This Day in Automotive History: November 11

1926 – Maria Teresa de Filippis Born in Naples

Born in Naples on November 11, 1926, Maria Teresa de Filippis would go on to break a particularly stubborn barrier: she became the first woman to race in a World Championship Formula One Grand Prix. Driving for teams that included Maserati in the 1950s, she tackled the same roars and risks as her male contemporaries, entering Grand Prix grids at a time when the sport was almost entirely male. Her appearance on the F1 stage was a rare and visible exception that proved women could compete at motor racing’s highest level; de Filippis remained a touchstone name for future generations of female drivers until her death in January 2016.

1926 – U.S. Numbered Highway System Gets Final Approval

On November 11, 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials cast the decisive ballot that finalized the U.S. Numbered Highway System, officially assigning route numbers to the nation’s primary intercity roads. This plan produced the familiar two‑ and three‑digit route identities—among them the original U.S. 66—and came with a standardized map and marking scheme produced by the Bureau of Public Roads. Numbering brought order to a patchwork of named trails and made long-distance navigation more consistent for motorists, a practical change that reshaped how Americans planned and traveled road trips across states.

1960 – Death of Early NASCAR Champion Red Byron

Robert 'Red' Byron, one of NASCAR’s earliest champions and a standout of stock‑car racing’s postwar era, died of a heart attack in a Chicago hotel room on November 11, 1960, at age 45. Byron had already built a reputation for toughness—racing and winning despite serious wartime injuries—and his career included early NASCAR championship honors that helped define the sport’s competitive DNA. His death cut short the life of a formative figure whose wartime service and driving achievements were frequently recalled by the racing community.

1978 – First General Lee Jump Filmed at Oxford College

A single airborne stunt helped define a television icon: on November 11, 1978, stunt driver Craig Baxley launched the first on‑screen General Lee jump in front of Seney Hall at Oxford College in Georgia. That brief vault—performed in the orange 1969 Dodge Charger that became the show's signature car—was edited into the opening credits and replayed across hundreds of episodes, turning a practical stunt into a pop‑culture emblem. The shot’s daring geometry and the Charger’s thunderous sound created an immediately recognizable moment that would forever link a college campus jump to a television phenomenon.

1984 – Tom Sneva Wins Caesars Palace Grand Prix

Tom Sneva crossed the finish line first at the Caesars Palace Grand Prix in Las Vegas on November 11, 1984, after 178 laps of the temporary street circuit. Driving a March powered by a Cosworth V8 for Mayer Motor Racing, Sneva recovered from earlier incidents in the weekend to claim the final round of the 1984 CART season, closing the race with a time around 2:08:13.55. The victory was a classic example of Sneva’s resilience and experience on tight, unforgiving circuits—qualities that had made him one of American open‑wheel racing’s most persistent front‑runners.