Racing continued to play a role in the growth of the individual companies and the automaker's overall reputation. A Cadillac scored a victory in an AAA-sanctioned race in Portland, Oregon, in 1909. Louis Chevrolet and Bob Burman teamed up to set a speed record at the recently-built Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Their trip of 105 mph came in a Buick "Bug" in 1910.
Gray Days For Racing Changing times were in store for motorsports enthusiasts through the Roaring '20s, especially at GM. While European motorcars were ripping up continental contests abroad, the mindset took a little different tack in the United States. Under the leadership of Alfred Sloan, General Motors was looking at its efficiencies and motorsports wasn't one of them. Few can argue that his steps certainly enhanced the success of the company overall. In 1927, the General Motors Executive Committee decided to ban involvement in motorsports.
It was quiet for General Motors for a couple of decades. Of course, there was also an international conflict, World War II, that directed domestic manufacturers toward defense operations and away from automaking altogether. When the conflict ended, the sense of adventure and a renewal in the challenges offered by racing returned.
A New Beginning Near the very spot where Olds ran the Pirate in 1903, there was a move afoot to improve the sanctioning of the sport. The establishment of NASCAR in the late '40s helped speed up General Motors' involvement in big-time auto racing.
In February 1949, NASCAR sanctioned a tripleheader with Roadsters, European Sports Cars, and Strictly Stocks. Benny Georgeson, driving a Buick, picked up the Strictly Stock win. The Strictly Stocks, though a companion class on this day, would become the headlining division for NASCAR. On the beach at Daytona, running a 4.15-mile course, Red Byron in a '49 Olds passed fellow GM racer Gober Sosebee six laps from the finish and scored the first points win for the Olds drivers.
These efforts were not receiving formal factory support, but the company had to be taking notice. Byron would tally two wins in six starts and become the first NASCAR champion. Drivers using Oldsmobiles won five of the eight races. Consequently, Oldsmobile won the Manufacturer's Championship trophy. Now, someone had to take notice.
The success continued in 1950. Oldsmobiles won 10 of the 19 races on the schedule. The biggest race was the inaugural Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The event started 75 cars and more than 30 were General Motors entries.
The success continued for GM products, but soon competitors started getting in on the action in a big way. Oldsmobiles won 20 of the 41 races in 1951, then the bottom fell out. The Hudson domination started in earnest and only two GM drivers found Victory Lane for a total of three races. The rise began again in 1953 with nine wins and then Olds visited Victory Lane 11 times in 1954.
The idea of "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday" was very real as the sport's popularity continued to spiral upward. General Motors, through the Chevrolet division, decided to up the ante and supplied a team of factory-backed drivers with resources to speed up the success rate. Of course, other manufacturers had the same idea. Chevy scored its first NASCAR Grand National win on March 26, 1955, in Columbia, South Carolina, when Fonty Flock came home a winner. Buick notched a victory later that year as Buck Baker prevailed at Charlotte's 31/44-mile dirt track.
Gray Days Return Chevrolet had high hopes in 1957. With drivers like Buck Baker, Speedy Thompson, Jack Smith, Rex White, and Frankie Schneider on the payroll, the talent pool was deep. Through the efforts of Ray Nichols in Indiana, Pontiac became a player with Banjo Matthews and Cotton Owens behind the wheel. Oldsmobiles were handled by the independent duo of Lee Petty and Ralph Earnhardt.