Al Keller and Jaguar's 1954 NASCAR Win
The Story of the First Ever Victory for a Foreign Car in NASCAR
Oct 7, 2008
Until Kyle Busch’s victory in a Toyota in the 2008 Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta only one non-American car had previously triumphed in a NASCAR race. The historic event occurred in 1954 at Linden Airport in New Jersey. The driver was 34-year old Al Keller and the car was a Jaguar XK120 coupé.
Al Keller and Paul Whiteman Enter Jaguar in NASCAR
Keller was comparatively new to the NASCAR scene and had been campaigning Hudsons and Oldsmobiles entered by George Miller. The 1954 season had been going well, with a pole position at Charlotte and a win at Savannah.
A change of team brought Keller the opportunity to race the Jaguar. The car was owned by Paul Whiteman, then in his sixties. Whiteman had previously been a big band leader of some note. He was best known for commissioning George Gershwin to write “Rhapsody In Blue” and starred in the groundbreaking film King of Jazz.
The Jaguar XK120 had first appeared in the austere environment of post-war Britain, where its exotic styling had caused a sensation. Despite this, the majority of XK120’s were sold in America. Although perhaps not the obvious choice for competing in NASCAR the XK120 was a potent racing machine, especially on road courses. The car’s name was derived from its ability to top 120 mph, an impressive statistic at the time.
Keller Wins Linden Airport NASCAR Race
The Linden Airport track was two miles in length and the first road course to be used by NASCAR. No less than 13 Jaguars were entered for the race, although none of them could stop Buck Baker from claiming pole in his Oldsmobile.
Baker led initially but the lead then passed to Herb Thomas, driving a Hudson. Keller eventually made his way to the front in the Jaguar and proceeded to dominate the race. At the flag only second placed Joe Eubanks was on the same lap. The suitability of the Jaguars for road courses was further highlighted by examples of the marque being classified fourth, fifth and sixth.
Keller's Racing Career and Death
Despite his success in NASCAR Keller’s racing ambitions lay in open-wheel Championship Cars. By 1961 he had established himself, finishing fifth in that year’s Indianapolis 500. In November of the same year he drove his final race at the Arizona State Fairgrounds. Competing in the Bobby Ball Memorial event Keller started from pole in his Philipp-Offenhauser “Konstant Hot.” Later in the race his number 19 machine crashed on the one mile dirt oval and Keller was killed. He remains the only person ever to win a NASCAR race in a British made car.
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