1951 Round of Connecticut

1951 Round of Connecticut

Race 21 of 22 in the 1951 National Stock Car Series season
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200px National Stock Car Series Race
Date	4 November 1951
Location	Waterford, Connecticut, United States
Venue	New London-Waterford Speedbowl
Course	Paved oval
Circuit Length	0.375 mi
Distance	300 Laps, 112.5 mi
Weather	Cloudy, with mild temperatures at 50°F with wind speed at 22 mph
Average Speed	62.471 mph
Pole Position
Driver	Cameron Yost	Ted Hansen
Most Laps Lead
Driver	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing
Laps	249
Podium
First	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing
Second	Kelly Petersen	Randy Petersen
Third	Howard Joyce	Howard Joyce

The twenty-first race of the 1951 National Stock Car Series was held November 4, 1951 at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl in Waterford, Connecticut. The race comprised 300 laps around the three-eighth-mile track. Championship leader Cameron Yost won the pole but was caught in an early wreck. Amos Thompson took home his second win of the season, with Kelly Petersen, Howard Joyce, Ricardo Ruiz, and Keith McDonald completing the top five.

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

Race

The race covered 300 laps around the three-eighth-mile paved oval. It took one hour, 44 minutes and 42 seconds to complete. Around 3,800 people are estimated to have attended.

Amos Thompson beat Kelly Petersen by two laps, with Howard Joyce, Ricardo Ruiz, and Keith McDonald rounding out the top five. Other notable drivers in this race included Donna Buckley (6th), Cameron Yost (9th), Jimmy Stafford (16th), Chuck Wilder (18th), Scott Duran (19th), Peter Stafford (22nd), and Emmett Newton (23rd). Thompson earned $2,720 (equivalent to $27,075.68 in 2020 dollars) for the victory.

Results

Position	Start	No.	Driver	Owner	Car	Laps	Lead	Time/Retired	Points
1	2	62	Amos Thompson	Thompson Brothers Racing	Plymouth Belvedere	300	229	1:44:42	225
2	17	47	Kelly Petersen	Randall Petersen	Kaiser Traveller	298	0	-2L	179
3	14	9	Howard Joyce	Lucky Hornick	Hudson Hornet	298	0	-2L	157
4	26	52	Ricardo Ruiz	Ricardo Ruiz	Studebaker Champion	298	1	-2L	135
5	3	99JR	Keith McDonald	Keith McDonald	Kaiser Traveller	297	15	-3L	112
6	25	33	Donna Buckley	Homer Brennan	Nash Ambassador	297	0	-3L	90
7	21	50	Clayton Maddox	Madox Racing Associates	Plymouth Belvedere	297	0	-3L	67
8	16	18	Schuyler Stewart	Schuyler Stewart	Studebaker Champion	296	2	-4L	45
9	1	1	Cameron Yost	Ted Hansen	Studebaker Champion	296	25	-4L	23
10	24	17	Harry Schmidt	Reggie Horton	Ford Victoria	296	0	-4L	12

Post-Race Standings

Note: only the top 10 in points are shown

	Pos.	Driver	Points	To Lead	To Next
	1	Cameron Yost	4412	-	-
	2	Howard Joyce	2474	1938	1938
	3	Emmett Newton	2294	2118	180
	4	Peter Stafford	2095	2317	199
	5	Amos Thompson	1962	2450	133
	6	Armond Cabot	1185	3227	777
	7	Scott Duran	1101	3311	84
	8	Chuck Wilder	993	3149	108
	9	James August	858	3554	135
	10	Jimmy Stafford	826	3586	32