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 Herb Thomas was the first two-time NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Champion (1951, 1953) and the first three-time winner of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway (1951, 1954, 1955). Born in 1923 in Barbecue Township, Hartnett County, N.C., Thomas began racing on the NASCAR circuit as soon as it was organized. In addition to his two championships, Thomas finished second in the standings in 1952, 1954 and 1956. He won 48 races in 230 starts, ranking him 12th on the all-time list. He also accumulated 38 pole positions, 10th on the all-time list. In 1965, Thomas was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame, the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994, and also is among NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers. Thomas competed in a couple of races during the 1957 season and after making one start in 1962, officially retired to his family farm where he raised tobacco and also founded a trucking company. Thomas passed away five years ago, on Aug. 9, 2000.
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