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Ninth Annual Southern 500 Nascar Race Darlington Raceway South Carolina 57774 (1958)

1958 · Short film · 26 min

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Synopsis

This 1958 color film features the highlights of the Ninth Annual Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, South Carolina. This race was a NASCAR Grand National Series event on September 1, 1958. The film was sponsored by The Pure Oil Company and produced by Dynamic Films. Stock car Chevrolets and Fords zip around the track. Footage is shown from the driver’s perspective (:06-1:07). Footage is shown of the cars lined up before the 1953 race. A car spins and flips over multiple times. A car hits the guardrail and flips over onto its hood (1:08-1:55). The 1955 race highlights show multiple cars spinning off the guardrails (1:56-2:35). The 1956 race highlights show spinning cars and cars pushing each other off the track (2:36-3:36). The 1957 race highlights include some footage inside a racing car. A car is hit and flips multiple times on the track. Speedy Thompson passes the finish line to win. A crowd gathers around his #46 car (3:37-4:41). A parade is held before the 1958 race in downtown Darlington, which includes clowns on motorcycles and trick cars. They are followed by a marching band, the Queen and her court in poufy white dresses and elbow-length gloves riding on a float, a swimsuit model on the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Co. float, a children’s float, and more clowns (4:42-6:33). Last minutes adjustments are made to the stock passenger automobiles the day before the 1958 race. NASCAR inspectors verify all cars meet specifications. A close-up shot shows an AMMCO container and a…

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Details

Running time
26 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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