1959 Cup Series Results

Complete race results with winners, margins, and laps led — 44 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 Nov 9 50 Miles at Champion Speedway Bob Welborn
2 Feb 20 Daytona Qualifier Bob Welborn
3 Feb 22 Daytona 500 Lee Petty
4 Mar 1 99 Miles at Occoneechee Speedway Curtis Turner
5 Mar 8 100 Miles at Concord Speedway Curtis Turner
6 Mar 22 100 Miles at Lakewood Speedway Johnny Beauchamp
7 Mar 29 100 Miles at Wilson Speedway Junior Johnson
8 Mar 30 50 Miles at Bowman-Gray Stadium Jim Reed
9 Apr 4 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Jack Smith
10 Apr 5 Gwyn Staley 160 Lee Petty
11 Apr 26 100 Miles at Reading Fairgrounds Junior Johnson
12 May 2 Hickory 250 Junior Johnson
13 May 3 Virginia 500 Lee Petty
14 May 17 225 Miles at Trenton Speedway Tom Pistone
15 May 22 100 Miles at Southern States Fairgrounds Lee Petty
16 May 24 Music City 200 Rex White
17 May 30 244 Miles at Ascot Stadium Parnelli Jones
18 Jun 5 100 Miles at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds Jack Smith
19 Jun 13 100 Miles at Greenville-Pickens Speedway Junior Johnson
20 Jun 14 150 Miles at Lakewood Speedway Lee Petty
21 Jun 18 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Lee Petty
22 Jun 20 100 Miles at Wilson Speedway Junior Johnson
23 Jun 21 Richmond 200 Tom Pistone
24 Jun 27 50 Miles at Bowman-Gray Stadium Rex White
25 Jun 28 100 Miles at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway Rex White
26 Jul 4 Firecracker 250 Fireball Roberts
27 Jul 21 100 Miles at Heidelberg Raceway Jim Reed
28 Jul 26 100 Miles at Southern States Fairgrounds Jack Smith
29 Aug 1 108 Miles at Rambi Race Track Ned Jarrett
30 Aug 2 100 Miles at Southern States Fairgrounds Ned Jarrett
31 Aug 9 Nasvhille 300 Joe Lee Johnson
32 Aug 16 250 Miles at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway Bob Welborn
33 Aug 21 50 Miles at Bowman-Gray Stadium Rex White
34 Aug 22 100 Miles at Greenville-Pickens Speedway Buck Baker
35 Aug 29 100 Miles at Columbia Speedway Lee Petty
36 Sep 7 Southern 500 Jim Reed
37 Sep 11 Buddy Shuman 250 Lee Petty
38 Sep 13 100 Miles at California State Fairgrounds Cotton Owens
39 Sep 13 Capital City 200 Eddie Gray
40 Sep 20 99 Miles at Occoneechee Speedway Lee Petty
41 Sep 27 Old Dominion 500 Rex White
42 Oct 11 100 Miles at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway Lee Petty
43 Oct 18 Wilkes 160 Lee Petty
44 Oct 25 Lee Kirby 300 Jack Smith

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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