The Racing Legacy Of Harold Kite

Harold Kite sits behind the wheel of the 1949 Lincoln he would pilot at Daytona Beach in February of 1950. Photo courtesy GRHOF

A racing legacy can take several different forms.  Sometimes it comes in the form of a racing dynasty spanning many years with a number of wins and championships.

But another kind of racing legacy can come from the impact that someone had on the racing world in a relative short period of time, and how that impact continues to resonate today.

Such is the racing legacy of Harold Kite of East Point, Georgia.

Kite was born on November 13, 1921.  Like many others before him, Kite’s love for all things automotive came from being born into a portion of the business.  His family was in the auto parts business, so being involved with cars was automatic.

Kite served in World War II as a tank driver.  That training would serve him well for his exploits following his service.

After coming home from the war, Kite, like many of his fellow servicemen, found excitement in competing at his area race tracks.

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He even competed in a midget racer for Georgia Racing Hall of Fame member Jimmy Baker at the Peach Bowl.

At the same time, his fellow Georgia drivers were traveling south to Daytona Beach, Florida and finding great success on the beach and road course there.  It would become the epicenter for a new stock car sanctioning body called NASCAR, headed by Bill France, Sr. beginning in 1948.

Twice, Kite made the trip to the Sunshine State to compete in NASCAR’s modified division on the beach, in August of 1948 and in January of 1949.

1949 marked the first year for France’s much touted Strictly Stock division, which would later become today’s Sprint Cup Series.  While he stuck to modifieds in 1949, Kite decided that he might give the new division a try with the 1950 season opener.  He warmed up for those events by competing in two non-NASCAR strictly stock events promoted by Sam Nunis at Atlanta’s Lakewood Speedway late in ’49.

That opener would be the first February event to be held on the beach, and the decision would prove to be a good one for Kite.

For more on this story, visit our sister site, Georgia Racing History.com.

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