Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of folks, the history and legacy of the Augusta Speedway, located outside Augusta, Georgia, will live on. And that's a good thing for many reasons.
The track was a half-mile relatively high banked asphalt track which played host to a number of Grand National (now Cup) races back in the sixties, and was a weekly playground of a number of well known drivers. Many members of RacersReunion raced that track and when the Augusta International Raceway Preservation Society has its event each year, a fan can hear the stories first hand.
Today we will travel back in time to May 3, 1968. My family and I were in attendance at this race, and, as I recall, it was a warm, if not HOT May afternoon, and that before global warming. Twenty-three cars showed up to compete, including a late entry by LeeRoy Yarbrough.
Bobby Isaac would put the red K&K Insurance Dodge Charger on the pole with LeeRoy Yarbrough to his outside. Tiger Tom Pistone started third in his Mercury and Richard Petty fourth in his Plymouth. As soon as the green flag dropped, it was clear the race would be between Bobby and Richard and Bobby moved the Dodge in front. For the first 86 laps, it was a bumper-to-bumper duel between the red Dodge and blue Plymouth and although Richard would pull abreast from time to time, Bobby would continue to lead at the line through lap 130 when he pitted. Petty had parked his Plymouth on lap 84 when the axel broke.
When Petty departed on lap 84, there was a three way battle between Bobby Isaac, Buddy Baker and Tiger Tom Pistone. Buddy and Tom became so engaged in their private battle that it allowed Bobby to pull ahead. Tiger had led laps 131-138 as the result of Bobby's pit stop, but after cycling through, Bobby was back in the lead. Bobby would lead from lap 139 through the end at lap 250, which constituted 125 miles. LeeRoy Yarbrough, although starting second, fell out of the race on lap 158 with rear gear failure but he was nevera serious threat to Isaac.
That was not the only Grand National Race my family attended at that fine facility in Augusta. Somewhere around the Lair is a clip from home movies when we were there for a 1965 event. I vividly recall there was not a bad seat anywhere in that grandstand. You could see every inch of the track and had a good view of the pits no matter where you sat. Our family would always sit at the end of the stands going into turn two.
Top five finishers were:
1. Bobby Isaac, K&K Insurance Dodge, winning $1,100.00
2. Buddy Baker, Ray Fox Dodge, winning $700.00
3. Tiger Tom Pistone, Pistone Mercury, winning $600.00
4. James Hylton, Hylton Dodge, winning $500.00
5. Buck Baker, Baker Oldsmobile, winning $425.00
Sixth through tenth were Clyde Lynn, Frank Warren, Wendell Scott, Jabe Thomas and Bob Moore. Other finishers of note were Elmo Langley 12th, Neil Castles 13th, John Sears 14th, J.D. McDuffie 16th, Roy Tyner 17th, Richard Petty 18th, and Henley Gray 19th.
On a personal note here, Augusta was the second track I raced when I started in 1969. It was a Saturday night affair and, thanks to a generous guy named Herbert Corley, I was given a trailer to tow to Augusta. I'll tell the story of my relationship with Herbert Corley one day but suffice it now to say that he built winning race cars for a number of well known short track drivers back in the day. He was a very good man.
Anyway, on that particular Saturday night, I started the feature on the outside second row. Coming off turn two, the first two guys somehow went to the low side and were running side-by-side leaving enough room at the top for me to try it coming off two. Pushing the accelerator all the way to the floor, my Plymouth responded as we went flashing by into the lead! Second feature race and leading. Man, I was already planning my contract negotiations with Petty Enterprises for a ride in the second Petty car. But, alas, after "allowing" me to lead seven laps, the hot dog in the Chevy who had started on the pole nudged past me coming off turn four and it was me trying to catch him the rest of the way. I did finish second, probably 20 yards behind that Chevy. Don't remember who was driving but it wouldn't surprise me to find out it was the Mallonee fellow.
Hope you folks don't mind these personal memories added to the racing history, but because my life is so wrapped in the history, sometimes I just have the tell the stories. If I get enough complaints, I may stop with the personal, but it will take an awful lot of complaints.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
--
What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
