Who won the first NASCAR Strictly Stock championship in 1949?

Red Byron won the first NASCAR Strictly Stock championship in 1949.

The 1949 season was NASCAR’s inaugural Strictly Stock campaign, a series that later evolved into the Grand National Series, Winston Cup, and today’s NASCAR Cup Series. Byron, driving for car owner Raymond Parks, secured the drivers’ title across the eight-race schedule.

Byron won two of the season’s races: the Daytona Beach Road Course event and the Martinsville race. He also finished third in the inaugural race at Charlotte Speedway. Although he finished only 16th in the final race at North Wilkesboro, his accumulated points were sufficient to win the championship by 117.5 points over Lee Petty.

The title is sometimes confused with winning the first Strictly Stock race. Jim Roper won that opening event after Glenn Dunaway was disqualified, while Byron finished third. Byron’s championship therefore refers to the season-long points standings, not the result of the first race. Health problems related to a leg injury later limited his racing career.