1959 Season Recap

As one of the most notable years in NASCAR history, 1959 saw the running of the first Daytona 500, a rookie named Richard Petty establish himself as a future champion, and the crowning of the first three-time NASCAR Grand National (now NASCAR Winston Cup Series) champion. Lee Petty holds that distinction by winning the 1959 title, his second straight championship.

Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 and his momentum from that historic victory carried him to a large lead in the points race over Cotton Owens.

FIVE RACES TO GO: Hillsboro, NC - Coming off a victory at Richmond, VA, Cotton Owens still found himself 1,120 points behind defending champion Lee Petty in the 1959 standings. With five races remaining, Petty again was on the verge of clinching the title early, and winning at Orange Speedway certainly helped his cause. Owens did come in second and a young rookie named Richard Petty followed in third. Engulfed in a four-way battle for third in the point standings were Speedy Thompson, Herman Beam, Buck Baker and Tom Pistone. At Hillsboro, they finished 18th, sixth, 12th and tenth, respectively.

FOUR RACES TO GO: Martinsville, VA - With a tenth place finish at Martinsville Speedway, Lee Petty clinched his second straight NASCAR Grand National championship and the third of his career. Speedy Thompson tried to put some distance between himself and his competition with a fifth place effort, but Tom Pistone finished 7th. Buck Baker came in 14th and Herman Beam 21st. Emerging star Rex White won his seventh race of his career. Petty's lead in the point standings stood at 1,380 with three races remaining.

THREE RACES TO GO: Weaverville, NC - With the 1959 title in hand, Lee Petty added to his dominance with his 10th victory of the year, this one coming at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. Cotton Owens finished 11th and looked in control of second in the standings as each of his detractors finished behind him. Buck Baker, Speedy Thompson and Herman Beam finished 12th, 13th and 19th, respectively. Tom Pistone was not entered in the event. Heading into the final two races of the season, it was still unclear how positions three through six were going to shape up.

TWO RACES TO GO: North Wilkesboro, NC - Although the title was his, Lee Petty did not let up, winning for the second straight week and tying two-time champion Herb Thomas for most victories in NASCAR Grand National history (48). With second place wrapped up, Cotton Owens was not entered in the race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The battle for positions three through six looked like it would continue into the season finale as Tom Pistone finished fourth, Buck Baker eighth, Herman Beam 14th and Speedy Thompson 15th.

FINAL RACE: Concord, NC - The final race of the decade saw Jack Smith pass Cotton Owens on lap 90 and lead the rest of the way for the win. Owens later broke a hose and finished 28th. Buck Baker finished third and wrapped up fifth in the final standings. Speedy Thompson came in eighth, which allowed him to clinch third in points for the fourth straight season. Tom Pistone's ninth place effort brought him a sixth place finish in the final standings, narrowly losing out on fifth to Baker. Herman Beam finished the race in 13th, which was good enough o take fourth in the final standings. 1959 champion Lee Petty finished as runner-up at New Concord Speedway and stretched his final margin of victory to 1,830 points over Owens.