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A close look at The 1948 Cup
By Tadd Haislop | Published: February 3, 2023 17
Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
To begin NASCAR's 75th anniversary season, the driver who wins the New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway, the 2023 season-opener for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, will be awarded a special trophy.
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
Appropriately named, "The 1948 Cup" was inspired by the trophy Red Byron received when he won NASCAR's first points-paying race, a Modified division event held on the beach course in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Feb. 15, 1948.
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ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
That day in Daytona Beach, Byron defeated Marshall Teague and his car owner Raymond Parks, who finished third with relief from Bob Flock. The trophy Byron received was known as "Bundles for Britain." Driving a 1939 Ford Coupe owned by Parks and prepared by legendary mechanic Red Vogt, Byron went on to win the NASCAR Modified Division championship in 1948, becoming NASCAR's first champion. Byron also won the first Strictly Stock Division (now premier series) title a year later.
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
"The 1948 Cup" resembles "Bundles for Britain" in many ways, including the general shape, the trim design, the base and the text inscribed on the hardware.
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
The New Smyrna Beach Area Visitors Bureau 200 at Florida's New Smyrna Speedway marks the 2023 season-opener for the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, which began in 1985 as an extension of NASCAR's oldest division.
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
Inscribed on the back of "The 1948 Cup" is the following text: On February 15th, 1948, Red Byron won NASCAR's first points-paying race, a Modified Division event held on the beach course in Daytona Beach, Florida. This trophy, inspired by the award Byron earned that day, was made to commemorate the rich history of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, tracing its roots back to the sanctioning body's first race.
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
Below are more images of "The 1948 Cup."
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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Adam Fenwick/NASCAR
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