Robert B. “Mac” McIntosh

An Early NASCAR Strictly Stock Car Owner

 

 

Robert B. “Mac” McIntosh was born c1913 and first appeared working as a salesman for Millard James Clothier, Sr. (1913-1982) at his automobile dealership in Great Bend, Kansas in 1948.  McIntosh apparently met Imogene (Gray) Leggitt (1913-1954) while they were both residents of Gladwater, Texas.  They were married in the mid-1940s and, thus, McIntosh became a step-father to her two children from a previous marriage: Billie Jeanne (Leggitt) Sanders (1929-2003) and William Roy Leggitt, Jr. (1935-1995).

 

McIntosh enjoyed getting into fist fights for sport when such fist fights ended with a congratulatory handshake.  One time though, he got into a fight with a Texan who severely beat him and whom McIntosh felt was trying to kill him.  McIntosh was badly injured in that fight, one of those injuries being the loss of one of his eyes.

 

Christian Davie “Jim” Roper (1916-2000) of Halstead, Kansas was employed as a mechanic for Millard Clothier, Sr.’s auto dealership when he saw a note in Zack Moseley’s “Adventures of Smilin’ Jack” comic strip about the NASCAR Strictly Stock Car race that was going to be run on the weekend of June 19, 1949 at the New Charlotte Speedway, a ¾ mile dirt oval racetrack at Charlotte, North Carolina.  Roper managed to convince Clothier to provide two new 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans for him to enter in these auto races.  Roper, Clothier and McIntosh set out for North Carolina.  Jim Roper always claimed that Clothier owned to the two 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans but that they were entered in the name of Robert B. McIntosh.  No explanation for that has been found to date but NASCAR records do list McIntosh as being the owner of the cars.

 

The three men arrived in North Carolina a few days early for the race and Clothier called the Ford Motor Company to see if there was anyone in the area who might be able to assist them with the cars.  With Ford’s help, they convinced a local auto dealership, Mecklenburg Motors, to sponsor their effort with parts help and pit crew personnel.  Roper, Clothier and McIntosh then met with the race promoter, “Big Bill” France, Sr. (1909-1992) to seek his recommendation for someone to drive the second 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan they had brought with them from Kansas.  Happy to have two more cars entered in his Strictly Stock car race, France recommended his good friend and veteran competitor in NASCAR modified stock car races, Bill Blair, Sr. (1911-1995) of High Point, North Carolina.  Clothier, McIntosh and Roper painted #34 on one of the two Lincolns, #44 on the other one, and were then introduced to Bill Blair, Sr. by “Big Bill” France, Sr. on the day before the race.  Clothier and both drivers agreed that Roper was to get his choice of the two 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans to drive in the race.  Roper chose car #34 leaving car #44 to be driven by Blair.

 

Following is the racing record of cars officially listed as owned by Robert B. “Mac” McIntosh:

 

June 19, 1949 – ¾ mile dirt oval – Charlotte Speedway  at Charlotte, North Carolina – Sanctioned by N.A.S.C.A.R.

Cars:  Two 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans #34 for driver Jim Roper of Halstead, Kansas and #44 for driver Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Total purse:  $5,000

Total entries:  33 cars

McIntosh’s drivers:  Jim Roper of Halstead, Kansas and Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Attendance:  13,000

Qualifying:  Blair qualified 8th fastest while Roper qualified 12th fastest, both behind Bob Flock of Atlanta, Georgia who qualified for the pole position in a 1946 Hudson.

Finish:  Blair led 145 laps before a cracked thermostat housing put him out of the race.  He was credited with finishing in 12th place.  Roper finished the race in 2nd place, 3 laps behind apparent winner Glenn Dunaway, but a postrace inspection of Dunaway’s car revealed that he had oversized rear springs on the car which led him to be disqualified.  The car that Roper drove was then subjected to a thorough postrace inspection, which it passed, so Roper was credited with the victory and collected the 1st place prize of $2,000.  That meant that the 2-car McIntosh team of 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans was paid $2,050 of the purse.  Once the car owner took his share, there was $820 left to be divided equally between Roper and Blair, or $410 each as had been agreed to the day before.

Official 150-mile race winner:  Jim Roper of Halstead, Kansas

 

 

Millard J. Clothier’s car dealership in Great Bend, Kansas

Bill Blair, Jr. collection

 

July 10, 1949 – 14.150 mile sand & asphalt – Beach & Road Course  at Daytona Beach, Florida – Sanctioned by N.A.S.C.A.R.

