On Feb. 14, 1953, the 98.4 Mile Modified-Sportsman Race at Daytona Beach ended with Cotton Ownens in a ’38 Plymouth with a Chrysler engine finishing first among the modifieds, followed by Ralph Moody and Earl Moses, while Curtis Turner placed first among the sportsman finishers and eleventh overall in a ’39 Ford, followed by Shorty York in fifteenth overall and Gwyn Staley in eighteenth overall. On Feb. 15, the 159.9 mile Grand National Race ended with Bill Blair in a ’53 Olds finishing first, followed by Fonty Flock in a ’53 Olds and Tommy Thompson in a ’53 Lincoln.