Findley Lake’s Julian Buesink Hits Stock Car “Jackpot” in First Year – 1950

Being cited as the nation’s No. 1 car owner in his first full year of participation in the fast growing sport of “strictly stock” auto racing has left Julian Buesink, native of Findley Lake and owner of Buesink’s Used Cars, somewhat dazed.

Buesink, only 29 years old, “wetted his feet” in stock car racing at Langhorne, Pa in Sept. 1949, placing Bill Rexford of Conewango Valley in that classic. Rexford wound up in thirteenth. Later that year Rexford placed third at both Hamburg and Pittsburgh. He was joined in the latter event by Lloyd Moore of Frewsburg who placed fifth.

Opening NASCAR event of 1950 was at Daytona Beach, Fla., in February. Rexford, at the wheel of an Oldsmobile “88”, failed to finish, But Moore came in third in a Lincoln. Rexford had held second place in the 200 mile ocean-side grind before breaking a fuel line.

Then came a 150 mile race at Langhorne in April in which Rexford again failed to finish and Moore came home second.

In their greatest success to date, Rexford and Moore won first and second place at Bainbridge, Ohio, in May. Rexford was still piloting an Olds, and Moore had switched to a Ford.

At Canfield, Ohio, on Memorial Day, Rexford chalked up another first, and Moore was third. Broken wheels on both cars put them in tenth and eleventh positions at Martinsville, VA, early in June. For the first time, Moore failed to finish in his Ford, but Rexford wound up tenth in a Mercury and a third driver, George Hartley of Erie, was eleventh. Hartley inadvertently crowded Moore into a fence during the 100 miles race which played havoc with the tires.

At Vernon, NY, Moore was second and Rexford was fifth. At Rochester, Rexford and Moore finished sixth and seventh.

Moore rolled the Mercury over in the time trials at Durham, NC, late in July, so did not compete. Rexford copped fourth, and Hartley was tenth. In another tire-melting race at Dayton, Moore was sixth in a Ford, Rexford seventeenth in an Olds and Hartley 21st in a Mercury.

At Hamburg, Moore was third in the Mercury, Rexford sixth in the Olds and Hartley hit a fence and wrecked the Ford.

Chess and stock car racing have, at first glance, very little in common. But Speed Age Magazine discovered a similarity when it came time to select the 12 outstanding men in auto racing in 1950.

Julian Buesink, owner of Buesink’s Used Cars on Fluvanna Ave. and a resident of Findley Lake, according to Speed Age’s panel of racing experts, “played his cars” in the nation’s greatest stock car racing events “as one would play chess.”

For his skill in selection of the type of car suited to each event, he became recipient of the Speed Age Award as the outstanding stock car owner in the United States.

The “Knights” in Buesink’s automotive game of chess were Bill Rexford, the Conewango Comet who reigns as champion of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) drivers for 1950, and Lloyd Moore, the Frewsburg Flash who wound up fourth in the NASCAR ratings. Used occasionally was George Hartley of Erie.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the speed sport, Buesink will receive a specially designed and engraved Universal Geneve acro-compax chronograph watch from Speed Age. The presentation will be made at the annual NASCAR banquet at Daytona Beach, Florida, February 8th. Rexford will be crowned king of the drivers at the same event.

Others to be honored include: Henry Banks of Compton, California named auto (big car) racing driver of the year, who was high point maker among racing’s big leaguers without benefit of a single point from the Indianapolis Memorial Day event. H won only one of 11 races, but scored points in six others.