1956 Old Dominion 400
The 1956 Old Dominion 400 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on October 28, 1956, at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. As a NASCAR-sanctioned "Sweepstakes" race, sedan vehicles from the Grand National Series and stock convertibles from the NASCAR Convertible division raced side-by-side with other for the same amount of money and championship points. Background. Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is long. The track's turns are banked  at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking. Race report. Four hundred laps were completed on a paved oval track spanning for a grand total of . The race took three hours, sixteen minutes, and seventeen seconds to complete with four caution flags. Forty vehicles would qualify to start this race; a large amount for the NASCAR Cup Series in its formative years. Nine thousand and five hundred fans attended to see Jack Smith win the race in his 1956 Dodge vehicle  (beating thirty-nine other drivers in the process). A Canadian named Norman Schihl participated in the race and finished 23rd; making his only Grand National appearance. Notable speeds were: for the average speed and for the pole position speed. Bun Emery makes his only Cup start and comes home with a top-20 finish although he 36 laps down at the checkered flag. While some multi-car teams were present in the race, the majority of drivers had an owner that wasn't incorporated into a team. Jack Smith officially became the fiftieth different driver to win what is now known  as a Cup Series race. Total winnings for this race were $11,739 ($ when considering inflation). The winner (Jack Smith) would receive $2,264 ($ when considering inflation) being awarded to him while last place finisher Jimmie Lewallen would walk away with $100 ($ when considering inflation). Larry Frank, Bill Lutz, Larry Odo, and Bill Poor would make their NASCAR debut in this race. Carl Kiekhaefer was one of the notable crew chiefs for this race. Finishing order. "* Driver failed to finish race" "† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased"