The 11th race of the 1953 NASCAR Grand National season was held on May 17 at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. The half-mile dirt track hosted a 200-lap event with a 35-car field and an attendance of 9,000 fans.
Lee Petty was declared the winner in a highly controversial finish. Herb Thomas was initially flagged as the winner, but a post-race scoring review showed Petty had completed all 200 laps first. Thomas and many spectators strongly disagreed with the decision, creating one of the early scoring disputes in NASCAR history. Petty earned $1,000 for the victory. Dick Rathmann finished third, Ray Duhigg fourth, and Ralph Liguori fifth.
