at Darlington. In 1956, Thomas briefly abandoned being an owner/driver and, after winning a race for himself early in the season, he drove for two other owners. He won once for Yunick, after which the two broke ties, and three consecutive races while driving Chryslers for Carl Kiekhaefer, then dominating NASCAR with the first professional team. Thomas eventually returned to being an owner/driver at season's end, and had clinched second behind Petty in the championship when he was severely injured at a race in Shelby, North Carolina. The wreck effectively ended his NASCAR career, though he had two starts in 1957 and one in 1962 without success. The three consecutive wins would end up being his final three wins. Career summary Thomas ended his career with 48 victories, which currently ranks 14th all-time. He won 21.05% of his starts(48 wins/228 starts) during his career, which ranks as the highest win percentage all-time among drivers with 100 career starts. Brother Donald Herb's younger brother Donald made 79 starts in the Grand National division between 1950 and 1956, winning at Atlanta's Lakewood Speedway in 1952. Donald was the youngest driver to ever win a race in series history until Kyle Busch broke the record in 2005. Awards Thomas was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994 and was named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998. Thomas was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013. He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2017. He and the Fabulous Hudson Hornet are on a historical mural on the side of a building at 133 N. Steele Street that was commissioned in 2016 by the City of Sanford. Death On August 9, 2000, Thomas suffered a heart attack and died in Sanford, North Carolina. Motorsports career results NASCAR (key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led.) Grand National Series References External links Article on Thomas' passing 1923 births 2000 deaths Burials in North Carolina International Motorsports Hall of Fame inductees NASCAR Cup Series champions NASCAR drivers People from Harnett County, North Carolina Racing drivers from North Carolina Hudson Motor Car Company NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees