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Don Rounds began racing stock cars at
the Kingston Fairgrounds in 1948. He took down his first feature win
3 years later, driving the familiar #101, a ’37 Ford flathead
powered coupe.
Predominantly a dirt track
competitor, Don raced in those early years, from 1949 to 1953, under
the sanction of the Interstate Stock Car Racing Association, led by
Lou Gulianno.
Don competed at dozens of tracks
throughout the Northeast, including Lakeville and Millers Falls in
Massachusetts, Beech Ridge, Maine, Bennington and Rutland, VT, and
Keene, N.H. He stormed through New York, racing at Meadow Metowee,
Lebanon Valley, Rhinebeck, Victoria, Middletown, and Fonda.
In 1959, Don took down the State
of Connecticut Sportsman Championship, still driving his flathead
powered #101. He took down one of only three features run at
Waterford when the track was dirt. Working with Lou Kelley, who
wrenched for Rounds for over twenty years, the team raced in the
sportsman division at Stafford Speedway. At the time, Stafford
combined the modified division with the flathead powered sportsman
division. In 1959 and 1960, running in the sportsman class, Rounds
took down 17 “Best in Class” wins, and 3 overall feature wins. |
