Louise Smith - page 2
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In 1947 Louise wanted to race at Daytona. She acquired a special engine, hid it in the trunk of the family Ford, and headed for Florida. NASCAR officials assigned her number 13. "I went all down the line trying to trade that 13 off. They said, 'Aw, Lou, just follow us through that North Turn.' So I followed them, but when I got to the North Turn seven cars were piled up. I hit the back of one of them, went up in the air, cut a flip, and landed on my top. Some police officers turned the car back over, and I finished 13th."
"If you won a race, you sometimes had to fight. I remember grabbing a tire iron one time to help Buck Baker." After another race Louise and the guys stopped at a restaurant before heading to the next race. Louise was in the ladies room when she heard chairs slamming against the door. Everyone was arrested, and Louise had to pawn her diamond ring to get them out of jail.
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Louise was known for her hard-charging style and her breathtaking crashes. At Hillsborough (N.C.) she became airborne coming out of the second turn, and it took 36 minutes to free her with an acetylene torch. At Mobile (AL) she tangled with Fonty Flock and ended up sitting on top of her car in the middle of a lake. Before another race, Buddy Shuman said, "Lou, you see that empty house up there on the bank? Be careful. Don't go up that bank and through that house." Louise wishes he had not said that!
Louise Smith lives in Greenville, South Carolina and is a member of The Living Legends. She is the first woman to be inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame at Talladaga.
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