Jack Smith (NASCAR)

Infobox NASCAR driver
Name = Jack Smith
Birthdate = birth date|1924|5|24
Died = death date and age|2001|10|17|1924|5|24
Birthplace = flagicon|USA Metropolis, Illinois
Cause of Death = congestive heart failure
Best_Cup_Pos = 4th - 1962 (Grand National)
Cup_Wins = 21
Cup_Top_Tens = 142
Cup_Poles = 23
First_Cup_Race = 1949 (Charlotte Speedway) (NASCAR's first race)
First_Cup_Win = 1959 Old Dominion 400 (Martinsville)
Last_Cup_Win = 1962 (New Ashville)
Last_Cup_Race = 1964 Sunshine 200 (Savannah)
Awards = inducted in the National Motorsports Press Hall of Fame

inducted in the Daytona Beach Hall of Fame

1959 NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award

inducted in the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2002
Years_In_Cup = 15
Total_Cup_Races = 264

Jack Smith (May 24, 1924 in Metropolis, Illinois - October 17, 2001), was a NASCAR driver.

Racing career

Jack Smith moved to Georgia when he was two years old. He worked at a service station in the 1940s near Roswell. He began racing against local bootleggers on rough dirt tracks and asphalt superspeedways, and across fields.

He made his debut in NASCAR's first race in 1949 at the Charlotte Speedway and finished 13th. He is remembered for flipping his car five time and rolling into the parking lot at a 1954 race at Darlington. He won the NASCAR's Most Popular Driver Award in 1959 [http://www.zoominfo.com/directory/Smith_Jack_3240318.htm] . He went to win 21 races over the next 14 years. He died from congestive heart failure in 2001.

References

* [http://www.racing-reference.info/driver?id=smithja01 Jack Smith Driver's statistics]
* [http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2001/1019/1266531.html Obituary]