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 oval track that is 0.526 mi 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 0.500 mi for a grand total of 200.0 mi. 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: 61.136 mi/h for the average speed and 67.643 mi/h 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 ($0 when considering inflation). The winner (Jack Smith) would receive $2,264 ($0 when considering inflation) being awarded to him while last place finisher Jimmie Lewallen would walk away with $100 ($0 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
Section reference:


 * 1) Jack Smith† (No. 502)
 * 2) Marvin Panch (No. 98)
 * 3) Bill Amick† (No. 97)
 * 4) Speedy Thompson† (No. 300)
 * 5) Fireball Roberts† (No. 22)
 * 6) Joe Weatherly† (No. 72)
 * 7) Buck Baker† (No. 00)
 * 8) Bunk Moore (No. 35)
 * 9) Frank Mundy† (No. 50)
 * 10) Gwyn Staley† (No. 34)
 * 11) Jimmy Massey (No. 33)
 * 12) Paul Goldsmith (No. 3)
 * 13) Billy Myers (No. 4)
 * 14) Johnny Allen (No. 64)
 * 15) Bob Welborn† (No. 49)
 * 16) Don Oldenberg (No. 86)
 * 17) Bill Poor (No. 71)
 * 18) Bun Emery (No. 99)
 * 19) Larry Odo (No. 7)
 * 20) Tiny Lund† (No. 16)
 * 21) Lee Petty† (No. 42)
 * 22) Bobby Keck† (No. 14)
 * 23) Norman Schihl (No. 23)
 * 24) Art Brinkley (No. 44)
 * 25) Johnny Dodson (No. 83)
 * 26) Billy Rafter (No. 41)
 * 27) Bill Champion† (No. 31)
 * 28) Curtis Turner*† (No. 26)
 * 29) Bob Duell* (No. 95)
 * 30) Ralph Moody*† (No. 12)
 * 31) Jim Paschal*† (No. 75)
 * 32) Rex White* (No. X)
 * 33) Glen Wood*† (No. 21)
 * 34) Tom Pistone* (No. 15)
 * 35) Joe Eubanks*† (No. 82)
 * 36) Billy Carden*† (No. 29)
 * 37) Mel Carson* (No. 55)
 * 38) Larry Frank*† (No. 76)
 * 39) Bill Lutz* (No. 2)
 * 40) Jimmie Lewallen*† (No. 48)

* Driver failed to finish race † signifies that the driver is known to be deceased

Timeline
Section reference:
 * Start of race: Joe Eubanks had the pole position to start the race.
 * Lap 11: Fuel pump issues forced Jimmie Lewallen to become the last-place finisher.
 * Lap 62: Bill Lutz managed to blow his engine while racing.
 * Lap 77: Oil pressure issues forced Larry Frank out of the race, Mel Larson had to deal with a troublesome piston.
 * Lap 87: The RF hub on Billy Carden's vehicle had problems that were terminal enough to knock him out of the race.
 * Lap 103: The RF lugs were acting problematically on Joe Eubanks' car, forcing his exit from the race.
 * Lap 104: Speedy Thompson took over the lead from Joe Eubanks.
 * Lap 106: Tom Pistone had some problems with his connecting rod and had to leave the event.
 * Lap 110: Glen Wood managed to blow his engine while racing.
 * Lap 143: Rex White managed to blow his engine while racing.
 * Lap 163: Jim Paschal managed to blow his engine while racing.
 * Lap 179: Jack Smith took over the lead from Speedy Thompson.
 * Lap 183: The rear end of Ralph Moody's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner to continue racing.
 * Lap 189: Fireball Roberts took over the lead from Jack Smith.
 * Lap 201: Bill Amick took over the lead from Fireball Roberts.
 * Lap 210: Marvin Panch took over the lead from Bill Amick.
 * Lap 226: Jack Smith took over the lead from Marvin Panch.
 * Lap 245: Bob Duell managed to overheat his vehicle.
 * Lap 299: Curtis Turner managed to blow his engine while racing.
 * Finish: Jack Smith was officially declared the winner of the event.