January 20, 1952 - The season begins in West Palm Beach

Tim Leeming has completed an almost month-long series of Racing History Minutes featuring races at Riverside International Raceway. Many of those races opened the season for NASCAR's Grand National / Winston Cup schedules.

But on January 20, 1952 - before there was Riverside - NASCAR's GN division kick started its season with a debut event at Palm Beach Speedway in West Palm Beach, Florida. As I type this, the temps are in the mid teens after I awoke to a temp of +2. So a trip to West Palm REALLY sounds good right now.

The race was 200 laps on the half-mile dirt track. A solid field of 27 cars made the trek to south Florida - a great showing for NASCAR whose GN division was beginning only its 3rd full season.

Tim Flock in his #91 Hudson claimed the pole, and Jack Smith qualified alongside him. Frankie Schneider and Ed Samples took the 2nd row in a pair of Oldsmobiles. Iggy Katona - who later made a solid career in ARCA - qualified deep in the field in the sixth start of his 13-race GN career. Al Keller made his 5th start of a limited GN career. Two years later, Keller would be the first driver to win a GN race in a foreign car manufacturer with a victory in Linden NJ driving a Jaguar.

Race preview from Palm Beach Post .

Tim dominated the race by leading 194 of the 200 laps and lapping the field en route to a win. His brother Fonty led the remaining six laps and finished 3rd. Sandwiched between the 2 Flock brothers was second place finisher, Lee Petty - 1 lap down to the winner.

Race report from Palm Beach Post .

Finishing order

If you ever find yourself in West Palm, be sure to have breakfast at John G's on the beach. Simply the best French toast you'll ever eat - and a spectacular view of a morning sunrise over the ocean.

Jack Smith qualified on the front row - but he didn't have quite the same good fortune on race day. Pic from Tommy Clinard collection.

Great piece Chase. As we discussed, this Legend can't afford to breathe the air in Palm Beach now but that is a great race report.

Aftermath photo of the Alvarez wreck:

As a side note, after this wreck NASCAR mandated roll bars.

The Fort Pierce paper took a local angle in covering the race. It focused on Leo Caldwell who finished 14th. The race was Caldwell's 3rd of 4 career starts. His last start came a couple of weeks later on the sands and pavement of A1A in Daytona Beach.

Caldwell's car owner, Bud Berry, was the future father-in-law of RR's Tommie Clinard .

And what??? A last minute rule change? For a NASCAR race? No way, couldn't happen, impossible. Ehhh, yep.

From The Toledo Blade

http://www.toledoblade.com/Pro/2011/06/07/Caldwell-The-Gobbler-to-be-inducted-into-Fremont-s-Hall.html

Caldwell The Gobbler to be inducted into Fremonts Hall

June 7, 2011

For every race, every practice, and every qualifying run at Toledo Speedway, Leo Caldwell is there, watching and no doubt keeping a vigilant eye on the competition.

The legendary local racer from Perrysburg, who competed at Toledo, Flat Rock, Fremont, and Sandusky speedways, had his ashes spread over the half-mile layout on Benore Road in 1999, three years after his death at the age of 70.

Caldwell will now be ever present at the Fremont facility, as well, following his recent induction into that tracks hall of fame. Known as The Gobbler during his racing days for his ability to gobble up the competition, Caldwell won more than 400 races before his retirement in 1967.

He was hard to beat, said Rollie Beale, the Toledo racing icon who raced against Caldwell in events at Flat Rock and Toledo speedways that were administrated by ARCA Series founder John Marcum.

Beale, a former USAC champion, said The Gobbler had a distinct style that allowed him to be so successful.

He was a great driver who knew how to stay out of trouble and how to work his way through traffic. He was a smart driver who really knew his way around the track. He was good, and he raced you clean, and there werent a lot of drivers like that.

Caldwells induction into the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame honors the winner of the inaugural event at that track. In September of 1951, on a layout just a tenth of a mile in length, Caldwell bested a field of 38 drivers to win the 20-lap feature.

Hours before the race, it was Caldwell who was out there working on preparing the track surface with a grader.

He has a special tie to Fremont Speedway, and during the induction ceremony they even referred to my dad as the Father of Fremont Speedway, Charlie Caldwell said. It was very emotional to see him remembered and honored in that way. It was actually a tear-jerker moment at the ceremony.

Caldwell was racing on the beach at Daytona from 1948-52, taking on the likes of Lee Petty, the father of Richard Petty. Caldwell raced in what was the predecessor to the Toledo-area based ARCA Racing Series in 1953, the year the circuit was founded. In that circuit, he went up against Iggy Katona, Jim Romine, Buckie Sager, and Russ Helper.

The Gobbler won the Motor City Speedway season titles in 1949 and 1950 and was the track champion at Raceway Park in the 1954 and 1955 seasons.

I remember he raced a Chrysler Hemi, and like I said, he was tough to beat, Beale said. Hes a guy that belongs in the hall of fame.

Caldwell, who was born in 1926, competed in four events at NASCARs highest level, known today as the Sprint Cup Series. He debuted in the series in 1950, finishing 12th at Winchester, and was 23rd the following year at Canfield. His final two Sprint Cup races came in 1952, with a 14th place finish at Palm Beach, and a 20th place on the road course at Daytona, where he had started 45th.

Caldwell was recognized as the Michigan State Champion in 1952 in the Sportsman Division of NASCAR, and won the Fremont Speedway track championship in 1951 and 1952. He was Sanduskys track champ in the 1957 season.

Caldwell was part of a class of 10 inducted at Fremont as part of the facilitys 60th anniversary celebration. The hall of fame and museum at Fremont Speedway feature racing uniforms, helmets, photos, and memorabilia, including several restored race cars. It is located on the midway leading to the grandstands and is open on race nights with free admission.

Contact Matt Markey at: mmarkey@theblade.com or 419-724-6510.

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