• The final Grand National race on the sands of the Daytona beach-road course is staged Feb. 23. Paul Goldsmith nips Curtis Turner in a thrilling duel.

• Riverside International Raceway, a twisting road course located in Southern California, opens its gates in June.

• The Crown America International Stock Car Race, an event at Riverside that encouraged international entries including Rolls Royce, starts 46 cars with Eddie Gray winning the inaugural 500-mile event. No Rolls Royce was entered, but several foreign sports cars were driven in the race.

• Richard Petty begins his NASCAR driving career with a sixth-place finish in the 100-mile Convertible Division race at Columbia, S.C. on July 12. Petty competes in his first Grand National event July 18 in Toronto, Canada, finishing 17th in a field of 19.

• Fireball Roberts wins six of his 10 starts during the course of the 51-race season. Florida sports writers vote Roberts the winner of the state's "Professional Athlete of the Year" award, the first time a NASCAR driver had won the prestigious award.

• Lee Petty posts 44 top-10 finishes in 50 starts and wraps up his second Grand National championship. He takes the lead in the point chase in the second event of the season and never relinquishes it.