1955 Wilkes 160

One hundred and sixty laps were competed on a dirt oval track spanning .625 miles (1.006 km).^[2] There were three cautions delivered down by NASCAR officials and the race lasted exactly one hour, twenty-one minutes, and sixteen seconds.^[2] Buck Baker defeated Lee Petty by a time of three seconds.^[2] Ford would make its first Grand National Series win at this speedway; making it a viable competitor against Dodge, Chevrolet and Chrysler.^[3] The average speed was 72.347 miles per hour (116.431 km/h) while the pole position speed was 79.815 miles per hour (128.450 km/h).^[2] Ten thousand people attended this autumn race. This race would produce Joe Weatherly's first finish in the top five.^[2] Most of the drivers in this racing event were driver-owners who owned their own racing vehicle and drove their vehicle directly to the races instead of towing it from hundreds of miles away.^[4]

All the drivers in this event were racing for a prize purse that totalled $4,285 ($50,296.85 when adjusted for inflation). Only 20 of the 28 competing drivers would gain financially from this race; with individual earnings that ranged from $1,110 ($13,029.06 when adjusted for inflation) to a paltry $50 for the NASCAR drivers who finished in 13th place through 20th place ($586.89 when adjusted for inflation). No financial compensation was given to the participants who finished in the bottom 9 due to NASCAR's limited budget for prize winnings in an era prior to "big money" sponsors like Sprint Nextel and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.^[5]

Carl Kiekhaefer was one of the notable crew chiefs on attendance for this race; he helped to service Tim Flock's racing vehicle.^[6]

† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

• Lead changes: 0
• Cautions: 3
• Red flags: N/A
• Time of race: 1:21:16
• Average speed: 72.347
• Margin of Victory: 5 seconds

Section reference:^[2]

• Start of race: Buck Baker started the race with the pole position.
• Lap 25: Ted Cannady's steering became problematic, sealing his last-place finish in the race.
• Lap 28: Tom Pistone's vehicle overheated, forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
• Lap 35: The bumper on Junior Johnson's vehicle fell off, damaging his vehicle and forcing him to exit the race prematurely.
• Lap 40: Banks Simpson's radiator went berserk; Joe Eubanks' steering stopped working properly.
• Lap 50: Marvin Panch's vehicle overheated while he was racing.
• Lap 70: Ned Jarrett's fuel pump became problematic while he was driving the vehicle.
• Lap 90: Herb Thomas had a terminal crash, forcing him to retire from the race.
• Lap 103: The RF hub on Curtis Turner developed problems.
• Lap 127: Ralph Liguori's vehicle stalled on the track; Bill Blair had some problems with his RF hub.
• Lap 128: A wheel came off of John McVitty's vehicle, forcing him out of the race.
• Finish: Buck Baker was officially declared the winner of the event.