NASCAR National Short Track Series

I'm looking at a copy of the 50th anniversary program book for Lincoln Speedway (New Oxford, Pa.), published in 2002. It includes information about all of the various Grand National (Cup) races held there between 1955 and 1965, plus a Convertible race, a Grand National East race (incorrectly called Grand American) and a USAC stock event, but it also includes four "non-point Grand National races," also identified as "National Short Track Series" races, "actually a separate series." These 150- and 100-lap races were held in 1960, '61 and '62, and they were won by Elmo Langley (twice), Richard Petty and Jim Paschal. The top five is given for each. Can anybody provide more info about this "series," which was after the old NASCAR Short Track Division was disbanded in 1959. I' d never heard anything about it. I started following NASCAR in 1963, and I'm pretty sure there were none of these events then.

Petty won a NASCAR Eastern Late Model division race at Lincoln on July 2, 1961. As I understand it, the ELM division eventually became the Busch North Series and today is known as the K&N East Series. Here is my blog post about that race.

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-1-1961-richard-pettys-lost.html

Seems there was a similar series out west that later was reformed into the Winston West Series under RJR and now the K&N West Series.

Is it possible these two divisions (and maybe others) were under the umbrella of the broader National Short Track Series you noted?

Frank & Chase - a piece of trivia... Al Disney of White Stone, Virginia finished 8th in that July 1, 1961 NASCAR Easten Late Model Series Firecracker 100 race at Lincoln won by Richard Petty. The only Grand National race on Disney's resume is the September 10, 1961 Richmond event where he placed 13th. He ran car #119, a 1959 Buick, in both races. Perhaps he gave up on racing and moved to Orlando to assist in theme park construction.

That's the race, Chase (although the Lincoln anniversary program says it was on July 1). Never thought about this division being the predecessor of GN North/K&N. The 1960 race and the two in '62 no doubt were part of the series as well. I'll have to see if I can find some clips about those, too. BTW, Lincoln is an awesome place to watch racing today. When I went there for the first time in 1986, there was a wooden billboard sign from the 1965 GN race in the rafters overhead in the men's room. Wish I knew what became of it.

The entry list shows two Disneys entered. The other must have ended up in California. Also, one clip lists Wendell Scott from Charlottesville - don't think I'd seen that before.

DOH - 1961 race WAS July 1, and I noted it as such in my blog post. Typed July 2 (King's birthday) out of habit I guess.

I was able to extract this race report about the July 1, 1962 race at Lincoln from The Evening Sun of Hanover PA. Based on car #2, sounds like Paschal won for car owner Cliff Stewart.

Jim Paschal Race Victor At Lincoln

Jim Paschal, High Point. N.C ace tooled his 1962 Pontiac to a new track record for the NASCAR late models at the Lincoln Speedway half-mile oval Saturday night. The racing veteran who has taken over sixth place in the Grand National Top Twenty point standings with 5,988 pushed his No. 2 car into a commanding lead at the start of the 100-lap feature that was run off without a caution flag. Paschal took the dirt oval's 100 laps in 37 minutes and 8 seconds as he averaged 80 m.p.h in setting the course mark.

The North Carolina lead foot took first heat honors as the late models attracted the largest crowd of the season to promoter Hilly Rife's plant. Wes Morgan, Fairfax, Va., and Ron Halquist, Stamford Conn. finished 2-3 in the heat running. Danbury. Conn. pilot Bobby Devine won the second heat with Washingtons Elmo Langley and Charleston. S.C. speedster Curtis Crider finishing in that order. Devine and Langley finished in second and third position in the main event. Nineteen late models were in the pits.

Hi Dave - We covered the Nascar Eastern Late Model Division earlier this year here on Racing Through History. I have partial results from the 1961 Lincolnrace, and full results from the 62 race. I think the September 27th,1960 race won by Elmo Langley at Lincoln was a Penn-Mar sanctioned race.

Lincoln Speedway also hosted a race with a blend of Penn-Mar, USAC and MARC drivers on Saturday night, August 15, 1959. I'm not sure who really sanctioned the race though UltimateRacingHistory.com lists the event as a MARC/ARCA race.

http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/race.php?raceid=3803

Race preview from Hanover's The Evening Sun on August 15, 1959:

Field Of 30 Expected For Lincoln 150-Lap Test

Elmo Langley and Bob James head up a field which is expected to reach 30 for the late-model stock car race tonight at 8:30 at Lincoln Speedway. Langley, of Arlington, Va., has three feature victories to his credit this season and is top point man in the Penn-Mar Racing Association. James, from Cleveland, Ohio, has been challenging Nelson Stacy for the MARC point lead and will renew his bid against the Cincinnati veteran under the Lincoln arcs. Penn-Mar, MARC and USAC lead foots will converge on the Pigeon Hills plant for the 150-lap encounter which carries a purse of ?... for the winner.

