Tom Pistone

17/3/1929

Record updated

Tom Pistone began his racing career in the late 1940s racing his Number 3 car at Soldiers Field Competing against local legends such as Gene Marmor, Skippy Michaels, and Sal Tovella. In 1954, Tiger Tom won the Soldiers Field Track Championship. In 1955, Pistone began driving the car of Andy Granatelli and scored his second consecutive track championship. Pistone captured the track championship 5 times at Soldiers Field. Tiger Tom's first victory in a NASCAR sanctioned race came on June 30, 1956 in the NASCAR Convertible Division driving his 1956 Chevy Convertible. Pistones debut in the NASCAR Grand National Division came in 1955. He competed in the Wilkes 160 at North Wilkesboro driving his number 9-A Chevrolet finishing 27th. Pistone returned to the series in 1956 making 3 starts but suffered mechanical failures in all 3 starts. In 1958, Pistone drove Hugh Babbs number 50 Chevrolet in 2 Grand National events scoring a 13th at Richmond and a 3rd at Martinsville. Pistone reappeared in the 1959 NASCAR Grand National Division driving Carl Ruperts number 59 Rubert Safety Belt Ford in 21 of the seasons 44 events scoring wins at Trenton, New Jersey and Richmond. He also wheeled Tiny Lunds number 5 Chevrolet at Winston-Salem. All told in 22 starts, Pistone accumulated 2 wins, 12 top-5s, and 18 top-10s to finish 6th in the NASCAR Grand National Division Championship. Pistone returned to the driving chores for Ruperts number 59 Ford for the first two events of the 1960 season, but then parted ways with Rupert to drive W. T. Coppedges number 59 Thor Chevrolet in 16 events and B. G. Holloways number 59 Pontiac in 2 events. Pistone recorded a 3rd at Wilson, North Carolina accumulating 2 top-5s and 8 top-10s. Pistone made only 4 starts in the Grand National Division in 1961 driving for B. G. Holloway. He scored an 8th place finish in the Atlanta 500 and a 10th place finish in the Daytona 500. For 1962, Pistone only competed in the Firecracker 250 at Daytona driving Lewis Osbornes #97 Chevrolet but was involved in a crash on only the second lap. Pistone was noticeably absent from the Grand National Division for 2 years until reappearing in 1965 driving Glen Sweets number 08 and number 59 Ford and Emory Gilliams number 00 Ford in 33 events. He qualified on the pole for the Music City 200 at Nashville and recorded 4 top-5s and 8 top-10s. Pistone drove Sweets number 59 Ford at the 1966 season opener in Augusta finishing 19th after suffering engine problems. He then made another 27 starts driving his own number 59 Ford racking up 4 poles, 6 top-5s, and 6 top-10s while suffering a staggering 21 DNFs. Pistone also fielded the number 59 Ford for Wendell Scott at Rockingham. For 1967, Pistone drove his number 59 Ford in the series season opener at Augusta finishing 6th and then drove Turkey Mintons number 74 Chevrolet in 8 events recording a 3rd place finish at the ½-mile dirt Savannah Speedway and a 6th place finish at North Wilkesboro. He recorded 1 top-5 and 5 top-10s for the season. In 1968, Pistone drove Mintons #74 Chevrolet in two starts finishing 4th at Montgomery Speedway. He then drove his #12 Ford and Mercury in 3 events recording a 5th at Martinsville and a 3rd at Augusta. He also drove Lyle Stetlers number 55 Ford in 2 events garnering a 7th place finish at Langley Field Speedway, Hampton, Virginia. He fielded the number 12 Mercury for Earl Balmer at Charlotte and the number 12 Ford for Jim Hurtubise at North Wilkesboro and the number 59 Mercury for Hurtubise at Darlington. In 1970 Pistone fielded his number 59 Ford for Bunkie Blackburn at Rockingham, for Richard Brickhouse at Charlotte and both of the years 2 races at Talladega, and for Hurtubise for the Daytona 500 where Hurtubise recorded a 7th place finish. In 1971, Pistone fielded his number 59 Ford for Vic Elford in the Daytona 500 and for Dr. Don Tarr for the Firecracker 400 at Daytona and for the Talladega 500 where Tarr finished 7th. Pistone returned to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1982 as a car owner fielding the #59 Russ Togs Buick for Tighe Scott in the Daytona 500. In 1986, he fielded a NASCAR Busch Grand National Series entry  his number 59 Pontiac  at Martinsville for Todd Bodine. In 11 years of competing in the NASCAR Grand National Division as a driver, Tiger Tom recorded 130 starts, 5 poles, 2 wins, 29 top-5s, and 53 top-10s. Pistone established Tiger Tom Pistone Race Cars and Parts in 1950 supplying parts and building cars for the NASCAR Grand National Division, Winston Cup Series, Busch Grand National Series, and Craftsman Truck Series over the years. In 1955, Pistones business opened at a location north of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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