Billy Myers was born October 19, 1924. He began
competing in the NASCAR Grand National Division in 1951. In his
first event, he finished 8th at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.
He then drove at Detroit and Darlington for Hubert Westmoreland
recording an 18th place finish in the Southern 500. Myers then
began driving R. G. Shelton’s #22 Hudson. At the ½-mile dirt
Martinsville Speedway, Myers qualified 4th and finished 3rd. An
18th place finish at the .625-mile dirt North Wilkesboro and a
17th place finish at the ½-mile dirt Speedway Park in
Jacksonville, Florida capped Myers rookie season.In 1952,
Myers only entered one Grand National event, the Motor City 250
at Detroit where he drove Joe Hawkin’s #98 Plymouth to a 14th
place finish after starting 33rd.
In 1955, Myers returned to NASCAR’s premier division after a
two-year absence. A crash at Columbia, South Carolina resulted
in a 19th place finish. Myers then drove Westmoreland’s
Chevrolet to a 9th place finish at the Forsyth County
Fairgrounds’ ½-mile dirt track at Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
In the Southern 500, Myers finished 23rd, 24 laps down. On
October 3, 1955, Myers entered the 100-lap NASCAR Sportsman
event at Martinsville on the newly paved track and won the first
race on the smooth pavement.
In 1956, Myers started 42 of the 56 NASCAR Grand National
Division events.
He finished 3rd at West Palm Beach, 2nd on the Daytona Beach
course. When the series returned to West Palm Beach, Myers
qualified 3rd and won his first NASCAR Grand National Division
race. He finished 2nd at North Wilkesboro, 4th at Richmond
Fairgrounds, and 2nd at Hickory. He qualified on the pole at
Soldier’s Field in Chicago but finished 17th after losing his
brakes. He bounced back recording a 3rd place finish at the
Cleveland County Fairgrounds at Shelby, North Carolina, 2nd at
Road America at Elkhart Lakes, Wisconsin, 3rd at Old Bridge
Stadium at Old Bridge, New Jersey, and then won again at Norfolk
Speedway at Norfolk, Virginia. He recorded a 2nd place finish at
Coastal Speedway at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, 2nd at
Southern States Fairgrounds at Charlotte, North Carolina, and a
5th place finish at Columbia Speedway at Columbia, South
Carolina.
For the year, he had 1 pole, 2 wins, 13 top-5s, and 22
top-10s to finish 6th in the championship title chase.
In 1957, Myers started in 28 of the NASCAR Grand National
Division’s 53 scheduled events. He recorded 4 top-5s and 9
top-10s. In 1958, Myers campaigned his own #14 Mercury in the
division. He lost and engine at the Daytona Beach course and
finished 25th at Concord Speedway at Concord, North Carolina. On
April 12, 1958 while racing in a Modified event at Bowman Gray
Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Billy Myers suffered a
heart attack and died.
In his 6 year NASCAR Grand National Division career, Myers
recorded 84 starts, 1 poe, 2 wins, 18 top-5s, and 34 top-10s.
In his memory and the memory if his brother, Bobby, The Myers
Brothers award was established. It is awarded annually to a
person, or persons, who have made outstanding contributions to
stock car racing. The recepeint is elected each year by members
of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA).
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