The 1949 Wilkes 200 was a NASCAR Strictly Stock Series racing event that took place on October 16, 1949.[where?

[2][3] The entire race took place on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) per lap.

[2][3] Bob Flock would defeat Lee Petty by an entire football field – 100 yards (91 m) – to win NASCAR's first racing event with an established name.

[5] Byron almost became a cripple after being shot by an enemy fighter plane while serving as a tail gunner on a B-24 Liberator bomber during World War II.

He spent two years in military hospitals rehabilitating his leg so that he could compete in NASCAR after the war ended.