Marshall Teague

22/2/1922 - 11/2/1959

Record updated 22-May-07

Marshall Teague was one of NASCAR's first stars and pioneers. In just twenty-three career starts, Marshall captured 2 poles and seven victories in his "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet.

Marshall Teague, a Daytona Beach resident, was one of NASCAR's first stars and pioneers. In just twenty-three career starts, Marshall captured 2 poles and seven victories in his "Fabulous" Hudson Hornet.

He won the first NASCAR race held on the other side of the Mississippi in 1951 at the Carrell Speedway in California. 1951 was his best season, winning five of his career seven NASCAR Winston Cup wins. His first series win came on the Daytona Beach Road Course and he won on the beach again in 1952 when the event was shortened by the incoming tide.

He left the series in 1953 to race in the AAA and USAC racing series after a dispute with Bill France, Sr.. Later, with the dispute behind them, Teague tested tires at the new Daytona International Speedway.

On the 10th February 1959 he set an unofficial closed course speed record of 171.821 mph while testing Chapman Root's Sumar Special Indy Car (but with closed fenders) at the new Daytona International Speedway but the next day, February 11, 1959, there was a violent crash. Teague, only 36, died instantly. The incident, just 11 days before the scheduled running of the first-ever Daytona 500, cast a pall over the raceway. Speculation was that the track was unsafe and would produce untold carnage. This fortunately was untrue as the first Speedweeks went off without a hitch. However, Marshall's death so bothered Big Bill France, that open wheel Indy racing has never happened again at Daytona.

Known as the "King of the Beach," Teague was inducted into the National Motorsports Press Association's Hall of Fame at Darlington Raceway in 1968.

• 1945 First Race - Finished Second
• 1949 Won 200 mile Daytona Beach Race, Average Speed 88.23 MPH
• 1951 Won 160 mile Grand National at Daytona Beach
• Pure Oil Company, now Unocal, together with Hudson Motor Car Company, agree to sponsor Marshall, thus becoming the first company sponsor for NASCAR Racing
• 1951 & 1952 Finishes sixth and seventh respectively in the 2000 Mile Mexican Road Race
• 1952 Winner of the Daytona Beach Road Course
• 1951 AAA Stock Car Driver of the Year
• 1952 & 1954 AAA National Stock Car Champion
• 1953 First race at Indianapolis Speedway
• 1957 Finishes seventh at Indy 500