Robert "Bob" Joe Welborn (May 5, 1928 – August 10, 1997) of
Denton 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 ...
Grand National Series driver. He was named to
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers list in 1998. He won the final three
NASCAR Convertible Division
The NASCAR Convertible Division was a division of convertible cars early in NASCAR's history, from 1956 until 1959, although the signature race for convertibles remained a Convertible Division race until 1962. Two remnants of the Convertible Divi ...
championships in 1956, 1957, and 1958.
NASCAR career
Welborn drove in 11 Grand National events in 1953 for Julian Petty and J.O. Goode’s. He had 2 Top-5 finishes and 6 Top-10 finishes.
He drove in 9 events in 1954 for owners Julian Petty,
Bob Griffin, and George Hutchens. Welborn had 1 Top-5 and 3 Top-10 finishes.
Welborn drove in 32 of 45 events in Julian Petty and his cars. He won the pole at
Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Welborn finished fourth in the 1955 points.
Welborn raced in 6 events in 1956. He also won the
NASCAR Convertible Division
The NASCAR Convertible Division was a division of convertible cars early in NASCAR's history, from 1956 until 1959, although the signature race for convertibles remained a Convertible Division race until 1962. Two remnants of the Convertible Divi ...
championship.
Welborn won his first race at
Martinsville in 1957, but did not cross the finish line.
Lewis "Possum" Jones relieved Welborn halfway through the race, but NASCAR always credits the driver who started the car. He had 1 win and 3 Top-10 finished in 5 events. Welborn also won the NASCAR Convertible series championship.
Welborn had four straight wins (and five total), 1 pole, 10 Top-5, and 15 Top-10 finishes in 1958. He raced in 18 of 51 events, all for
Petty Enterprises
Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina, Level Cross, North Carolina, United States, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Ma ...
. He only finished 149th in series points that year because he only participated in 18 of 51 races. He won his third straight NASCAR Convertible championship.
Welborn won the
pole position
In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
for the
1959 Daytona 500 by winning his qualifying race. He had 5 poles and 3 wins during the season.
Welborn amassed 9 total wins in the 1950s and early 1960s driving his car and one owned by
Julian Petty. He made his last NASCAR start in 1964 while driving for
Holman-Moody
Holman-Moody is an American racecar manufacturer, marine engine manufacturer and former auto racing team. The company currently operates out of Charlotte, North Carolina, but is no longer a race team. Holman-Moody continues to manufacture racing ...
.
Career awards
*Welborn was named one of
NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.
*He was inducted in the
National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame in 1982.
References
External links
Biography at SpeedwayMedia.com*
*
Biography at nascar.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welborn, Bob
1928 births
1997 deaths
NASCAR drivers
People from Denton, North Carolina
Sportspeople from Davidson County, North Carolina
Racing drivers from North Carolina