Thomas was truly one of NASCAR's first superstars. He was the first to win two Cup Series championships (1951, '53). He finished second in the points standings in 1952 and '54 giving the North Carolina veteran top-two championship finishes in four consecutive seasons. He finished outside the top two in the championship only once (fifth in 1955) between 1951-56. Thomas won the '51 championship driving self-owned cars. Thomas won 48 times in series competition, a number that ranks 12th all time. His 48 victories in 228 starts equates to a series-record winning percentage of 21.05.