Known for making the most opulent and well-engineered cars in the world during the pre-war era, Packard was an American icon for decades. However, auto racing was never a big part of the brand. Packard participated in racing during its early years of development, but in the mid-1920s, its official racing program ceased despite having achieved many victories on the track. Any competition Packard model after that would have been a car entered by an independent owner.
In the post-war era, Packard struggled to gain market share, leading to dwindling development budgets and lackluster design. It was late in introducing a new OHV V8 as had its competition, and its place at the top of the luxury ladder had fallen. A merger with Studebaker, meant to give the company access to more dealers and resources, turned out to be a disaster. By 1956, new Packard models were nothing but rebadged Studebaker, and by 1959 Packard had ceased to exist at all.
Only a few Packards are known to have raced in NASCAR events in the 1950s. There is not much information about these entrants, making it logical to assume they performed poorly. Curiously, one of the star drivers of the era, Herb Thomas, known for driving The Fabulous Hudson Hornet, entered a 1955 Daytona Beach race in a Packard of unknown model but failed to finish due to engine troubles.