Car:  1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan #44 for driver Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Total purse:  $5,000

Total entries:  28 cars

McIntosh’s driver:  Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Attendance:  5,000

Qualifying:  Blair qualified 5th fastest behind Gober Sosebee of Atlanta, Georgia who qualified for the pole position in a 1949 Oldsmobile #50 owned by Leon Chester who was also from Atlanta.

Finish:  Blair finished in 5th place on the lead lap and collected $200 from the purse.

Official 166-mile race winner:  Robert “Red” Byron of Anniston, Alabama who was driving a 1949 Oldsmobile owned by Raymond Parks of Atlanta, Georgia and sponsored by Parks Novelty.

 

August 7, 1949 – 1 mile dirt oval – Occoneechee Speedway  at Hillsborough, North Carolina – Sanctioned by N.A.S.C.A.R.

Cars:  1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan #6 for driver Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas and a 1949 Oldsmobile #44 for driver Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Total purse:  $5,000

Total entries:  28 cars

McIntosh’s drivers:  Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas and Bill Blair, Sr. of High Point, North Carolina.

Attendance:  17,500

Finish:  Blair finished in 6th place and collected $175 from the purse.  Harrison finished in 16th place and collected $25 from the purse.

Official 200-mile race winner:  Bob Flock of Atlanta, Georgia who was driving a 1948 Oldsmobile #7 owned by Frank Christian who was also from Atlanta.

 

 

Millard J. Clothier at left with Robert B. McIntosh

beside the 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan that Bill Blair, Sr. drove in the first NASCAR Strictly Stock car race run at

Charlotte, NC on June 19, 1949 - Bill Blair, Jr. collection

 

April 2, 1950 – ¾ mile dirt oval – Charlotte Speedway  at Charlotte, North Carolina – Sanctioned by N.A.S.C.A.R.

Cars:  1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitan #6 for driver Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas.

Total purse:  $4,125

Total entries:  25 cars

McIntosh’s driver:  Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas.

Attendance:  13,000

Finish:  Harrison started in 22nd place and is credited with finishing in 20th place completing only 38 laps in this 200-lap race.

Official 150-mile race winner:  Tim Flock of Atlanta, Georgia who was driving a 1949 Lincoln #21 owned by Harold Kite of East Point, Georgia.

 

September 17, 1950 – 1 mile dirt circle – Langhorne Speedway  at Langhorne, Pennsylvania – Sanctioned by N.A.S.C.A.R.

Car:  1949 Mercury #6 for driver Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas.

Total purse:  $3,450

Total entries:  48 cars

McIntosh’s driver:  Bill Harrison of Topeka, Kansas.

Attendance:  20,000

Finish:  Harrison did not start this race for a currently unknown reason and he was credited with starting in the last (48th) position and finishing in 46th place.

Official 200-mile race winner:  Truman Fontell “Fonty” Flock of Decatur, Georgia who was driving a 1950 Oldsmobile #47 owned by Frank Christian of Atlanta, Georgia.

 

May 30, 1951 – 1.7 mile paved temporary tri-angle course – Municipal Airport  at Great Bend, Kansas – Sanctioned by the Midwest Racing Association (M.R.A.)

Cars: “Big Car” for driver Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas and a V8-Mercury-powered “Hotrod” for McIntosh himself to drive.

Total purse:  40% of the gate receipts (exact amount not given)

Total entries:  25 cars

McIntosh’s drivers:  Jack Merrick of Dodge City, Kansas and McIntosh himself.

Attendance:  3,500 – 4,000

Finish:  Merrick ran the 3rd fastest time trial but appears to have not started in the race.  McIntosh finished in 7th place, 12 laps behind the race winner.

Official 100.2-mile race winner:  Frankie Lies of Wichita, Kansas who was driving a V8-Mercury-powered “Hotrod” #8 owned by Marvin Church of Newton, Kansas.

 

Upon his return to Kansas late in 1949, Clothier disposed of the 1949 Lincoln Cosmopolitans through an auto auction in Denver, Colorado.

 

Mac and Imogene McIntosh moved to Dodge City, Kansas in 1952 before returning to Great Bend, Kansas early in 1954.  By March of that year, they were residing in Larned, Kansas when Imogene McIntosh was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.  They moved to Waco, Texas in May of 1954 to be closer to Imogene’s daughter, Billie Jeanne Sanders, but Imogene passed away just two weeks after they arrived at Waco.  She was buried in an unmarked grave in the White Rose Cemetery at Wills Point, Texas.

 

If you know anything more about Robert B. McIntosh and his involvement in auto racing, please contact Bob Lawrence at:  sprintguy @ cox.net

 

 

Autograph signed in 1954

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you:

Kathy Franz, Jean Hall, Cliff Sanders, Tim Tompkins and Racing-Reference.Info