That "tire" thing referred to the two major tire suppliers, Goodyear and Firestone, and the fact that they had not had enough time and information to come up with a tire for the unique characteristics of the new track. During practice sessions prior to opening day, the tires began to blister and peel and cars subsequently became intimately acquainted with the retaining walls.
This concerned a number of drivers including Richard Petty and Donnie Allison who decided that safety ranked higher than purses. They formed the Professional Drivers Association and approached Big Bill France. After stating their concerns, they apparently announced that if changes were not made, they would boycott the race. Who knows? This may have been the first instance that the now nauseating catch phrase "It is what it is" was used, but no compromise was forthcoming, and the drivers walked. Thirty-seven of them, including LeeRoy Yarbrough. According to Jim McLaurin’s "NASCAR’s Most Wanted", France appealed to Yarbrough as a fellow aviator, stating "that he should treat the race like bad weather; that is, slow down and fly around it". Yarbrough answered: "Bill, when the storm is as bad as what we’ve got at this track, I don’t even take off."
It may also have been the first instance that "field fillers" were used as Big Bill hit the phones and rounded up a pretty respectable number of competitors. The race went off as planned, with a slight modification. Mandatory cautions were dictated every 20 to 25 laps to check the tires.
The above story of course relates to Talladega Superspeedway, then known as Alabama International Motor Speedway and the year was 1969. While racecar drivers could never be considered fearful, the creature that confronted them was formidable indeed. But as we all know, technology, even in the archaic seventies moved at a rapid pace. Talladega remains much as it was that September of 1969. The Professional Driver’s Association dissipated into thin air and Talladega has produced some of the best white knuckle, edge of your seat racing in the sports history.
So why did the strike at Talladega fail? Because at the time it literally was Bill France’s ball and he simply took his ball and went home. France had that uncanny racing intuition and his intuition told him his track was safe although in hindsight mandatory cautions probably helped.
The structure that Bill France and thirty three others worked on so hard at the Streamline Hotel in December 1947 wasn’t devised to benefit only race promoters, but form a foundation to assure that "an average man in a fast automobile can still win races." He felt that "if automobile racing were to capture the fancy of everyman as a competitor, and everyman as a fan," then "the triumph of wallet over talent must cease." And he felt that the closer to showroom variety "stock" the car was, the more the fans could relate.
More importantly though, he wanted to insure that promoters were honorable in their dealings with drivers and owners. Many times during the early years, unscrupulous promoters would lure drivers who raced purely for the love of racing, only to abscond with the purses and gate receipts, vanishing before the cars were even off the track. Driver’s lining up for their winnings often left empty handed, not to mention stone cold broke. In this he succeeded.
France wasn’t the first or only honest promoter, but his efforts showed that stock car racing could be run as a business, by creating a structured framework that could be respected by legitimate event organizers and trusted by competitors.
What must be understood though, is there have always been two very determined groups, usually with separate but focused ideas on the outcome of the plan, with one important thing in common. They were, and still are "Independent Contractors". Neither could exist without the other. Their future success would depend totally on whether they could work together.
So France took his concept to a much higher level that ultimately legitimized stock car racing and brought it basically under one roof. He formed NASCAR into a "governing body" giving all stock car racing a blueprint to follow. It evolved into a centralized organization that allowed small tracks around the country to apply as "affiliates" with the understanding that they abide not only by their home track association rules but certain rules NASCAR had developed.
Nevertheless, even with this foundation in place, it was still a business. At small struggling tracks all over the country, problems would develop between groups or individuals who may interpret the rules differently. For as everyone knows, no matter how well thought out, rules can and will be a fluid entity.
What follows is a story about what many have decided was a successful strike at one wildly popular, Saturday short track in 1968. Saugus Speedway, the little track that could.
