On November 9, 1947, North Wilkesboro Speedway hosted a 50-lap stock car race sanctioned by the National Championship Stock Car Circuit (NCSCC). This was one of several events held at the then-new 0.625-mile dirt oval in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, during the track’s inaugural season.
Red Byron, driving the famous #22 Parks Novelty Machine Ford owned by Raymond Parks and prepared by legendary mechanic Red Vogt, took the victory. Byron made the winning pass on lap 24 when he got around Buddy Shuman. He went on to win his eighth NCSCC victory of the season. Fonty Flock finished a close second, about half a straightaway behind, followed by Buddy Shuman, Glenn Dunaway, and Jack Smith.
Fonty Flock’s runner-up finish was enough to clinch the 1947 NCSCC season championship. The race highlighted the competitive depth of the era’s top drivers, many of whom (including Byron, Flock, and others) would go on to play key roles in the early years of NASCAR after its founding in 1948.
This late-season event was part of the vibrant but loosely organized stock car scene in the Southeast before the sport became more formalized. Detailed information such as exact attendance, qualifying speeds, cautions, or full finishing order beyond the top five remains limited in historical records, as was common for many pre-NASCAR races. Byron’s win added to his strong 1947 campaign and further cemented the reputation of the Raymond Parks team.
Note: In 1947, stock car races like the one at North Wilkesboro were sanctioned by the National Championship Stock Car Circuit (NCSCC), a short-lived touring series organized by Bill France Sr.
NCSCA appears in some references (the cover of this program) as a minor variation or alternative abbreviation (National Championship Stock Car Association), but it refers to the same organization. NCSCC is the more commonly used and accepted full name in historical records.
