Racing History Minute - June 14, 1953

It seems it has rained in Columbia, SC, every two or three days since January. Finally, our local weather people have stopped telling us what the deficit in rainfall is because there is no longer a deficit. However, once the surplus reached an inch about a month ago, they quit telling us what the surplus is. They don't want us to know the good news, rather only the negative reports that we needed to conserve water. I have seem places in this area flooded that I've never seen even with high water in my 67 years here.

What does all that have to do with the Racing History Minute for today? Well, how about 18 inches of rain in a five day period in Pensacola, FL where today's History Minute takes us. The race we will cover today was originally scheduled for May 31st, but those 18 inches of liquid Florida sunshine caused a postponement for two weeks.

There were 18 cars entered (one for every inch of rain maybe?)in the 100 mile/200 lap event on the half-mile dirt track known as Five Flags Speedway. Records from my source are sketchy, at best, with only the pole position listed in the starting order. The man on the pole was Dick Rathman in a Hudson.

The record does note that it was a very overcast afternoon when the race started and I am guessing Herb Thomas started on the outside front row as it is indicated that he jumped into the lead early with Rathmann and Tim Flock running right with him. Tim had an extended pit stop which dropped him off the lead lap but Rathmann continued to pressure Thomas.

On lap 140 of the 200, NASCAR determined that the track was just too wet and muddy to safely continue. It had started to rain again at that point but apparently only enough to muddy the track substanially. Whatever the reasoning, the race was red flagged and declared "official" at the end of 140 laps with Herb Thomas out front. Interestingly, the average speed for the race was 61.80 mph which I think is pretty good for 140 laps on a half-mile dirt track.

Top five finishers were:

1. Herb Thomas, FABULOUS Hudon Hornet, winning $1,000.00

2. Dick Rathmann, Walt Chapman Hudson, winning $900.00

3. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Dodge, winning $450.00

4. Buck Baker, Griffin Motors Oldsmobile, winning $350.00

5. Tim Flock, Ted Chester Hudson, winning $200.00

Sixth through tenth were Dick Passwater, Joe Eubanks, Slick Smith, Gober Sosebee, and Fred Moore. Remaining finishers, in order, were, Lamar Crabtree, Frank Arford, Elbert Allen, Gordon Bracken, Leonard Lawrence, Gene Tapia, Jim Paschal and Gwyn Staley.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

And Pensacola's 5 Flags Speedway is still going strong, 60 years after opening in 1953. Probably best known as the home of the annual Snowball Derby.

Photo from www.5FlagsSpeedway.com

Five Flags is also where Mike Alexander's career was permanently altered. After being chosen as the successor to the injured Bobby Allison, he raced Bobby's #12 the rest of 1988. The plan was to change to Mike's traditional 84 for 1989. But with a bad wreck at Pensacola in Dec 1988, Mike returned to Daytona to run the 500 - and then realized uh oh. His body wasn't healed quite as well as needed to race Cup. He stepped away and Dick Trickle became the one known to race the 84 that year. Mike did return to run several races for Bobby when he started his own team, but he was just never the same.

Today, Mike helps his son Clay field the next generation #84 racing operation out of Franklin.

Race preview from Panama City newspaper.

I haven't found any news clippings about the race. Other than Fielden's book and your write-up, the only other info I've found is from Five Flags' website at http://5flagsspeedway.com/fans/track-history/ :

Opening day at any race track can be an educational, hectic, and terrifying experience for any promoter and L H. Williamson learned a valuable lesson on the opening day of his Five Flags Speedway. That was 59 years ago, on May 31, 1953, and the lesson was that opening on schedule may not be the most important consideration.

As the story goes, the paving had been delayed by inclement weather and the track had been sprayed with a preparatory coat of cut-back in preparation for the application of asphalt. Original promoters, Alf Knight and Ted Chester had dirt spread over the hastily prepared surface to cure it and soak up some of the moisture. When starting time rolled around, the sweeper was back-flagged to the pits and the action began. The result was a 14-car pileup caused by the dusty conditions on the first lap of the first feature. Thus ended the first day of racing.

Two weeks later, the only NASCAR Grand National (now Nextel Cup) race was held at the facility. The paving was now complete, the dust was gone, but rain was the spoiler for Lee Petty, who appeared ready to charge to the front before the race was red-flagged. As the Pensacola Journal reported the next day, At the halfway mark Petty edged Dick Rathman (for second) only to fall back to third when the rain started, as he did not have windshield wipers. Herb Thomas won after the event was called at 140 of the scheduled 200 laps.

Bump