Lanier 250
Road Atlanta
Braselton, Ga.
Sunday, May 23, 1971
Race #7 brought the Grand American Challenge series to the 2.53 mile road course in northern Georgia call Road Atlanta for the first NASCAR race to be held there. Former shine hauler and stock car driver turned actor/comedian Junior Samples from the popular TV show HEE HAW was the Grand Marshal.
Along with the Grand American regulars Buddy Baker was scheduled to drive a Warren Prout prepared Barracuda. It would mark his first appearance in a Grand American race and the first time in several years he would compete in same event with his father, seasoned veteran Buck Baker. Bobby Allison would drive a Mercury Cougar entered by Virginian Keith Christensen. Pete Hamilton drove a beautifully-prepared Mark Schwien Camaro. Richard Brooks drove the Toy Bolton Camaro formally driven by Charlie Blanton. Road course ringer John Greenwood teamed with Dick Smothers, half of the popular Smothers Brothers comedy team, in a Joie Chitwood Camaro. SCCA standout Gene Felton made another Grand American start at the controls of E.J. Trivettes Camaro.
Saturdays qualifying suggested a competitive race, with the first 5 cars posting laps within 2 mph. Jim Paschal put his American Performance Center Javelin on the pole by posting a 92.86 mph lap, followed by Tiny Lund at 92.37, Richard Brooks at 91.47, Pete Hamilton at 90.97 and Buck Baker at 90.65. One report had the starting line-up listed as Paschal, Lund, Brooks and Hamilton followed by Paul Tyler at 90.38 mph and Dick Smothers at 89.93 mph. Paschal failed to make the grid after losing an engine in the morning practice on race day.
Scoring for the Lanier 250 was based on the combined total of points scored in the two 50 lap segments, and with a maximum of 50 points in each. If a points total resulted in two teams having the same amount of points the tie-breaking rule was the highest finish in the second heat got the overall position.
With Paschal on the trailer and headed back to North Carolina Lund started heat one on the pole with Dick Brooks along side. Pete Hamilton started third and made the first bold move by going past Lund going up the hill but over ran turn three. Hamilton, looped his Camaro thru the blind, falling away corner and hit a retaining wall. He was not injured, but suspension damage put him out of the race. From there Lund was pressed hard by Buck Baker, Brooks and H.B. Bailey. Baker could pull Lund down the chutes but Lund would gain the advantage in Road Atlantas 11 corners by charging over the concrete rumble strips, also called alligator strips at some tracks. Baker led 4 laps early but the challenge from Brooks ended on lap 28 with a burned piston and Bailey was out by lap 32 with a broken rod. Lund led the rest of the way with Baker close on his heels. John Greenwood kept the leaders in site to place third. The biggest movers of the day were Gene Felton as he came from 29th on the grid to fourth at the finish and Bobby Allison who drove from 19th to fifth. Only 4 of the 50 laps were run under caution.
First 50 lap, 125 mile segment partial results.
Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out
1 1 55 Tiny Lind 69 Camaro 50 Running
2 5 87 Buck Baker 71 Firebird 50 Running
3 John Greenwood 71 Camaro 50 Running
4 29 56 Gene Felton 69 Camaro 50 Running
5 19 Bobby Allison 70 Cougar 50 Running
6
7
8 29 Ron Trout 68 Cougar Running
The second segment lined up by the way they finished the first one but SCCA veteran Bob Tullius was in Bakers Firebird, as Baker was still suffering with a sore leg from the Springfield crash, and Dick Smothers took over the Greenwood Camaro. Lund got the lead on lap one when Tullius had to pit with accelerator linkage trouble. Tullius lost 2 laps to Lund by the time the issue was fixed but on lap 15 he caught the leader and made up one of the laps. Maybe thinking Tullius had gotten back on the lead lap Lund spun in turn 5 trying to repass Tullius. Back on track Lund headed for the pits handing the lead to Felton with Allison second. Felton held the top spot for one lap before he and Allison pitted putting Lund back out front where he would remain the rest of the way. Felton came home second with Allison third and Tullius coming all the way back to fourth. Smothers was running fifth until he spun on the last lap letting C.B. Gwyn by for the fifth spot, he finished sixth.
Second 50 lap, 125 mile segment partial results.
Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out
1 1 55 Tiny Lind 69 Camaro 50 Running
2 4 56 Gene Felton 69 Camaro 50 Running
3 5 Bobby Allison 70 Cougar 50 Running
4 2 87 Bob Tullius 71 Firebird 49 Running
5 04 C.B. Gwyn 68 Cougar 49 Running
6 3 Dick Smothers 71 Camaro 49 Running
Lund ended up leading all but 5 of the 100 lap event even as he described himself as An old dirt dauber. His claim that he was not much of a road racer seemed a little funny after the way he had just attacked the challenging course with an aggressive style that had road racing purist shaking their heads. Not to mention the fact that he wore an extra brace to support his sore back that he injured in 1955 and still had a sore leg from the crash at Dover. Tiny totaled 100 points in taking the win with Felton netting 96 points for second place. Baker also earned 96 points but the tie breaker went to Felton who finished higher in the second segment giving Baker third. Allison totaled 94 points to finish fourth with the Greenwood/Smothers team coming in fifth with 93 points.
Final partial results.
Fin Car # Driver Car Laps Led Reason out
1 55 Tiny Lind 69 Camaro 95 Running
2 56 Gene Felton 69 Camaro 1 Running
3 87 Buck Baker 71 Firebird 4 Running
Bob Tullius
4 Bobby Allison 70 Cougar 0 Running
5 John Greenwood 71 Camaro 0 Running
Dick Smothers
Lund collected $4,050 of the $23,600 purse. There were 17,000 in attendance.
Personal note: The Shaw Racing Enterprises team had just gotten the 71 Mustang back from Holman-Moody after repairs from the wreck at Dover and arrived at the track late. Wayne Andrews made the first lap he had ever ran there in qualifying. Waynes notes did not record a starting position or where he finished in the first segment, only that the throw-out bearing went out after about 150 miles of racing which means early in the second segment. Dad remembers tearing up the transmission trying to run without the clutch.
Ron Trout reports that he remembers Tiny having disc brakes on the front of his Camaro, the first time he saw disc on a Grand American car. Dad definitely remembers having drum brakes all the way around on the Mustang.
updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
