Birth: March 12, 1925 – Death: November 11, 1960 | Birthplace: Plasterco, VA

Red Byron, born March 12, 1915, was one of the original 35 men who met on December 14, 1947 to create a national stock car sanctioning organization that would later be known as NASCAR. Driving for fellow Hall of Famer Raymond Parks, Byron won the first NASCAR Strictly Stock sanctioned race run at Martinsville and was the first NASCAR champion. “Red Vogt is the reason I win,” he said. “He puts these motors together like a watch. When the other mechanics learn his secrets, there won’t be any stragglers. They’ll all travel.” Byron was “a real fine guy,” a tail gunner and World War II hero who, because of a wound suffered in battle, raced with his left leg in a steel stirrup bolted to his car’s clutch. A member of the “Georgia Gang,” he was an Atlanta garage owner during the 1930s. Red Vogt prepared his cars and, though he competed for only a few years, he won more than his share of races. He won the first NASCAR championship in 1947 in the Modified Division. He scored wins all over the south, including Daytona Beach and Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway. Red Byron played a key role in the inception of the racing that has evolved into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Byron passed away on November 11, 1960.