Of course, there were lots of Stock class winners, years before the Firebirds came along.
Carol Cox won her S/SA class at both the Winter Nats & the US Nats, in '62. I think they just called it the Nationals, back then. She was said to be the first female to get a class win at a nat event.
https://www.nhra.com/news/2018/carol...t-class-winner
2 years earlier, at the Nationals, before they were moved to Indy, Jim Wangers won the Mr. Stock Eliminator title, when he won an All-Pontiac final.
https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2010/...liminator-1960