*Author’s note ~
All portions of articles referenced, quoted and printed in italics were found in the archives of the Valley News, in Van Nuys, California during the month of September 1968. Credit must be given to Wayne Wilson who faithfully wrote about racing at Saugus Speedway and the surrounding tracks. Only pertinent segments of the articles are quoted, but all quotes are taken in order as they appear in each day’s article.
Monday, September 2, 1968
~ State’s Best Enter Saugus Race Tonight ~
Stock car drivers from throughout the state will be on hand at Saugus Speedway tonight to match machines and wits in the 100-lap open competition California State championship race.
The annual event is the highlight of a 10-race program planned by Pacific Racing Association director Tony Coldewey.
Drivers from Bakersfield, San Diego, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara will be on hand to seek the top prize of $1000 guaranteed the winner from an overall purse totaling $2750.
The second Open Comp race of the season was awaited with great anticipation by all Saugus Speedway fans. It was a long exciting race, the last big holiday of summer giving fans two nights of racing in one weekend. The regular Saturday night slate of races had taken place, and for all those that had kids returning to school the next day, it was the perfect end to a long hot summer.
Tuesday, September 3, 1968
~ Insolo Easy Winner in 100-Lap Feature ~
Jimmy Insolo of Mission Hills roared by Bill Foster’s crippled Plymouth on the 29th lap and went on to win the 100-lap California State championship race at Saugus Speedway. Insolo, who pocketed $1000 for his effort, began on the pole in the straight up start and trailed Foster for the first 29 laps.
However, on the 29th, Newhall’s Foster blew his engine and Insolo went on to hold off California’s top early model stock car drivers through the final 71 laps.
While this article was thorough in telling how this race went down, it is what it didn’t say that is so glaring.
The piece went on to tell us about Ron Hornaday’s fourth place finish, and the wild wreck that involved Bob Earnshaw of Bakersfield, San Bernadino’s Dick Brooks and Bill Evans of Newhall. Only 10 of the 27 cars were able to finish the race.
It mentioned nothing about why the race started well over an hour after its scheduled start time. We would have to wait another week to read about that. However, a subsequent article appeared in the Valley News on September 5 announcing "Foreign Cars Featured at Saugus Track". These "mini stocks" were scheduled for a full slate of races that included the Cadet and Limited Stock division races. It was again headlined on September 6, reiterating the full program with the Cadet and Limited Stock cars.
Of course, what were missing were the Sportsman division cars, but to be fair, when other types of cars were featured at Saugus, the Sportsman drivers had the week off. Most took the opportunity to race at other speedways.
In this case, however, it was the furthest thing from the truth.
Though the September 5th and 6th articles stated that there would be a full complement of Cadet and Limit Stock cars, race promoter Tony Coldewey was sorely disappointed.
Tuesday, September 10, 1968
~ Drivers in Boycott At Saugus Oval ~
A driver boycott caused a last minute postponement of the stock car races Saturday night at Saugus Speedway.
Only a few drivers were present with their cars, the rest reportedly protesting a strictly enforced rule permitting drivers a maximum tire width of 9 ½ inches.
Pacific Racing Association director Tony Coldewey was prepared to stage the regularly scheduled program, but "a show with only about 20 cars on hand wouldn’t be fair to the paying public," he said.
Coldewey did his best to stress that he had "no quarrel" with the drivers, and went on to announce that a full program of Figure 8 and Demolition Derby cars would be on the bill the following Saturday night. That might have worked if the whole mess had not exploded two days later.
The following article finally explained in depth what had actually occurred just prior to the 100-lap Open Competition race held on Labor Day 10 days before.
Thursday, September 12, 1968
~ Dispute Ends Stock Racing at Speedway ~
Long-standing grievances between management and owners/drivers have resulted with the suspension of all Pacific Racing Association stock car activity at Saugus Speedway. Racing director Tony Coldewey made the announcement in his weekly bulletin dated Tuesday, Sept. 10:
"Due to the lack of support from car owners and drivers at Saugus Speedway, the schedule listed in Bulletin No. 9 and all future events for Sportsman, Cadet and Limited Stock divisions have been cancelled until further notice."
