Paul Goldsmith

Paul Goldsmith
Born	(1925-10-02) October 2, 1925 (age 96) Parkersburg, West Virginia
Achievements	1961 and 1962 USAC stock car champion Daytona Beach Road Course final winner (1958)
Awards	AMA Hall of Fame inductee (1999) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America Inductee (2008)[1] USAC Hall of Fame inductee (2018)
NASCAR Cup Series career
127 races run over 11 years
Best finish	5th - 1966 (Grand National)
First race	1956 Race #9 (Lakewood)
Last race	1969 Yankee 600 (Michigan)
First win	1956 Race #47 (Langhorne)
Last win	1966 Volunteer 500 (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles 9 59 8
NASCAR Convertible Division career
7 races run over 2 years
Best finish	23rd (1957)
First race	1956 Race #2 (Charlotte Speedway)
Last race	1957 Race #35 ()
First win	1957 Race #33 (North Wilkesboro)
Wins Top tens Poles 1 5 2
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	American
Active years	1958–1960
Teams	Epperly, Kurtis Kraft
Entries	3
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	1
Career points	6
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1958 Indianapolis 500
Last entry	1960 Indianapolis 500

Paul Goldsmith (born October 2, 1925) is a former USAC and NASCAR driver. He is an inductee of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, and the USAC Hall of Fame. ^[1] Later in life Goldsmith became a pilot and, flying primarily a Cessna 421, transported engines and parts to and from races. Goldsmith is currently the oldest living veteran of the Indianapolis 500.

Motorcycle career[]

Goldsmith was a famous A.M.A. Grand National Championship motorcycle racer during the late 1940s through the mid-1950s. His first victory came in 1952 aboard a Harley-Davidson at the Milwaukee Mile in Harley's hometown. Paul was a full-time worker at a Chrysler plant in Detroit.

His most famous victory was in the 1953 Daytona 200. Later in 1953, he won a 100-mile (160 km) event at the grueling Langhorne (Pennsylvania) cinder track. He was awarded the Most Popular Rider of the Year Award for his efforts.

In 1954, Goldsmith had one victory at Charity Newsies at Columbus, Ohio, and four podium finishes. He finished second in the first year of the Grand National Series behind his former pupil Joe Leonard.

In 1955 he won his final AMA event at Schererville, Indiana. He was frequently running stock cars. He left motorcycle racing because he was pressured to run only stock cars by General Motors.

NASCAR and USAC stock car career[]

He was the winner of the final race at the famous Daytona Beach Road Course in 1958. He was also the only driver to win the Daytona Beach Road course both in a stock car and on a motorcycle.

Goldsmith was the 1961 USAC Stock Car champion, with 7 poles, 10 wins, 16 top-five finishes in 19 races. Goldsmith won his second consecutive USAC championship in 1962 with 6 poles, 8 wins, and 15 top-five finishes in 20 races. He was inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame in 2018.

Championship Car career[]

Goldsmith competed in 8 races in the USAC Championship Car series, between 1958 and 1963 with 6 of those starts in the Indianapolis 500. He finished in the top five twice at Indy, following up a 5th-place finish in 1959 with a 3rd in 1960.

Indianapolis 500 results[]

World Championship career summary[]

The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960. Drivers competing at Indy during those years were credited with World Championship points and participation. Paul Goldsmith participated in three such World Championship races, finishing fifth in 1959 and third in 1960, earning him a total of six World Championship points.

References[]

External links[]

• Biography from Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum note: The Motorcycle HoF bio is incorrect; Paul never won the Daytona 500, but instead, won both automobile and motorcycle races on the beach/road course.
• Paul Goldsmith driver statistics at Racing-Reference