Billy Carden
| Billy Carden | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Photo of Billy Carden (1950s) | |||||||
| Born |
April 1, 1924 Mableton, Georgia | ||||||
| Died | October 25, 2004 (aged 80) | ||||||
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career | |||||||
| 73 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 22nd - 1956 NASCAR Grand National Series | ||||||
| First race | 1949 untitled race (Daytona Beach Road Course) | ||||||
| Last race | 1959 untitled race (Lakewood Speedway) | ||||||
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Billy Carden (April 1, 1924 – October 25, 2004) was a NASCAR Grand National driver from Mableton, Georgia, USA. He was a stock car racing pioneer and an early NASCAR competitor. Carden was also an occasional competitor on NASCAR’s famed convertible circuit in the late 1950s.[1] There, he recorded one win in 1958 at Columbia, South Carolina.[1] That was the race where he outdistanced a NASCAR champion by the name of Lee Petty for the victory.[1]
Carden out-dueled another NASCAR champion by the name of Red Byron for the win in a race that lasted well over three hours.[1]
Career
Carden has contributed four finishes in the top five, seventeen finishes in the top ten, starting the race at the pole position twice, 58 laps led, and 6431.8 miles (7951 laps) of racing experience at the top level.[2] He was a participant at both the 1955 Southern 500 and the 1959 Daytona 500 which were seen as the major events of his generation.[2] After the end of his career, total career earnings for this driver were considered to be $8,415 ($68,424.71 when adjusted for inflation).[2] Out of all his races that he has participated in his career, Carden has started an average of 13th place and finished an average of 18th place.[2]
Carden's ultimate retirement from any form of professional motorsports came on June 14, 1959 at a NASCAR Grand National Convertible race at Lakewood Speedway.[3] He would start in 12th and finish in 16th; collecting a meager $110 in the process ($894.44 when adjusted for inflation).[3] Competitors in that race included Lee Petty, his son Richard, and Buck Baker.[4]
Most of Carden's top-five and top-ten finishes were done on short tracks.[5] He was generally more successful there as opposed to superspeedways, road courses, and intermediate tracks.[5]
Legendary status in Georgia
Carden was a legend on the tracks around Georgia.[1] He began racing in 1947 alongside the likes of Bob and Fonty Flock and Ed Samples.[1] He won championships at Chattanooga and Nashville (both in Tennessee) as well as at Huntsville and Birmingham (both in Alabama).[1] Mr. Carden also picked up a series of wins and titles all over the state of Georgia including many at the legendary Peach Bowl in Atlanta.[1] But perhaps his most memorable win came right at home.[1] In 1950, Carden won the longest ever event to be held at the famed Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta, a 200-lap event officially sponsored by the AAA.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Short cuts with Billy Carden". Georgia Racing History. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- 1 2 3 4 "Career information for Van Van Wey". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- 1 2 "Van Van Wey's final professional race". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ↑ "Finishers at Van Van Wey's final professional race". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- 1 2 "#27 Billy Carden complete NASCAR career statistics". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2012-04-24.