BAMA 400 Sept. 13, 1969

BAMA 400

Alabama International Speedway

Talladega, Alabama Sept. 13, 1969

Grand Touring race #30

Tommy Andrews

Trans Am regular Larry Bock

Harry Gailey

#3 Bunkie Blackburn, #27 Jim Paschal, #25 Pete Hamilton, #41 Red Farmer, #15 Wayne Andrews, #43 Harry Gailey, #67 Jim Hurtubise, #93 Ron Grable, #44 Ken Rush

Smokey Yunicks Mustang dropped the 1 and ran as #3

I think this is a Jeff Gilder photo

End of Bunkies day

I think this is a Jeff Gilder photo

American Motors team of #93 Ron Grable and #94 Bob Tullius

#16 Tiny Lund and #8 Racers Reunion member Phil Wills

Richard Childress #13 Green Camaro

Wayne Andrews, Ken Rush and Ron Grable

Wayne Andrews and Ken Rush

Personal notes:

Shaw Racing Enterprises now was a two car team. The Cougar ran in this race was also formally a Bud Moore car. Dad called it the R&D car. When they got the car it still had all the side windows and the doors opened on factory hinges and latches. Several door bars had to be added on both sides to the roll cage to make it NASCAR legal. It had holes in the back of the floor pan and mounting brackets for rear end links. We assumed this was tried to eliminate wheel hop. Reid always said this car was very stock when he got it. All this points to this car being one of the Trans Am Cougars but we have no documentation of it. Cant remember what number the car had on it from Buds.

The car ran well in this race. A problem on pit road probably cost Wayne the win. On a fuel stop the filler neck fell into the truck. Rules only allowed 2 men over the wall. By the time they figured out what had happened and opened the trunk to get the gas in the tank he was a lap down. Once back on the track he was able to run Ken down and pass him to get on the lead lap but there were no more cautions and Ken caught Waynes draft and rode it to the end. In 2004 when Jim Paschal died, dad and I were in line for visitation when someone came up and grabbed dad from behind and asked Do you know who finished second at the first race at Talladega? It was Ken Rush.

updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Great Photos!! Thanks much!!

I am still wondering about the origins of the #98 Larry Bock Dart.

I known Marty Robbins had Stan Starr to build him a new Dart to the 1969 GT/GA season but was unable to ever race it due to his 1st heart attack (have photos from his son, Ronnie that I will post later). Ronnie does not know were the car went. The is the only '69 Dart I've seen so it may have been Marty's Dart. Anyone know?

I know I saw Bob Tullius in a Dart at the June 19, 1968 race won by Donnie Allison in Richmond on the half-mile mile dirt Virginia State Fairgrounds track. Tullius was over his head and out of his element on that dirt track with the good ole boys under the lights. Even Larry Newton in the Austin-Cooper looked better than Tullius in the Dart. But, that was 1968 and not 1969. However, if they'd given an award for ugliest car, the puke yellow/orange Tullius Dart would have won hands down.

--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Here's the photo of Marty's '69 Dart that he never got a chance to drive.

(photo courtesy of Ronnie Robbins)