1951 Round of Atlanta

1951 Round of Atlanta

Race 11 of 22 in the 1951 National Stock Car Series season
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200px National Stock Car Series Race
Date	15 July 1951
Location	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Venue	Lakewood Speedway
Course	Dirt oval
Circuit Length	1.000 mi
Distance	250 Laps, 250.0 mi
Weather	Hot and sunny, with temperatures approaching 92°F with wind speed at 15 mph
Average Speed	79.98 mph
Pole Position
Driver	Cameron Yost	Ted Hansen
Most Laps Lead
Driver	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing
Laps	155
Podium
First	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing
Second	Cameron Yost	Ted Hansen
Third	Peter Stafford	Stafford Garage

The eleventh race of the 1951 National Stock Car Series was held on July 17, 1951 on the Lakewood Speedway near downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The race comprised 250 laps around the one-mile dirt track. The race saw significant attrition, with the high speeds causing engine problems for ten of the 29 competitors, including Howard Joyce, who entered the race second in the championship.

Amos Thompson took home his first victory of the season, with Cameron Yost, Peter Stafford, Mike Hudson, and Charlie Hart rounding out the top five.

In 1970, following the series' established race naming guidelines, this race was retroactively named the 1951 Round of Atlanta.

Race

The race covered 250 laps around the one-mile dirt oval. It took three hours, 7 minutes, and 30 seconds to complete. Around 8,200 people are estimated to have attended.

Amos Thompson beat polesitter Cameron Yost by 5 seconds, with Peter Stafford in third. Mike Hudson and Charlie Hart rounded out the top 5. Other notable drivers in this race were Emmett Newton (6th), Jimmy Stafford (7th), Scott Duran (9th), Will Gordon (11th), Armond Cabot (13th), Ben Rogers (18th), and Howard Joyce. Thompson earned $3,400 (equivalent to around $34,000 in 2020); 20th place finisher Alton Walker earned $42.50 (equivalent to around $420.50) for his efforts.

Results

Position	Start	No.	Driver	Owner	Car	Laps	Lead	Time/Retired	Points
1	4	62	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing	Plymouth Belvedere	250	155	3:07:30	500
2	1	1	Cameron Yost	Ted Hansen	Studebaker Champion	250	47	+5.3s	400
3	2	44	Peter Stafford	Stafford Garage	Oldsmobile 88	250	48	+6.4s	350
4	8	99	Mike Hudson	Stanley Walker	Dodge Coronet	250	0	+39.1s	300
5	3	28	Charlie Hart	Charlie Hart	Chevrolet Bel Air	250	0	+42.9s	250
6	7	777	Emmett Newton	Lucky Hornick	Hudson Hornet	250	0	+44.1s	200
7	11	4	Jimmy Stafford	Stafford Garage	Oldsmobile 88	247	0	+3 Laps	149
8	16	5	Chuck Wilder	Kent Decker	Buick Roadmaster	247	0	+3 Laps	99
9	14	72	Scott Duran	Scott Duran	Oldsmobile 88	247	0	+3 Laps	50
10	5	2	Lenny Kemp	Austin Davidson	Dodge Coronet	247	0	+3 Laps	25

Post-Race Standings

Note: only the top 10 in points are shown

	Pos.	Driver	Points	To Lead	To Next
	1	Cameron Yost	2650	-	-
3	2	Amos Thompson	1559	1091	1091
	3	Emmett Newton	1512	1138	47
	4	Peter Stafford	1459	1191	53
3	5	Howard Joyce	1383	1267	76
	6	Scott Duran	985	1665	398
	7	Jimmy Stafford	768	1882	217
1	8	Chuck Wilder	684	1966	84
1	9	Armond Cabot	618	2032	66
	10	Dave Butler	533	2117	85