Racing History Minute - New Year's Day Racing

NASCAR's Pacific Coast late model division raced at Gardena Stadium speedway in California on New Year's Day - January 1, 1957. Multi-time NASCAR Short Track Division champion, Jim Reed, from allll the way up in New York traveled about as far west as one could go to claim the victory on the quarter-mile dirt track while driving a Pete DePaolo Ford.

Though the preview article seems to indicate the race was 200 laps, the day's events actually consisted of two 25-lap qualifying races plus a 150-lap feature.

Four years later, NASCAR ran another Pacific Coast late model race on New Year's Day. However, the 100-lap race on January 1, 1961 was held at the famed half-mile Ascot Park dirt track and was won by another Jim - Jim Cook. Unlike Reed, Cook was from nearby Anaheim, CA.

Found another one. Brown's Speedway in Eastaboga, Alabama - near the site where Alabama International Motor Speedway was built - hosted a slate of races on New Year's Day, January 1, 1948. One of the drivers expected to participate was native Alabaman, Red Byron. I haven't yet found any articles indicating who won the race(s).

I never see the name Eastaboga that I don't think of part-time stock car racer and fulltime trucker, Johnny Ray of Eastaboga setting the world's closed course speed record for a full tractor-trailer rig at Alabama International Motor Speedway (what is now called Talladega SuperSpeedway) in 1975. I don't know what Johnny Mallonee was doing that day.

Reed's win on January 1, 1957 was his second consecutive win at Gardena on New Years'ish. He also won on January 2, 1956 in a NASCAR Pacific Coast division race.

More NYD racing - 1963 Tobacco Bowl at Bowman Gray

"Yes, Virginia, there really was a time when there was something to do on New Year's Day besides taking down the tree and watching college football games."