1956 Season Recap

In a season filled with controversy and misfortune, Buck Baker emerged as a star by clinching the 1956 NASCAR Grand National (now known as the NASCAR Winston Cup Series) championship. While his primary competition in the points battle was taken out of the race by injury, Baker nonetheless was talented enough to win championships and proved it with his outstanding performance in 1956 and for the next decade.

NASCAR superstar Herb Thomas led Buck Baker most of the season, but when Thomas was lost to injury for the last three races of the season, Baker was in a position to win the championship and took advantage.

FIVE RACES TO GO: Charlotte, NC - With five races remaining in the 1956 season, Herb Thomas led Buck Baker by 294 points. Baker kept his championship hopes alive at Charlotte Speedway by recording his 12th victory on the season. He pulled within 246 points of Thomas, who ended the race in seventh place. Title contender and 1954 champion Lee Petty finished ninth, as fellow contenders Speedy Thompson and Jim Paschal struggled to 18th and 19th place finishes, respectively, in a field of 22 drivers.

FOUR RACES TO GO: Shelby, NC - In what may be the most controversial race in NASCAR's early years, Buck Baker was given a chance to make up ground on Herb Thomas by both his car owner and teammate. Carl Kiekhaefer, Baker's car owner and Thomas' owner earlier in the season, rented the Cleveland County Fairgrounds, obtained sanctioning from NASCAR and added the race to the schedule 10 days before the race. Regardless, Thomas looked as if he was going to clinch his third championship as he passed Buck Baker's teammate, Speedy Thompson, for second place late in the race. Thompson made contact with Thomas and Thomas spun into a violent crash. He was critically injured and in a coma when taken to the hospital. Baker went on to win the race but still trailed Thomas in the point standings by 118 points. However, 900 points were up for grabs as three races remained and Thomas was unable to race. Speedy Thompson finished sixth after the incident. Lee Petty was also caught in the Thomas accident and came in ninth. Jim Paschal finished the race in fourth place.

THREE RACES TO GO: Martinsville, VA - Buck Baker started on the pole at Martinsville and raced to a conservative seventh place finish as he took a 282-point lead over the hospitalized Herb Thomas, although he had to be talked into racing the final three races. Baker had thoughts of sitting out the rest of the year in respect of Thomas. No other contenders stood to catch Baker in the points race, and even Thomas looked safe in second place. Speedy Thompson finished the race in fourth place and was making a run at Lee Petty's third place position in the point standings. Petty helped Thompson with his 21st place finish and Jim Paschal had engine trouble and ended up 31st.

TWO RACES TO GO: Hickory, NC - Points leader Buck Baker clinched his first NASCAR Grand National championship with his third place finish at Hickory Speedway. Teammate Speedy Thompson won his eighth race of the season in a close race with a rookie named Ralph Earnhardt. Thompson was right on Lee Petty's tail for third in points after Petty's 11th place effort. Jim Paschal was mired in fifth place in the standings as he was not entered in the event.

FINAL RACE: Wilson, NC - Buck Baker's championship season was not without controversy, and the season finale at Wilson Speedway was no different. Joe Weatherly was leading the final lap when he ran out of fuel on the backstretch. He came off Turn 4 without power and beat a surging Baker to the finish line by two car lengths. However, Carl Kiekhaefer protested on the grounds that Baker had reached the scoring stand before Weatherly and the scoring stand marked the official finishing point instead of the start-finish line. NASCAR concurred and Baker was awarded with his 14th victory of the season and a 586-point victory over the inactive Herb Thomas. Speedy Thompson's third place finish, compared with Lee Petty's ninth place finish, allowed Thompson to overtake Petty by a mere four points for third place in the final standings.