On October 14, 1951, the NASCAR Grand National Series held a 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile dirt track at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia, drawing a field of 23 cars and an estimated attendance of about 7,500. Herb Thomas claimed the pole in his #92 Fabulous Hudson Hornet with a qualifying speed of 56.109 mph and led the opening 28 laps before crashing out to finish 18th. Curtis Turner then took the lead for 16 laps until a broken tie rod ended his day, after which Billy Myers paced the field for 23 laps. Leonard Tippett assumed the top spot and held it until lap 86, when his drive shaft snapped.
Frank Mundy, driving the No. 7 Gray Ghost Oldsmobile 88 for owner Ted Chester, seized the lead on lap 87 and dominated the remaining 114 circuits to secure the victory—his second Grand National win of the season—and the $1,000 first-place prize from a total purse of $3,525. Lee Petty finished second in a Plymouth, followed by Billy Myers in a Hudson, Bill Snowden in a Ford, and Jimmie Lewallen in a Plymouth. Five different drivers led during the event amid four lead changes, in what was race 34 of the 41-event 1951 season.
