1953 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 37 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 1 100 Miles at Palm Beach Speedway Lee Petty
2 Feb 15 160 Miles at Daytona Beach & Road Course Bill Blair
3 Mar 8 100 Miles at Harnett Speedway Herb Thomas
4 Mar 29 Wilkes County 200 Herb Thomas
5 Apr 5 113 Miles at Charlotte Speedway Dick Passwater
6 Apr 19 Richmond 200 Lee Petty
7 Apr 26 100 Miles at Central City Speedway Dick Rathman
8 May 3 150 Miles at Langhorne Speedway Buck Baker
9 May 9 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Buck Baker
10 May 16 73 Miles at Hickory Speedway Tim Flock
11 May 17 105 Miles at Martinsville Speedway Lee Petty
12 May 24 100 Miles at Powell Motor Speedway Herb Thomas
13 May 30 300 Miles at Raleigh Speedway Fonty Flock
14 Jun 7 100 Miles at Louisiana Fairgrounds Lee Petty
15 Jun 14 70 Miles at Five Flags Speedway Herb Thomas
16 Jun 21 International 200 Dick Rathman
17 Jun 26 100 Miles at Tri-City Speedway Herb Thomas
18 Jun 28 100 Miles at Wilson Speedway Fonty Flock
19 Jul 3 100 Miles at Monroe County Fairgrounds Herb Thomas
20 Jul 4 100 Miles at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds Lee Petty
21 Jul 10 100 Miles at Morristown Speedway Dick Rathman
22 Jul 12 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway Herb Thomas
23 Jul 22 100 Miles at Rapid Valley Speedway Herb Thomas
24 Jul 26 100 Miles at Lincoln City Fairgrounds Dick Rathman
25 Aug 2 100 Miles at Davenport Speedway Herb Thomas
26 Aug 9 90 Miles at Occoneechee Speedway Curtis Turner
27 Aug 16 100 Miles at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway Fonty Flock
28 Aug 23 100 Miles at Princess Anne Speedway Herb Thomas
29 Aug 29 73 Miles at Hickory Speedway Fonty Flock
30 Sep 7 Southern 500 Buck Baker
31 Sep 13 100 Miles at Central City Speedway Speedy Thompson
32 Sep 20 250 Miles at Langhorne Speedway Dick Rathman
33 Oct 3 100 Miles at Bloomsburg Fairgrounds Herb Thomas
34 Oct 4 100 Miles at Wilson Speedway Herb Thomas
35 Oct 11 Wilkes 160 Speedy Thompson
36 Oct 18 105 Miles at Martinsville Speedway Jim Paschal
37 Nov 1 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway Buck Baker

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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