Born in the small town of Olivia, North Carolina, Thomas originally worked as a farmer and also worked in a sawmill in the 1940s before his interest turned to auto racing.\n', '

Herb Thomas was the inspiration for the character "Doc Hudson" in the movie Cars.\n', '

In 1949, Thomas took part in NASCAR\'s first Strictly Stock (the forerunner to the Grand National and ultimately the modern Sprint Cup) race, and made four starts in the series\' first year. The following year, he made thirteen appearances in the series, now renamed the Grand National division. He scored his first career win at Martinsville Speedway in a privateer Plymouth.\n', '

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