NASCAR's First Race West of the Mississippi Was Simply 'Fabulous' in '51
In 1951, NASCAR truly went 'coast to coast' with the addition of Carrell Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Gardena, Calif., for a pair of races. ...
In 1951, NASCAR truly went 'coast to coast' with the addition of Carrell Speedway, a half-mile dirt track in Gardena, Calif., for a pair of races. Marshall Teague was one of the few Cup regulars who was talked into making the cross-country trip to race in NASCAR's first event in California. Another Cup race, which was won by Tim Flock, was held on that same day in Mobile, Alabama. When Bill France Sr. pulled together a web of drivers, car owners, racing officials and track operators to form NASCAR in 1947, one of his goals was to create a truly national stock car series.