1955 Southern 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 35 of 45 in the 1955 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
|
1955 Southern 500 program cover | |||
| Date | September 5, 1955 | ||
| Official name | Southern 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.375 mi (2.221 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Weather | Very hot with temperatures of 82.9 °F (28.3 °C); wind speeds of 11.10 miles per hour (17.86 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 92.281 mph (148.512 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 50,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bob Fish | ||
| Time | 178.890 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joe Weatherly | Charlie Schwam | |
| Laps | 140 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Herb Thomas | Thomas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | WJMX (local AM radio) | ||
| Announcers | Local radio announcers | ||
The 1955 Southern 500, the sixth running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event. The event was held on September 5, 1955, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. This race spanned 500 miles on a paved oval track. An unofficial 30-minute highlight film of this race would appear on the collector's set of Stock Cars of 50s & 60s – Stock Car Memories: Darlington-Southern 500; which was released in 2008.
The local radio station WJMX made it possible to hear the entire race. Coverage of the race would be spotty outside the Darlington area due to the broadcasting limitations of AM radio. Confederate flags were frequently flown in all parts of the state back then; they were shown alongside the Stars and Stripes.
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