| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 41 in the 1951 NASCAR Grand National Series season | |||
 1951 Southern 500 program cover | |||
| Date | September 3, 1951 | ||
| Official name | Southern 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.375 mi (2.213 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 500 mi (800 km) | ||
| Weather | Extremely hot with temperatures of 91.9 °F (33.3 °C); wind speeds of 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 84.597 miles per hour (136.146 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Perry Smith | ||
| Time | 427.690 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas | |
| Laps | 311 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 92 | Herb Thomas | Herb Thomas | |
The 1951 Southern 500, the second running of the event, was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on September 3, 1951, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The winner of the race was Herb Thomas. The event had the most starters in NASCAR history with 82 cars starting the race, of which 58 cars would not finish the race and only one car (driven by Herb Thomas) finished on the lead lap.
- ^ "1951 Southern 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
- ^ "1951 Southern 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-21.