Joe Eubanks
Joseph "Joe" Eubanks (August 9, 1925 – June 21, 1971) was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA.[1] He entered the United States Armed Forces along with fellow NASCAR veterans Bud Moore and Cotton Owens.[2] All three of these men served in World War II together.[2]
Joseph "Joe" Eubanks | |||||||
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Joe Eubanks, circa 1950s | |||||||
Born | Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States | August 9, 1925||||||
Died | June 21, 1971 45) | (aged||||||
NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
159 races run over 11 years | |||||||
Best finish | 5th – 1954 NASCAR Grand National season | ||||||
First race | 1950 Southern 500 (Darlington Raceway) | ||||||
Last race | 1961 World 600 (Charlotte Motor Speedway) | ||||||
First win | 1958 untitled race (Orange Speedway) | ||||||
Last win | 1958 untitled race (Orange Speedway) | ||||||
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Career summary
Eubanks raced from 1950 to 1961 collecting one win, thirty-seven finishes in the top five, and eighty-one finishes in the top ten along the way.[1] His total career earnings were $35,338 ($302,340.59 when adjusted for inflation) and he successfully completed 14,303.3 miles (23,018.9 km) of racing.[1]
As one of the first competitors to compete in a NASCAR road racing event, Eubanks finished second to Al Keller who was driving a 1951 Hudson Hornet automobile.[3] Joe was a competitor for the 1955 Southern 500 and was credited for having the fastest Oldsmobile 88 vehicle of that particular race.[4] Dirt tracks were Eubanks' greatest strong point as a driver; where a "top ten" finish was mostly guaranteed. Restrictor plate tracks turned out to be his Kryptonite, however, and his average finish on those tracks were a measly 38th place.[5]
Eubanks' primary vehicle was the #88 Ford machine owned by Don Every and Domenic Petti of Daytona Florida.[6] He was also one of the extras for the 1960 stock car racing film Thunder in Carolina.[7]
References
- Joe Eubanks career information at Racing Reference
- Joe Eubanks' army career at DropInTheHammer.Net
- Joe Eubanks + NASCAR 1st road racing event at GeorgiaRacingHistory.com
- Racing Reference 1955 Southern 500 information at Racing Reference
- NASCAR statistics on Joe Eubanks Archived 2013-05-18 at the Wayback Machine at Driver Averages
- Primary car of Joe Eubanks at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
- Racer profile about Joe Eubanks at Insider Racing News