DUBOIS – Don Bailey of DuBois will relate his experiences in the early day of NASCAR racing as the guest speaker for a DuBois Area Historical Society program, April 20 at 7 p.m. in the museum at 30 W. Long Ave., DuBois. The program is free and open to all.
Bailey, a 1945 DuBois High School graduate, got involved in racing two years later driving a jalopy at the track in Salem. He found his inspiration from his brother-in-law, Jim Brubaker, who owned an Indianapolis-type car. Bailey continually finished in the top three positions.
By 1950, Bailey had moved on to stock-car racing participating in races twice a week. At the end of the 1951 season, he was ranked among the top 100 drives and invited to participate in a 100-mile national championship.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded in 1948. Bailey joined the circuit and competed until 1958. His best season was 1952 when he finished fourth in the nation among 11,000 drivers. That year was his only full year on the circuit with marriage and the need to support a family taking away from his racing time.
Bailey and Deacon Litz are the only two DuBois natives who competed in professional race car driving.