Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, on October 2,
1925, Paul Goldsmith moved with his family to Detroit when he
was a teenager. He began riding motorcycles soon after World War
II and shortly began racing them. With support from Detroit
Harley-Davidson dealer Earl Robinson, and one of the dealership
mechanics Boots Carnegie, Goldsmith began racing across the
Midwest in 1947. During the late 1940s and through the
mid-1950s, Goldsmith established himself as one of the country’s
leading motorcycle racers by winning county fair races and AMA
National events including the1953 Daytona 200. In 1953, he
was named the AMA’s Most Popular Rider of the Year. His final
AMA national victory came in Schererville, Indiana, on August 7,
1955.
Goldsmith then elected to walk away from motorcycle racing
and to take up stock car racing. In 1956, he made his NASCAR
Grand National Division debut driving Smokey Yunick’s No.3
Chevrolet in 9 events. In his 8th career start in the series,
Goldsmith won at Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He recorded 1 win, 4
top-5s, and 6 top-10s.
In 1957, Goldsmith drove Yunick’s No.3 in 19 events, Pete
DePaolo’s No.12, 97, and 99 Ford in 5 events, and Herb Thomas’s
No.92 Pontiac at Hickory making 25 starts in the season’s 53
events. Goldsmith qualified on the pole in 4 events and won 4
while accumulating 10-top5s and 15 top-10s.
In 1958, Goldsmith made 2 starts qualifying on the pole and
winning the Daytona Beach Course event driving Yunick’s No.3
Pontiac. Goldsmith debuted in the 1958 Indianapolis 500 driving
the No.31 Offenhauser powered Kurtis Kraft Car. He made his
second Indy 500 in 1959 finishing 5th in the
No.99 Epperly Offenhauser, and finished 3rd in the 1960 Indy
500.
Goldsmith returned to NASCAR competition in 1961 driving Ray
Nichels’
No.31 Pontiac in the Daytona 500 where he finished 3rd. In
1962, Goldsmith and Nichels paired up again for the Atlanta 500
recording a 6th place finish. In 1963, Goldsmith wheeled
Nichel’s No.01 Pontiac and No.1 Plymouth in 6 NASCAR Grand
National events qualifying on the pole at Riverside. For 1964,
Nichels fielded the No.25 Plymouth for Goldsmith in
14 events. Goldsmith qualified on the pole for the Daytona
500 and finished 3rd. Another 3rd place finish came at Bristol
and a 3rd in the Dixie 400 at Atlanta.
Goldsmith was absent from NASCAR Grand National competition
in 1965, but returned in 1966 driving Nichels’ No.99 Plymouth in
19 events and Bob Cooper’s No.02 Plymouth in 3 events. He won
the Peach Blossom 500 at Rockingham after qualifying on the pole
and he won the Volunteer 500 at Bristol. He recorded 11 top-5s
and 11 top-10s as well. Goldsmith drove Nichels’ No.99 Plymouth
in 21 Grand National events in 1967 recording 7 top-5s and 8
top-10s. Goldsmith logged another 15 starts in 1968 driving for
Nichels in 14 events and driving Tom Friedkin’s No.14 Plymouth
at Martinsville. He recorded 2 top-5s and 4 top-10s that season.
1969 would be Goldsmith’s final year competing in the NASCAR
Grand National Division. He made 11 starts driving for Nichels
in 10 events and driving Ray Fox’s No.3 Dodge at Martinsville.
He logged 4 top-5s and 5 top-10s during his final season.
After retiring from racing altogether in 1969, Goldsmith
concentrated on building his aviation engine business.
In 11 years of competition in the NASCAR Grand National
Division, Paul Goldsmith recorded 127 starts, 8 poles, 9 wins,
44 top-5s and 59 top-10s.
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