Bob Burdick (October 20, 1936 – October 4, 2007) was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver from

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. He competed in fifteen

Grand National Series The name NASCAR Grand National Series refers to former names of the following NASCAR series: *National-level stock car series: **NASCAR Cup Series (the top NASCAR series, known as NASCAR Grand National Series between 1950 and 1970, then the NASCAR ...

events in his career. His win in Atlanta in 1961 made him the only

-born driver to win a race on the NASCAR circuit. Burdick made his debut in 1959, where he won the pole at

Trenton Speedway Trenton Speedway was a racing facility located near Trenton, New Jersey at the New Jersey State Fairgrounds. Races for the United States' premier open-wheel and full-bodied racing series of the times were held at Trenton Speedway. Racing histor ...

in his first career NASCAR start. Although a fire took Burdick out of the event early, he earned his first career top-10 finish with a 9th-place effort in the next race at

Nashville Speedway USA Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway is a motorsport racetrack located at the Nashville Fairgrounds near downtown Nashville, Tennessee. The track is the second-oldest continually operating track in the United States. The track held NASCAR Grand Nati ...

. After a crash at

Atlanta Motor Speedway Atlanta Motor Speedway (currently known as EchoPark Speedway for sponsorship reasons, formerly known as the Atlanta International Raceway from 1960 to 1990) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Hampton, Georg ...

, Burdick ended the year with finishes of 6th, 6th and 2nd, including a pole at

Columbia Speedway Columbia Speedway is an oval racetrack located in Cayce, South Carolina, Cayce, a suburb of Columbia, South Carolina. It was the site of Auto racing, auto races for NASCAR's top series from 1951 through 1971. For most of its history, the racing ...

. During the entire year, Burdick led 25 laps (when he finished 2nd at

Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...

) and never started worse than 9th. In addition, the 21st-place finish in points was Burdick's career best. Burdick had a scant schedule in 1960, only competing in two events, both at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

. Burdick made it into the prestigious

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

field after finishing 7th in the qualifier race (the Daytona qualifiers were points races until 1971), but only managed to finish 60th in the actual 500. Burdick was able to rebound in 1961, finishing in the top-ten (8th) once again in the Daytona qualifier event. After another dismal finish in the 500, Burdick made up for it at

. Burdick led 43 of the 334 laps and held off

Rex White Rex Allen White (born August 17, 1929) is a retired auto racer and NASCAR champion. White was one of the drivers who competed for the original Chevrolet racing team. He began racing in 1956, grabbing fourteen top-ten finishes. After a part-time ...

for Burdick's lone career victory. Following the triumph, Burdick ended the year with a 4th place at

Darlington Speedway Darlington Raceway is a egg-shaped oval track in Darlington, South Carolina. The track has hosted a variety of racing events since its inaugural season of racing in 1950; primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The venue has a capacity of 47,00 ...

and 27th at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...

. Burdick once again was left to the Daytona races in 1962, as his career wound down. He finished 7th in the qualifying race, his final career top-ten, easily making the Daytona 500. Burdick then had a dismal 35th-place finish in the 500, and never again made another Cup event. On October 4, 2007, Burdick died.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burdick, Bob 1936 births 2007 deaths NASCAR drivers Racing drivers from Omaha, Nebraska