The 1950 Wilkes 200, the 15th race of the 19-race 1950 NASCAR Grand National Series season, was held on Sunday, September 24 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
A crowd of 7,000 watched the 26-car field compete on the 0.625-mile dirt oval for the scheduled 200 laps (125 miles). Fireball Roberts, driving for Sam Rice, captured the pole position with a qualifying speed of 73.266 mph. However, Roberts’ day ended early with engine failure.
Leon Sales, making his first career Grand National start in the #98 Hubert Westmoreland Plymouth (the same team/car lineage that won the 1950 Southern 500 with Johnny Mantz), charged from 11th on the grid to victory. He made the winning pass with eight laps remaining to take the checkered flag. Jack Smith finished second (leading 55 laps), followed by Ewell Weddle in third, Herb Thomas in fourth, and Gayle Warren in fifth. Sales earned $1,000 for the win.
The race featured five lead changes among four drivers. Fonty Flock led a race-high 104 laps before blowing an engine, while Red Byron led 33 laps before a spindle failure. Significant mechanical attrition (engines, wheels, spindles) and a few crashes thinned the field, typical of the rough dirt-track era. Average speed and exact race time were not officially recorded.
Sales’ unlikely triumph in his debut highlighted the unpredictable nature of early NASCAR racing. This event was one of the early showcases for North Wilkesboro Speedway, which would become a beloved short-track staple in the years ahead.
