LOUISE SMITH - 7/31/1916 - 4/15/2006 - was known as 'the first lady of racing'. She went as a spectator to her first NASCAR race at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1949. She could not stand watching the races, so she entered her family's shiny new Ford coupe in the race and rolled it. She finished 20th. She returned to Greenville by bus and when her husband asked why, she told him the car had broken down in Augusta, Ga. He then produced a copy of the local newspaper with a photo of the crash and a headline "Louise Smith Wrecks At Daytona."
About 15 - 20 years ago a group of us meet Louise for breakfast in Daytona. She was quite a character....
