Herb Thomas

Though originally a farmer, Herb Thomas became one of the most successful NASCAR drivers during the 1950s. He won the NASCAR Cup Series in the years 1951 and 1953, and accumulated 48 race wins, in 230 starts, as well as 38 pole positions during this time.

In 1951, 1954 and 1955 Thomas also won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, and his 1955 win was despite suffering from a bad injury, sustained from a racing accident three and a half months earlier.

Starting 1952, he was topmost in the number of laps led as well as number of race wins, for three consecutive seasons. In 1955, Thomas had a bad crash during a race in Charlotte, which resulted in him missing out on the next six months. On his return, Thomas won his third Southern 500 event.

His 48 victories rank him 12th all time, and at the age of 77, on August, 2000 Herb Thomas passed away after a heart attack. In 1965, to honor his achievements, he was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Associations's Hall of Fame, at Darlington Raceway. Later in 1994, he was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladega Superspeedway.