September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

According to the Ultimate Racing History site, there was a stock car race on today's date in 1972 in Nashville, Tennessee. It was of the USAC variety with Darrell Waltrip taking home the goodies leading start to finish at his home track over a field that included our own RR member, "Winding" Wayne Andrews of IRA and NASCAR GT/Grand American fame.

Waltrip beat a stellar field that included Bobby Unser , Gordon Johncock , Ramo Stott and Roger McCluskey in 2nd-5th. 6th finishing Butch Hartman clinched the 1973 USAC Stock Car title and our member Wayne Andrews brought his Mustang home in the top-10 with a 9th place finish.

I can't find much on this race.

Hope Nashville experts TMC-Chase or Russ Thompson can contribute. Dennis Andrews ... do you have any info on this race?

The Ultimate Racing History site claims DW was in the former rebuilt 1967 Daytona 500 winning car of Mario Andretti .

If the car number - #6 - and owner - Howard's Racing Enterprise - of 25th finishing Lem Blankenship's Dodge sound familiar, it's because that's the same Charlotte Motor Speedway honcho, Richard Howard , whose Howard's Furniture sponsorship adorned the #6 Cup cars of Neil "Soapy" Castles .

Clip above from the Sarasota (FL) Herald-Tribune

USAC Stock Carrace
Music City Motorplex ,Nashville,TN
September 16, 1972
200 laps on 0.625 mile paved oval;125 miles

Notes: The #95 race-winning car, although rebuilt as a 1971 Mercury, was the same car that Mario Andretti used (as a Ford) to win the 1967 Daytona 500. Time of race: 01:08:13
Average Speed: 109.928 MPH
Pole Speed: 18.76 seconds
0 cautions
Race Purse: $ 22,745

Russ included a little bit about this race in a 2011 blog post.

http://nashvillefairgrounds.blogspot.com/2011/02/memorabilia-part-2.html

Another unique race from the 1972 season was the Tennessee 200 USAC stock car race. USAC stands for United States Auto Club. They were the sanctioning body for the Indianapolis 500, but they also had a stock car division. They had competed at Nashville in 1959 and 1960, and in the sixties on a national level, the series was nearly an equal to NASCAR (which at the time was seen as more of a Southeastern regional sport). In the fifties, sixties, and even into the 70s, many drivers who competed in the Indianapolis 500 also competed in many of the USAC stock car races.

Although the brochure states AJ Foyt would be competing, he didn't make it to Nashville. But Indy stars Bobby Unser, Gordon Johncock, and Roger McCluskey were in the race along with the full-time USAC stock car stars.

But unknown to the USAC stars, there was an unknown ringer in the field. In September of 1972 Darrell Waltrip had raced in a total of four Winston Cup races. But he had three full years of experience on the 36-degree banks at Nashville. The Tennessee 200 was like throwing Br'er Rabbit in the briar patch. Running the same Terminal Transport Mercury he was running in the Cup series, Waltrip qualified on the pole, led all 200 laps, and lapped the field in the process.

Bobby Unser once told me he was driving as hard as he had ever driven, so tired he was about to fall out of the seat, and looked up and, "Here came Waltrip lapping me like I was tied. And waved as he went by!"

Unser finished second, one lap down, while Johncock was third, 4 laps down.

The USAC guys couldn't believe this kid they had never heard of had beaten them so badly. So they decided to tear the car apart during the post race inspection. The car was found legal in every area, and the USAC guys left scratching their heads with their tail between their legs.

I firmly believe that race helped put Waltrip's name on the national racing radar as much as anything he had done to that point in his career.

Thanks, Chase. Knew I could count on you good Volunteers!

Ol' DW was pleased to show off his new "used" acquisition to a couple of of lovelies from the speedway. This publicity photo ran in The Tennessean in May 1972. Good gracious I miss hot pants in victory lane. Haha

Hands behind back. Stevie off-camera!

On June 19, 2010, there was a Racer's Reunion in Keokuk, Iowa. Poster Aero426 on the DodgeCharger.com site posted this photo of several drivers who were in that 1972 Nashville race, including Lem Blakenship who drove the Richard Howard car.

Left to right: Don White , Lem Blankenship , Ramo Stott , Terry Ryan , Gordy Blankenship . All these guys ran the major stock car circuits, IMCA, ARCA, USAC, and NASCAR at some point in their career.

They had old race cars, including Ramo's, in the Keokuk Mall. One local wrote the newspaper that it was the first time he'd ever seen a car other than a Honda in the mall!

Driver Darrell Waltrip, left, shows off his new 1971 Mercury to Miss Special Events for Fairgrounds Speedway Judy Frensley and Miss Fairgrounds Speedway Deborah Jett on May 1, 1972.

