful in racing in Talladega by the start of the 1940s. His racing career was interrupted when he served in the United States Army Air Forces as a flight engineer on B-24 Liberator bombers during World War II. During combat, Byron suffered a serious injury to his left leg. The doctors helped partially heal his leg, but he needed a special setup to race.

Racing career

Before World War II, Byron raced in the AAA Indy series, mainly in Sprint Cars and Midgets. He achieved his first Stock Car victory in July 1941, while on two-day liberty from training with the USAAF, and with the war intervening, did not return to racing for five years.

When he returned from the war, Byron, limp and all, returned to racing, and with the help of race engineer Red Vogt, was still successful. He won his first race following the war at Seminole Speedway, near Orlando, in 1946, beating Roy Hall and Bill France. In 1948, Byron became a part of the newly-formed NASCAR Modified Series racing with Raymond Parks' team.

In 1949, Byron began racing in NASCAR's newly formed Strictly Stock series, which became the Grand National series, Winston Cup, and the modern-day NASCAR Cup Series. With Parks in tow, Byron was equally successful in the inaugural eight-race season. Just as in 1948, he won at Daytona Beach, and also won at a dirt track in Martinsville. Byron, as with his previous year in a modified, ended the year as the series' first champion.

Byron raced sparingly after his two championships. He owned a sports car racing team for much of the 1950s.

Life after driving

Declining health forced him to hang up his goggles in 1951, but he remained active in racing. He worked with Briggs Cunningham, who was trying to develop an American sports car that could win Grand Prix races, then become manager of a Corvette team with the same goal. Neither project succeeded, but Byron enjoyed sports cars.

On January 19, 2018, Byron was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame's Class of 2018.

Death

When he died of a heart attack in a Chicago hotel room on November 11, 1960, at the age of 45, he was managing a team in the Sports Car Club of America competition.

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

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

Grand National Series

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	NGNC	Pts
1949	Raymond Parks	22	Olds	CLT 3	DAB 1	HBO 22	LAN 3	HAM	MAR 1	HEI	NWS 16																																		1st	842.5
1950				DAB 2	CLT 4	LAN	MAR	CAN	VER	DSP	MCF	CLT	HBO	DSP	HAM																														NA	0
			Cadillac													DAR 3	LAN	NWS 19	VER	MAR	WIN	HBO
1951	Wally Marks	1	Olds	DAB 11	CLT	NMO	GAR	HBO	ASF	NWS	MAR	CAN																																	NA	0
	B.J. Dantone	22	Ford										CLS 6
		83												CLB 30	DSP	GAR	GRS	BAI	HEI	AWS	MCF	ALS	MSF 4	FMS	MOR	ABS	DAR 25	CLB	CCS	LAN	CLT	DSP	WIL	HBO	TPN	PGS	MAR	OAK	NWS	HMS	JSP	ATL	GAR	NMO

Awards

Despite his brief career, he was selected to the National Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1966. In 1998, as part of NASCAR's 50th Anniversary celebration, he was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers. He is announced as a 2008 inductee in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.

He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America on March 17, 2020.

External links

• Red Byron driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Biographical article on TheSpeedBlog.com