On August 12, 1956, a crowd of 10,000 spectators braved terrible weather to watch NASCAR Grand National stock cars tackle the challenging 4.1-mile Road America road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Buck Baker captured the pole position for the 26-car field, but it was Tim Flock who stole the show. In his first victory since leaving the powerful Carl Kiekhaefer team, Flock drove a Bill Stroppe-prepared Mercury to his 39th and final career Grand National win.
Flock took the lead from Speedy Thompson, who had engine failure, and would beat Billy Myers by 17 seconds in a caution-free race. Fireball Roberts finished third, followed by Paul Goldsmith in fourth and Joe Eubanks in fifth. Points leader Buck Baker struggled to an eighth-place finish but still left the race with a 200-point lead over Herb Thomas. Flock earned $2,950 for the victory in what was the first NASCAR Cup Series race ever held at Road America.
