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Racer Profile: Joe Eubanks An Opinion
August 20, 2007 By Allen Madding
Born, August 9, 1925, Joe Eubanks served in the Navy during World War II. When he returned to his Spartanburg, South Carolina home after the war, he teamed up with his friend Walter “Bud” Moore to open a used car business. Around 1949, the two traded one of their used cars for a 1939 Ford to race at dirt track at the fairgrounds in Ralston, North Carolina. Moore made a few laps and went thru the fence. Moore quickly elected to work on the car and let someone else drive. Eubanks quickly slid under the wheel. Joe Eubanks made his first career start in the NASCAR Grand National Division in the 1950 Southern 500 at Darlington driving the No.4 Mercury starting 21st and finishing 19th. In 1951, he returned to Grand National competition driving Phil Oates’ No. 82 Oates Motor Company Oldsmobile and Hudson. Eubanks made 12 starts in 1951 finishing second in the Motor City 250 at Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit, Michigan. He then recorded third-place finishes at Occoneechee Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina and at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Eubanks made 19 starts in Grand National competition in 1952 driving for Oates recording four top-fives and nine top-tens. In 1953, he made 24 starts qualifying on the pole at Martinsville and at Central City Speedway in Macon, Georgia and finishing second at Hickory Motor Speedway. In 1954, Eubanks competed in 33 of the season’s 37 NASCAR Grand National events recording an amazing eleven top-fives, 24 top-tens, and finished fifth in the championship. Oates began to run out of cash to fund the racing in 1955 entering Eubanks in seven events. Eubanks drove the Lancaster Brothers’ No. 70 Chevrolet in seven more events to make 14 starts in Grand National competition that season recording four top-ten finishes. James Satcher put Eubank behind the wheel of the Satcher Motors No. 82 Ford for 26 of 56 Grand National events in 1956. Eubanks showed his appreciation by qualifying on the pole at Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte finishing third and by qualifying on the pole at Newport Speedway in Newport, Tennessee finishing sixth. Eubanks strung together two poles, seven top-fives and 13 top-tens. Satcher fielded the No. 82 Ford for Eubanks for only one event in 1957, the season’s second event at Concord Speedway in Concord, North Carolina where Eubanks finished ninth. Eubanks was behind the wheel of Jim Stephens’ No.6 Pontiac in 1958 for 7 NASCAR Grand National events. At Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina in the 110-lap event on the 9/10-mile dirt track, Eubanks scored his first career NASCAR Grand National Division win. In seven starts, he had one win, two top-fives, and three top-tens. Don Every put Eubanks in his No. 82 Ford and Pontiac in 12 Grand National events in 1959. Eubanks finished fifth at Lakewood Speedway in Atlanta and second at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He drove W. H. Watson’s No.61 Pontiac in the Southern 500 at Darlington but suffered an engine failure on the sixth lap. Every fielded the No. 82 Chevrolet and Ford for Eubanks in seven Grand National starts in 1960. Eubanks finished fifth at Southern States Fairgrounds in Charlotte and eighth at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, North Carolina. The same year, Eubanks made his film debut in movie “Thunder in Carolina”. Every provided Eubanks the No. 82 Ford for the 1961 World 600 at Charlotte. Eubanks finished the event in 13th place – his final NASCAR Grand National race of his career. Joe Eubanks died on June 21, 1971.
You can contact Allen Madding at .. Insider Racing News The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. 
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