Langley will guide a 59 Buick in the grueling test of driving skill and nerve. His chief rival in the Penn-Mar point chase, Frankie Schneider, of Trenton, N.J., has his '57 Chevrolet ready for the Lincoln classic. Other Penn-Mar drivers expected here tonight are Jim Panriey, Norfolk, Va., in a 57 Chevy; Nace Mattingly, Richmond, Va,, 58 Ford; Jim Findley, Baltimore, 57 Chevy; Johnny Dodd Sr., Baltimore, 59 Ford; Buzz Woodard, Coatesville, 56 Ford; Reds Kagle, Greenbelt, Md., 57 Chevy; Wally Dallenbach, Flemington, N.J., 58 Olds; Ken Reeder, (?), Ohio, 58 Chevy; Johnny Dodd Jr., Baltimore, 58 Mercury; Wes Morgan, Fairfax. Va., 57 Ford; Jerry Benjamin, Rising Sun, Md., 57 Ford, and Les Mixell, Gettysburg.

Race report from Monday, August 17, 1959 Evening Sun.

Katona Winner In Lincoln Race

Iggy Katona, Lambertville, Mich., guided his 58 Ford to victory in the 150-lap late-model stock car feature race Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway. Katonas margin of success was one-half lap over Bob James, Akron, O. whom many in the crowd of perhaps 4,000 figured to be the winner.

The checkered flag was first handed to James. Then after a hurry-up check of the scorers, Katona was declared the victor. James had lost a lap in an accident early in the race officials declared. Katona, sitting on the pole after his 24.11 time check and heat triumph, led the first 10 laps, then gave way to Johnny Dodd Jr., Baltimore, for a brief span.

Dodd held first place until the 25th lap when Wally Dallenbach, Patterson, N. J., driving a 57 Oldsmobile, flipped twice on the first turn and smashed into the side of James 57 Chevy. Returning to the pits for repairs to his radiator while the track was being cleared, Dodd was placed in scratch (last) position for the re-start.

Katona, meanwhile, took the lead and picked up a lap on James, who got out of the mishap with a dented front door. Katona kept the advantage through the only other serious accident, occurring on the 125th lap when Wally Gore, Arlington, Va., blew a tire and crashed into the fence on the third turn. On the 110th lap, Ernie Cassell, Flemington, N. J., shot out over the first turn, but came right back in on the second turn and got a fourth-place finish for his efforts.

Twenty-nine cars started the feature. Promoter Hilly Rife said 31 were in the pits at race time. Two were lost in 25-lap heat races won by Nace Mattingly and Paul Parks, Akron.

The results: 150-LAP FEATURE 1, Iggy Katona, Lambertville, Mich., 58 Ford (30); 2, Bob James Akron, O., '57 Chevy (43); 3, Nace Mattingly, Richmond, Va., '58 Ford (54); 4, Ernie Cassell, Flemington, N. J., 58 Ford (61); 5, Mack Hamburg, Clear Springs, Md., 57 Chevy (92); 6, Jim Parsley, Washington, 57 Chevy (70); 7, Chris Miller, York 56 Chevy (69); 8, Cal Wasdyle, Patterson, N. J., 56 Chevy (1); 9, Augie Sandman, Pittsburgh, 58 Ford ?... 56 Ford (90); 10, Buzzy Woodward, Coates

FIRST HEAT 1, Mattingly; 2, Jerry Benjamin, Rising Sun, Md.; 3, Charles Hanson, Bel Air, Md.; 4, Jim Findley, Baltimore. SECOND HEAT 1, Paul Parks, Akron, O., 57 Chevrolet convertible; 2, Hoss Kagle, Greenbelt, Md.: 3, Cassell; 4, Gary Raymond, Baltimore.

Frank, From what I could find when I was researching the Nascar Eastern Late Model Series for Racing Through History the series started in 1960, and ended in 1962. There were 4 races in 1960, all won by Jim Reed. There were at least 10 races in 1961, and at least 4 races in 1962. The 1961 winners were: Jim Reed(3), Reds Kagle, Emanuel Zervakis, Richard Petty, Bill Morgan(2), Bob Duell, and Buck Baker. The 1962 winners were: Jim Reed, Bill Morgan, Jim Paschal, and Elmo Langley. They raced on both dirt, and paved tracks 1/2 mile or smaller.

Awesome responses, everybody. Thanks so much for the info. My guess is that the Eastern Series also was something of a successor to the Short Track Series, which had ended its run in '59. Chase, that mash-up between several sanctioning bodies is what the Lincoln anniversary program called a USAC race.

All this belongs to that part of NASCAR history that the Daytona suits don't care to publicize, because so many of these efforts ended more in failure than success for the sanctioning body. Unfortunately, that denies recognition to those dedicated racers, owners, crews and others who took part. The Lincoln races all seem to have been great successes at the track, and the rundowns bring back some names from the past that we should keep alive.

It also harkens to a day when multiple sanctioning bodies on asphalt short tracks brought multiple major races to the weekly fans - much as is the case today in dirt track racing. Somehow, I think we'd be better off if we had more than just NASCAR in many areas today.

