1951 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 41 races. Data current through the 2025 season; 2026 results added as races complete.

NASCAR Cup Series results from 1949 through 2026 — 78 seasons of racing history, plus 44 seasons of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series results and 31 seasons of Craftsman Truck Series results. Every race on this page includes finishing order, stage points, laps led, and margin of victory.

Cup history splits into distinct eras: the strictly-stock and Grand National era (1949-1971) raced on dirt bullrings and new paved superspeedways with schedules as dense as 62 events; the Winston Cup modern era (1972-2003) standardized the schedule at 28-36 races per season; the Chase era (2004-2013) introduced a 10-race points-reset postseason; the elimination playoffs era (2014-2025) used four rounds of cuts to crown a Homestead-Phoenix winner-take-all champion; and the 2026+ Chase format brings back a cumulative-points Chase decided at Homestead-Miami. Modern races (2017+) have full stage breakdowns; historic races carry finishing order and laps led, since stages were not introduced until 2017.

Need the season opener? The Daytona 500 kicks off every modern Cup schedule. For postseason context, see The Chase.

Cup SeriesO'Reilly SeriesCraftsman Trucks
2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020
2010s ▾
2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
2000s ▾
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
1990s ▾
1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990
1980s ▾
1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980
1970s ▾
1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970
1960s ▾
1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960
1950s ▾
1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950
1940s ▾
1949
# Date Race Winner
1 Feb 11 160 Miles at Daytona Beach & Road Course Marshall Teague
2 Apr 1 113 Miles at Charlotte Speedway Curtis Turner
3 Apr 8 113 Miles at Lakeview Speedway Tim Flock
4 Apr 8 100 Miles at Carrell Speedway Marshall Teague
5 Apr 15 86 Miles at Occoneechee Speedway Fonty Flock
6 Apr 22 150 Miles at Arizona State Fairgrounds Marshall Teague
7 Apr 29 Wilkes County 150 Fonty Flock
8 May 6 105 Miles at Martinsville Speedway Curtis Turner
9 May 30 Poor Man's 500 Marshall Teague
10 Jun 10 100 Miles at Columbus Speedway Tim Flock
11 Jun 16 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Frank Mundy
12 Jun 24 100 Miles at Dayton Speedway Curtis Turner
13 Jun 30 100 Miles at Carrell Speedway Lou Figaro
14 Jul 1 100 Miles at Grand River Speedrome Marshall Teague
15 Jul 8 100 Miles at Bainbridge Fairgrounds Fonty Flock
16 Jul 15 100 Miles at Heidelberg Raceway Herb Thomas
17 Jul 29 100 Miles at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway Fonty Flock
18 Jul 31 100 Miles at Monroe County Fairgrounds Lee Petty
19 Aug 1 100 Miles at Altamont-Schenectady Fairgrounds Fonty Flock
20 Aug 12 Motor City 250 Tommy Thompson
21 Aug 19 100 Miles at Ft. Miami Speedway Tim Flock
22 Aug 24 100 Miles at Morristown Speedway Tim Flock
23 Aug 25 100 Miles at Greenville Textile Speedway Bob Flock
24 Sep 3 Southern 500 Herb Thomas
25 Sep 7 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Tim Flock
26 Sep 8 100 Miles at Central City Speedway Herb Thomas
27 Sep 15 150 Miles at Langhorne Speedway Herb Thomas
28 Sep 23 150 Miles at Charlotte Speedway Herb Thomas
29 Sep 23 100 Miles at Dayton Speedway Fonty Flock
30 Sep 30 100 Miles at Wilson Speedway Fonty Flock
31 Oct 7 135 Miles at Occoneechee Speedway Herb Thomas
32 Oct 12 108 Miles at Thompson Speedway Neil Cole
33 Oct 14 100 Miles at Pine Grove Speedway Tim Flock
34 Oct 14 105 Miles at Martinsville Speedway Frank Mundy
35 Oct 14 200 Miles at Oakland Stadium Marvin Burke
36 Oct 21 Wilkes 200 Fonty Flock
37 Oct 28 280 Miles at Marchbanks Speedway Danny Weinberg
38 Nov 4 100 Miles at Speedway Park Herb Thomas
39 Nov 11 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway Tim Flock
40 Nov 11 100 Miles at Carrell Speedway Bill Norton
41 Nov 25 113 Miles at Lakeview Speedway Frank Mundy

Frequently Asked Questions

When was the first NASCAR Cup Series race?
The first NASCAR Cup Series race — then called the Strictly Stock Division — was held on June 19, 1949 at the three-quarter mile Charlotte Speedway dirt oval in North Carolina. Jim Roper was declared the winner after Glenn Dunnaway was disqualified for illegal rear springs, making it the first of 200 sanctioned points races in Cup history's inaugural season of eight events.
How many NASCAR Cup races are there per season?
The modern NASCAR Cup Series runs 36 points-paying races per year plus 2 non-championship exhibition events (the Cook Out Clash and the All-Star Race). The regular season covers 26 races, followed by a 10-race Chase in 2026. Historic Cup schedules varied wildly — 1964 had 62 races, while 1949 had just 8.
What is a NASCAR stage?
Stages were introduced in 2017 to split each Cup race into three scoring segments. Drivers earn stage points (10 down to 1 for the top 10 at each stage break) plus a playoff point for winning a stage. Stage breaks also create competition cautions that reset strategy. Races before 2017 have no stage data — only finishing order, laps led, and margin of victory are available.
Who has the most NASCAR Cup Series wins?
Richard Petty holds the all-time Cup Series wins record with 200 victories across a career from 1958 to 1992. David Pearson is second with 105, followed by Jeff Gordon (93), Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip (84 each), and Cale Yarborough (83). No active driver has crossed 100 wins.
What was the first NASCAR race at Daytona?
The inaugural Daytona 500 was held on February 22, 1959 at the brand-new 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Lee Petty was declared the winner three days after the race in a photo-finish review over Johnny Beauchamp. The race has opened every Cup Series season since and is the most prestigious event on the schedule.
Where can I find historical NASCAR race results?
NASCAR Reference has complete race results from 1949 to 2026 for the Cup Series, 1982-2026 for the O'Reilly (Xfinity) Series, and 1995-2026 for the Craftsman Truck Series. Each result includes finishing order, laps led, margins of victory, and driver stats.

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