Norm Nelson

Norman Huber "Norm" Nelson (January 30, 1923 – November 8, 1988) was an American racing driver.

Nelson prepared for racing when, as a 14-year-old, he borrowed his sister's 1934 Chevrolet and he raced it on the back streets of Racine.

He competed for the first time on a rainy 1939 afternoon race in a Swampy field near Pleasant Prairie.

His first race ended when his jalopy got stuck on the straightaway.

He continued in the car until the 1940-41 winter indoor series, when he got a ride in a midget car at the Chicago Amphitheater.

He ended up driving the midget into the wall in the first corner.

Racing in the United States ended for World War II and he served the United States Army as a tank operator.

After the war ended, he returned to successfully race midget cars.

He stopped racing midgets in favor of late model stock cars so he could race more frequently.

Nelso had been introduced to stock car racing in 1948 when Milwaukee promoter Tom Marchese brought stock cars to the region.

Nelson said "Once I got into stock car racing, I knew that it was for me. I couldn't get into just any midget. We always had to make special ones for me."

He raced in his first stock car race on the dirt of the Milwaukee Mile in 1948 and finished third in the 100 mi event.

Known primarily for his stock car career, Nelson competed in AAA and USAC Stock Cars from the 1950s through 1970s.

In 1950, Nelson was racing the American Automobile Association (AAA) Stock Car division in its first season and was leading the national points going into the final race at the Springfield Mile.

Second-place driver Jay Frank was the only driver who could catch him in the points and he had to win while Nelson had to not finish the race.

"That's exactly what happened", Nelson said.

"The engine on my Oldsmobile blew and he won the race."

During a condensed 1951 season, Nelson lost all of his points earned for winning a race at Milwaukee after the AAA Contest Board determined he had used an illegal gear.

He was using a special mountain gear in his Oldsmobile; he pointed out (to no avail) that the part could be found in a parts catalog.

Nelson won the following race, also at Milwuakee, and the points he lost would have made him the 1951 champion, which instead was won by Rodger Ward.

Nelson continued to race in AAA Stock Car races in 1952, 1953, and 1954 with less success - collecting top-five finishes at Toledo Raceway Park, Dayton Speedway, Illiana Speedway, and Milwaukee.

Nelson joined up with Carl Kiekhaefer's Chrysler team in 1955.

He won a 1955 stock car race at the Milwaukee Mile and blew his right front tire right after winning the race causing the car to skid into the walls.

Nelson's crew had done their pit stop in 1 minute and second-place finisher Marshall Teague had a 1-minute and 40 seconds stop.

He returned to driving at the national level, and finished third in 1958 and 1959.

For the first time in his career, Nelson drove in someone else's car when Bill Trainor hired him to race.

He raced at Wilmot Speedway in Kenosha in 1959 and won the track's modified stock class.

He won the season championship in 1960, 1965, and 1966 as a driver.

Nelson also won five owner's championships.

He competed in five NASCAR Grand National Series events and won one.

He had 35 USAC victories including 11 at the Milwaukee Mile near his hometown Racine, Wisconsin.

He was nicknamed "The Great Dane" because he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.

He won a race at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack and had several second-place finishes during his 1960 championship season.

Beginning in 1963, Nelson hired Gerald Kulwicki (Alan Kulwicki's father) to build engines for his race cars.

Nelson began his 25th season of racing in 1965 by winning the season-opening USAC Stock Car race at Milwaukee over Paul Goldsmith.

Nelson took the lead away from Parnelli Jones when his engine blew up late in the race.

Three NASCAR drivers competed in the event - Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Bobby Isaac.

Nelson won the Yankee 300 race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1965 which contributed toward him winning his second driver's championship that season.

Nelson won the 150-mile event at Langhorne Speedway in 1966 and he won his third season championship.

He also won his second straight Yankee 300 at IRP.