Herbert Thomas
File:HerbThomasNASCARLegend.jpg Herb Thomas, NASCAR racing legend
Born	(1923-04-06)April 6, 1923 Olivia, North Carolina
Died	August 9, 2000(2000-08-09) (aged 77)
Cause of death	Heart attack
Awards	1951 Grand National Champion 1953 Grand National Champion inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1994) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
228 race(s) run over 10 year(s)
Best finish	1st – 1951 and 1953 Grand National Series seasons
First race	1949 Charlotte Speedway (NASCAR's first race)
Last race	1962 North Wilkesboro Speedway
First win	1950 Martinsville Speedway
Last win	1956 Merced Fairgrounds
Wins Top tens Poles 48 156 39

Herbert Watson Thomas (April 6, 1923–August 9, 2000) was a NASCAR pioneer who was one of the series' most successful drivers in the 1950s.

Background[link]

Born in the small town of Oliva in the American state of North Carolina, Thomas originally worked as a farmer and also worked in a sawmill in the 1940s before his interest turned to auto racing.

Herb Thomas was the inspiration for the character "Doc Hudson" in the movie "Cars".

NASCAR career[link]

In 1949, Thomas took part in NASCAR's first Strictly Stock (the forerunner to the Grand National and ultimately the modern Sprint Cup) race, and made four starts in the series' first year. The following year, he made thirteen appearances in the series, now renamed the Grand National division. He scored his first career win at Martinsville Speedway in a privateer Plymouth.

Thomas' #92 Fabulous Hudson Hornet

He started the 1951 season with moderate success in his Plymouth (plus one win in an Oldsmobile) before switching to a Hudson Hornet, at the suggestion of fellow driver Marshall Teague. Thomas won the Southern 500 rather handily in what was famously dubbed "The Fabulous Hudson Hornet", which would be the first of six wins in a two month span. His late charge helped him narrowly defeat Fonty Flock to win the Grand National championship. With help from crew chief Smokey Yunick, Thomas subsequently became the first owner/driver to take the championship in the process.

In 1952, Thomas and his Hornet were involved in a close championship race with another Flock, Fonty's younger brother Tim. The two drivers won 8 races in their respective Hudsons, but Flock came out on top at the end, in spite of another late season charge from Thomas.

He returned with a vengeance in 1953 and dominated the entire season, winning a series best twelve races en route to becoming the first two-time series champion. Thomas won twelve races again in 1954, including a second Southern 500 win (making him the first driver to win twice at Darlington), but he was beaten by a more consistent Lee Petty in the championship standings.

After four successful years in a Hudson, Thomas began driving Chevrolets and Buicks in races in 1955. He crashed heavily behind the wheel of a Buick at a race in Charlotte, forcing him to miss six months of the season. He returned to score his third Southern 500 win in his Motoramic Chevy, one of three wins during the season. He finished 5th in the championship on the strength of his win at Darlington.

In 1956, Thomas briefly abandoned being an owner/driver and, after winning a race for himself early in the season, he drove for two other owners. He won once for Yunick, after which the two broke ties, and three consecutive races while driving for Carl Kiekhaefer, then dominating NASCAR with the first professional team. Thomas eventually returned to being an owner/driver at season's end, and had clinched second behind Petty in the championship when he was severely injured at a race in Shelby, North Carolina. The wreck effectively ended his NASCAR career, though he had two starts in 1957 and one in 1962 without success. The three consecutive wins would end up being his final three wins.

Career summary[link]

Thomas ended his career with 48 victories, which currently ranks 12th all-time. He won 21% of his starts during his career, which ranks as the second highest win percentage all-time among drivers with 100 career starts (behind Tim Flock).

Brother Donald[link]

Herb's younger brother Donald made 79 starts in the Grand National division between 1950 and 1956, winning at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway in 1952. Donald was the youngest driver to ever win a race in series history until Kyle Busch broke the record in 2005.