That's another story, though. For now I just want to express thanks again for a great online conversation today and some new historical info that might take root in my aging brain.

One other possible extension of this discussion, for Jack Walker in particular. Did the Eastern Series schedules you found include any other mid-Atlantic tracks? I ask because I now know more about Lincoln's history, but I know that the other dirt tracks in this area also ran NASCAR or other sanctioning body races from time to time - Selinsgrove Speedway, for instance, also ran an event in the bizarre 1972 Grand National East Series, which included NASCAR and ARCA drivers, but I don't know much about its history beyond GN races. I know Williams Grove was almost solely AAA/USAC, but Selinsgrove, Port Royal, Susquehanna, Silver Spring (late, much lamented), and Hagerstown also have been part of the local racing scene up here for decades, and some of these races in non-forgotten series might have taken place there as well.

Frank - I modified my last post to add tracks. ----There were 4 races in 1960, all won by Jim Reed(Wall Stadium, Toronto CEN, Montreal, and Old Bridge). There were at least 10 races in 1961, and at least 4 races in 1962. The 1961 winners were: Jim Reed(3)(Vineland, Old Bridge, and Reading), Reds Kagle(Manassas), Emanuel Zervakis(Moyock), Richard Petty(Lincoln), Bill Morgan(2)(Marlboro, Richmond-SS), Bob Duell(Rochester), and Buck Baker(Sumter). The 1962 winners were: Jim Reed(Manassas), Bill Morgan(Williams Grove), Jim Paschal(Lincoln), and Elmo Langley(Lincoln). ....Jack

Thanks, Jack.

Regardless the sanctioning body, scoring was not an exact science.

Interesting, Frank.. Southside in Richmond, Dog Track in Moyock and Old Dominion in Manassas in our neck of the woods all ran races in the series per Jack's research.

Quite a few of these tracks also had run or would run GN races, too; Marlboro had run a few Short Track Series events, so they were places used to working with NASCAR. Most just seemed one step below (probably an unfair word to use here) those tracks like Hickory, Columbia, Greenville-Pickens & others that ran GN every year.

Definitely interesting stuff. Thanks again to everybody.

P.S. - Big surprise to me to see a race at Williams Grove. They definitely were USAC folks back then.

Jack, would the Bob Duell win at Rochester have been on the 1/2-mile dirt Monroe County Fairgrounds where Duell also competed for Julian Buesink in GN?

Dave, your buddy Mr. Disney seems to have either moved around a lot or made where he actually lived a deep dark secret. The advance newspaper story on the Lincoln race lists him as being from Arlington, but other mentions say Bethesda or Silver Spring, Md. Maybe he made Donald Duck mad and had to stay on the run.

Dave - Yes, it was a 1/2 mile dirt track. This race was just 75 laps, instead of the usual 100 laps that most of the other races were.

Thank you, Jack. One of our friends attended Grand National races at that venue and possibly the Eastern Late Model Series.

Or maybe publicists were already trying to prove how divese their entry list was by listing the hometown that best suited their needs.

Found couple of articles and promo pic of Elmo Langley for the July 14, 1961 Eastern Late Model race at Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester. Posted them here:

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/photo/1961-rochester-elmo-langley

Now this is what I like, people who were around back then sharing and others digging up the past. This I really liked and I hope this kind continues .. To me this is what Racers Reunion is all about --- KEEP IT UP GUYS and thank you !!

I totally agree with you Johnny. YOU are a big part of the awesome contributions to the site and I sure hope YOU keep it up. You bring many wonderful memories back to life for me. Thank you.

Fully agree with Tim. This is awesome. I'll see if I can post other questions or bits of info that can lead to similarly fascinating explorations of our history.

Right now, I'm looking at the Speed Age magazine story on what it says was NASCAR's first Grand National/Cup road race, at Road America in Wisconsin in August of 1956. Of course, that's not correct, because a race had been run in 1954 on the Linden, N.J., Airport road course - famously won by a Jaguar - and another was run in 1955 at Willow Springs, Calif. (another race would take place there later in 1956), but I guess the argument could be made that the former was a temporary course and the latter a "western" event (although it was considered fully a Grand National race). Nevertheless, the field for this '56 race more closely resembled a modern-day road course Cup event, so I'm interested and will try to file more about it.

Also of note, work is now underway at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, just north of me at Latimore Valley (between York Springs and Dillsburg, Pa.) on an expansion that will dramatically increase the size of its already impressive research facility. I hope to spend more time up there.

Frank - We have a couple of RacersReunion posts about both the 1954 Linden race and the 1956 Road America race.

Tim Leeming's RHM about Linden:

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/racing-history-minut...

My post about Road America & a follow-up to another post:

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/august-12-1956-tim-f...

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/nascar-august-11th-1...

This was the research room when I visited the EMMR a few years ago.

Would love to see the results of those races, especially the one at Southside. Never knew they were run.

Still looks like that, Jack, but it's about to get quite a bit bigger.

That Saturday race at Road America is another of those "NASCAR did THAT?" events. Kind of wish they were more flexible today.