American Motors Corporation
In January 1954, Nash-Kelvinator Corporation began acquisition of the Hudson Motor Car Company (in what was called a merger). The new corporation would be called American Motors Corporation. (An earlier corporation with the same name, co-founded by Louis Chevrolet, had existed in New Jersey from 1916 through 1922 before merging into the Bessemer–American Motors Corporation.)
Doc Hudson
The original Hudson Hornet was introduced in 1951 and manufactured until 1954. Fabulous Hudson Hornets won NASCAR cups for three consecutive years (Herb Thomas in 1951 and 1953, and Tim Flock in 1952), paralleling Doc Hudson's three Piston Cup wins in those same years. The Hudson Motor Company was merged into Nash Motors on January 14, 1954 to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). After brief use as a marque on Nash-designed AMC vehicles, the Hudson name disappeared entirely by 1957. The automaker continued until its March 9, 1987 takeover by Chrysler, but never won another NASCAR championship cup.
The "Fabulous Hudson Hornet" name, which appeared on three famous NASCAR entries between 1951 and 1954, vanished once Hudson was merged into AMC. Herb Thomas #92 raced Buick and Chevrolet cars in 1955; severe injuries in a 1956 racing wreck in Shelby effectively ended his career, despite two unsuccessful starts in 1957 and one in 1962. Tim Flock #91 switched to Ford cars in 1955; he was one of two drivers forced out of NASCAR after supporting a 1961 unionisation attempt, the Federation of Professional Athletes. Marshall Teague #6 left NASCAR after the 1952 season in a dispute with NASCAR's owner Bill France, Sr.; he was killed in a rollover collision at Daytona on February 11, 1959.