Finally, the story was told with promoters on one side, and owner/drivers on the other.
Unfortunately, as Mr. Coldewey attempted a firm stance on his position as the enforcer/sheriff, the facts came out and those who were trying to understand the situation soon began forming their own opinions. Not only do we have Coldewey’s view, the drivers' and owners' views and fans' views, but also we have my view as I was sitting in the grandstands between turn 3 and turn 4 watching it unfold.
As the Labor Day Sportsman 100-lap Open Competition main event was about to get underway, the cars began to line up on the race track for the straight up start. Officials were then seen inspecting the cars on the track for infractions of the PRA rule limiting the width of the tire tread to a maximum of 9 ½ inches.
In the grandstands, the fans became aware of the on track activity as the minutes continued to tick by and the published start time came and went. At times, it was bizarre as one official after another ran from car to car with what appeared to be everything from key chain style tape measures to the cloth tapes our mothers used when sewing. The fans didn’t have a clue and settled in to see what would happen.
What happened was only six cars met the maximum tire width according to PRA officials. As a result, all the cars pulled off the track into the infield in protest amid faint “boos” from the crowd, who were now totally engrossed and as the grapevine buzzed, we heard that there was a disagreement on rules interpretation prompting a number of us to ask, “What rules? It’s an Open Comp race. “
As time dragged on, we sat quietly and waited. People visited the rest rooms and the concession stands to rest and replenish.
They suddenly decided to clamp down on the rules, so all of us decided we wouldn’t run," said one driver who has been a favorite of the Saugus crowds for several years.
"It’s a ridiculous rule….one they hadn’t been enforcing all season,” he said.”
What needs to be pointed out is that this was an Open Competition race. Open Comp race rules were slightly "looser" due the fact that cars from all over the area were entered and while some raced under the PRA rules, not all did. It also must be mentioned that in that day and time, if a team had two sets of tires, they were considered well off. The fact that some were of a different width actually did not apply in this race.
Coldewey countered with the claim that PRA cars at Bakersfield have been abiding by the rules (there were three Bakersfield cars in the field that night) and that in an open point race; it was only fair to enforce the restriction.
He agreed that it might not have been the proper procedure to check the tires on the track, in full view of the thousands of fans on hand, but added that if it had been done earlier in the pits, "who was to know whether someone might decide to change his tires?"
As I said, the majority of these racers did not have access to multiple sets of tires. Many worked years before even having a second engine so this argument really only added fuel to a fire that had been brewing with management for a number of years.
While all this was occurring, the fans remained in their seats confident that at some point, reason would reign and the race would be held. They were sort of right.
With things at an impasse and drivers pleading with management to waive the 9 ½ rule, Coldewey decided to go ahead with the race but only with the six cars that had passed official inspection. This wasn’t acceptable and two cars that had pulled into the infield now drove onto the racetrack and parked horizontally across the track to block any attempt to begin race.
"The crowd was becoming more and more unruly, the drivers were angry and Coldewey adamant. "We had a potential riot on our hand," Coldewey said."
Well, it sounds good, but no one in the stands was anywhere near the "riot" stage. When the two cars blocked the track to stop an attempt to start the race, there was actually a bit of applause as most fans realized an entirely different show was about to take place. As odd as it sounds, we must remember that people can be quite the voyeurs and this was turning into a soap opera.
"Finally, before any serious trouble broke out, Coldewey allowed all the original entrants, oversized tires and all, back on the track and the race went on as scheduled."
And it did, if you consider that a race starting almost two hours late went on as scheduled.
As stated earlier, the race was chaotic and only 10 of the 27 cars finished the race. The fans still enjoyed it and innocently filed out without knowing a fragment of what went on.
Yet the Saugus saga was just beginning.
** [Continued tomorrow]
~Carol
Email: bellestar63@aol.com
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