Frank Empson / The Tennessean

In 1970-1971 I was plant manager at a Lady Wrangler plant in Windsor, NC churning out hot pants. We held a modeling session every Friday afternoon.

Here is a shot of the field coming to the green.

Awesome... thanks.

Dad says this was the first time he remembers knowing who DW was. They had ran in some of the same events before but had never made an acquaintance. Dad was feeling "How cool is this? Running with the guys that run at Indy." and then during the drivers meeting they call this guy named Darrell Waltrip up to tell them how to get around Nashville. He remembered thinking "Who does this kid think he is telling guys named Unser, Johncock and McCluskey how to drive?" I then asked him how did DW do? Without cracking a smile he said "He won.".

Too bad he didn't stay in USAC.

I think this article is from TMC's friend Jerry Bushmire's collection.

Pretty sure you are right. I don't have that article on my hard drive. But now that I see it, I think I recall him posting it at TrackForum. I'm not sure Jerry has thrown away a scrap of paper since 1960. Haha.

Fifth car on out side is #97 Jack St.Clair Mustang driven by Wayne Andrews.

I was hoping you might pick it out, Dennis.

Nice that you found the article, especially since it tells of Al Unser spinning out in practice and not starting.

That is a good follow up on Al. If I ever knew what happened I forgot, but I knew he was here because of this photo of the car on the hauler. Wondered why he didn't show up in the race results.

And he was even introduced during driver introductions. Shown here being greeted by Metro Nashville Mayor Beverly Briley. Nowadays if someone wasn't going to start the race they'd be out of the track and on the private jet home before the crew got the car loaded.

Here are a couple of photos of that Andrews guy.

In this one he's leading Bobby Unser off turn 4.

Here he runs in a pack behind Bay Darnell and leading Terry Ryan and John Reimer. Don't understand why Butch Hartman's car is sitting in the pits looking like a dnf when he finished 6th. I guess the photo could have been taken during practice.

Those are great shots Russ. Never seen them before. Thanks.

I first read about this race in Jaws' first book (with the 1989 Daytona 500 victory lane shot on the cover) so it's great to know more about it here in this post. He was very proud to beat those guys, particularly Bobby Unser who said before the race something like, "Oh, the local boy, that's cute" about DW being in that race.

This is an old topic by now but I recently located another photo from this race. Bolander, Bowsher, Waltrip, and McCluskey.

Another terrific photo, Russ. Thanks.

I got to see Jack Bowsher when he qualified on the outside pole for the 1967 American 500 NASCAR Grand National at Rockingham, one of his four career GN starts - 2 at Rockingham and two at Charlotte.

This was the same race where I got to see the incomparable F-1 champ and 1965 Indy 500 winner, Jim Clark make his only NASCAR start.

I've always wanted to know a bit more about Clark's lone stock car tryout so thanks for that clipping.

Excellent story Dennis, thanks for sharing.

Excellent Photo's; thanks for the postings.

Several pics from The Tennessean from the 1972 USAC 200.

Publicity shot of Gordon Johncock, DW and Bobby Unser

Waltrip all smiles after winning the pole. Nashville mayor Beverly Briley was there to shake his hand & act like he knew something about racing.

USAC officials gather before the race. "On two, BREAK!"

Drivers meeting

Waltrip asking a question or offering an opinion with Wayne Andrews beside him.

Pre-race discussion amongst USAC regulars Bobby Unser, Johncock and Al Unser

Waltrip takes the checkers and is greeted in victory lane. Interesting he still had his Winston Cup logo on the car. With USAC's perennial distaste for NASCAR, I'm a bit surprised USAC officials didn't insist it be removed.

Gotta love that DW polyester double-knit outfit with the requisite paisley tie!

Several articles culled from the archived microfilm of The Tennessean and Nashville Banner...

Clicking each article should open it in a new browser tab for easier reading.

Newspaper ad promoting the race in conjunction with the Tennessee State Fair. Fans didn't get to see Super Tex - but the un-advertised Waltrip took the trophy. Interesting the track used Fred Lorenzen's STP Plymouth from NASCAR in its advertising. Wonder if the USAC brass in Indy blew a fuse over that.

Race previews

Race report

Post-race columns

Good to see the Joe Caldwell bylines. When I traveled the circuit in the 80s until his death, you didn't see Joe Caldwell without another Nashville writer, Larry Woody and vice versa. I was first introduced to Joe and Larry in May 1981 by Tom Higgins and Joe Whitlock in a little joint named Frank's not far from the Talladega track. Nashville was blessed to have several outstanding motorsports writers.