Red Byron
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Robert "Red" Byron (March 12, 1915-November 11, 1960) was a NASCAR driver who was successful in the early days of the organization.
A native of Anniston, Alabama, Byron began racing in 1932 and was successful racing in Talladega by the start of the 1940s. His racing career was interrupted when he served in the Air Force as a flight engineer during World War II. Byron's B-24 was shot down during the war and he suffered a serious injury to his left leg. It took nearly two years for doctors to rebuild his leg but he managed to make a good recovery, although he was left with a limp.
When he returned from the war, Byron, limp and all, returned to racing, and was still successful. In 1948, Byron became a part of the newly formed NASCAR Modified Series. Driving for Raymond Parks, he won the first NASCAR race ever held, at Daytona Beach, which was one of eleven victories for Byron that season. At season's end, he was the series' first champion.
In 1949, Byron began racing to NASCAR's newly formed "strictly stock" series, which became the modern-day Nextel Cup series. With Parks in tow, Red was equally successful in the inaugural 8-race season. Just like he'd done last season, he won at Daytona Beach, and also won at a dirt track in Martinsville. Byron, as he done the previous year in a modified, ended the year as the series' first titlist.
Byron raced sparingly after his two championships. He owned a sports car racing team for a lot of the 1950s.
Despite his brief career, he was selected to the National Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1966. In 1998, as part of NASCAR's 50th Anniversary celebration, he was selected as one of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers.