Marshall Teague and the Hudson Hornet
February 11 was a great day for the car and the driver. On that day in 1951, NASCAR driver Marshall Teague drove a Hudson Hornet to victory in the 160-mile Daytona Grand National in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was a foretaste of things to come for both of them. The Hornet had an innovative “step-down” chassis design and a lower center of gravity that improved handling. In 1951, the manufacturer equipped the car with a larger engine. The Hornet was a powerhouse on the NASCAR circuit until 1955, when rule changes emphasized power over handling.
The Hudson Motor Company
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Founded on February 24, 1909 by eight Detroit businessmen
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The company is named after JLHudson, a Detroit department store entrepreneur and one of the original founders.
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Roy Chapin, Sr., the experienced industry investor, had been a young executive with Ransom E. Olds.
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In 1929, Hudson produced 300,000 cars, making it the third largest automaker in the US.
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On January 14, 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator to become American Motors.
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In the 2006 animated film “Cars,” Paul Newman provided the voice for the character, “Doc Hudson.” Doc was once known as the Fabulous Hornet, holding a record for the most wins (27) in a single season. His license plate was 51HHMD.
Known as the “King of the Beach” for his racing at his hometown track, Marshall Teague won seven NASCAR Grand National Races between 1949 and 1952. Prior to the 1951 season, he traveled from Michigan to Hudson, where he filed without an appointment. By the end of the visit, he had laid the groundwork for a relationship with the company that would see the car and driver dominate the circuit until 1953. Teague left NASCAR that year, in a dispute with the circuit’s founder, Bill France, Sr. He went on to drive on the AAA and USAC circuits.
Nine years after his historic run in the Hudson Hornet, on February 11, 1959, he was back at Daytona. It would be his last race. Teague was killed trying to set a closed court record in a reconfigured Indy car at the newly opened Dayton International Speedway. The test session was just before the April debut of the USAC Indy-style roadster championship, and eleven days before the first Daytona 500. Marshall’s death upset Bill France so much that he never again participated in Indy-style racing at Daytona Speedway.
Marshall Teague Career Highlights
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics
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23 races run over 4 years.
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Best Cup Position: 62 – 1949 (Strictly Stock)
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First race: 1949 Daytona Beach Road Course
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First Win: 1951 Daytona Beach Road Course
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Last win: 1952 Speedway Park (Jacksonville)
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Wins-7 Top Tens-11 Poles-3
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National Auto Racing Press Association Hall of Fame (1968)
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1951 AAA Stock Car Driver of the Year
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1952 and 1954 AAA Series Car National Champion
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National Motorsports Hall of Fame (1988)
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TRS/NASCAR Mechanics Hall of Fame (1989)
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American Association of Motoring Writers and Broadcasters Hall of Fame (1991)
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