Gene Comstock

Eugene H. "Gene" Comstock
Born(1910-02-20)February 20, 1910
Red House, West Virginia
DiedFebruary 1, 1981(1981-02-01) (aged 70)
Huntington, West Virginia
Cause of deathAdvanced age
NASCAR Cup Series career
29 races run over 6 years
Best finish18th (1953)
First race1950 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Last race1955 Southern 500 (Darlington)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 6 0

Eugene H. Comstock (February 21, 1910 – February 1, 1981) was a NASCAR Grand National Series driver from Chesapeake, Ohio, USA.[1]

Gene is the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Pearle Francis (P.F.) Comstock and was associated with operating gas-powered vehicles for the majority of his life.[2]

Career

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Comstock started driving race cars in the 1930s and drove to the late 1960s. Comstock was a multi-talented driver who drove midgets, sprint cars, super-modify, and stock cars. He had many wins on the short tracks around the country and was considered by many to be one of the top drivers from his area.

In his career spanning from 1950 to 1955, Gene racked up one top-five position, six top-ten positions, 3038.6 miles of racing experience, and $2,549 ($28,992.1 when adjusted for inflation) in take home pay.[1] He competed in the 1955 Southern 500 in a 1954 Hudson Hornet as a driver/owner.[3]

Comstock was one of the drivers who raced in the first Darlington race in 1950. He competed in a new Oldsmobile purchased by a bootlegger from Ironton, Ohio. He finished 18th in the race. According to the Darlington newspaper, at 125 miles, Johnny Mantz was leading with Fireball Roberts in second and Comstock in third. Harold Brasington (Track Owner) was reported to have told Comstock after the race that he thought he was going to win the race until he broke the right front hub around the 425th mile of the race.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gene Comstock's NASCAR career information". Racing Reference. Archived from the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  2. ^ "Gene Comstock's grave information". Find a Grave. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2012-11-11.
  3. ^ "1955 Southern 500 information". Racing Reference. Archived from the original on 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
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