Awards[link]

Thomas was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994, and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998.

Death[link]

On August 9, 2000, Herb Thomas suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 77 in Sanford, North Carolina.

External links[link]

• Stats from Racing-Reference
• Article on Thomas' passing

Nkrumah "Jah" Thomas (b. 1955, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay and record producer who first came to prominence in the 1970s, later setting up his own Midnight Rock and Nura labels.

Biography[link]

Named Nkrumah after African nationalist leader Kwame Nkrumah, he adopted the stage name Jah Thomas and began deejaying in the mid-1970s, working with producers such as Alvin Ranglin, who released his single "Midnight Rock", which topped the Jamaican chart in 1976.^[1][2] Thomas's debut album, Stop Yuh Loafin' gained international recognition via a release on the newly-formed Greensleeves Records label.^[1] Further deejay albums appeared in the late 1970s, before Thomas began concentrating on producing other artists, such as Robert Ffrench, Anthony Johnson, Triston Palmer, Johnny Osbourne, Michael Palmer, Barry Brown, Barrington Levy, Sugar Minott, Early B, Ranking Toyan, and Robin Hood, at the same time setting up the Midnight Rock record label, one of the most successful performer-owned labels of the period.^[1][2] Midnight Rock soon had a hit record in the shape of Thomas's "Cricket Lovely Cricket".^[2] Thomas would often use the mixing talents of Scientist, and the Roots Radics band.^[2] He later also set up the Nura label.^[2]

He is the father of Jamaican reggae sensation, Da'Ville.

Discography[link]

• Stop Yuh Loafin' (1978) Greensleeves
• Dance On The Corner (1979) Midnight Rock
• Nah Fight Over Woman (1980) Tad's
• Black Ash Dub (1980) Trojan (with The Revolutionaries)
• Tribute to the Reggae King (1981) Midnight Rock
• Dance Hall Connection (1982) Silver Camel
• Dance Hall Stylee (1982) Daddy Kool/Silver Camel
• Shoulder Move (1983) Midnight Rock
• Jah Thomas Meets Scientist In Dub Conference (1996) Munich
• Triston Palmer Meets Jah Thomas In Discostyle (1996) Munich
• Jah Thomas Meets King Tubby Inna Roots Of Dub (1997) Rhino
• Jah Thomas Meets The Roots Radics Dubbing (1999) Trojan
• Jah Thomas meets Barrington Levy inna Dancehall Style Culture Press
• King Tubby's Hidden Treasure(1999) Trojan (Jah Thomas & The Roots Radics)
• Lyrics For Sale Rhino
• Prophecy Of Dub Abraham (Jah Thomas & The Roots Radics)
• Jah Thomas Meets King Tubby In The House of Dub Majestic Reggae
• Roots Dancehall Party (2003) Silver Kamel
• Big Dance A Keep (2005) Silver Kamel
• Big Dance Dub (2005) Silver Kamel
• Liquid Brass (2005) Silver Kamel
• Jah Thomas Presents... (2007) Ras Sta Reggae
• Jah Thomas Meets... (2007) Ras Sta Reggae

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jah Thomas at Roots Archives

Lloyd D. Moore (June 8, 1912 – May 18, 2008^[1]) was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver from 1949 to 1955, recording 13 top-5 and 23 top-10 finishes.^[2][3] He was born in Frewsburg, New York, USA. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living former NASCAR driver.^[3]

In 1950, Moore was a teammate of NASCAR champion Bill Rexford under car owner Julian Buesink.^[2] He was the winner of one Grand National Series race that season, at the dirt half mile Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana.^[2] He finished fourth in points for the season.^[4]

Moore was honored by his hometown of Frewsburg in March 2009 with a street named in his honor.^[5]

References[link]

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Austin Thomas (born 25 March 1939) is a Aruban fencer. He competed in the individual foil and épée events at the 1988 Summer Olympics.^[1]