From 1975 through its final Cup race in 1984, Nashville's fairgrounds speedway was slotted as the next race following Daytona's Firecracker 400. The drivers went from the 2-1/2 mile superspeedway to the 5/8 mile, 18-degree banked short track in middle Tennessee. Coincidentally, the two tracks opened within about six months of one another - Nashville in August 1958 and Daytona in February 1959.
The 1975 edition of the Nashville 420 was slated for July 19th - about 2 weeks after the Firecracker and a bit of a season's breather for the teams. Earlier today I blogged about the Sunday afternoon 420. The race had been postponed from Saturday night because of rain.
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2017/07/july-20-1975-nashville-420.html
A few extras I didn't include in my blog post.
Nashville's version of the Winston Cup newspaper ad seen frequently in the sports section of many local newspapers of the era.
 |
The track's own ad promoting not only the 420 but the Friday night qualifying and feature races for the local drivers.
 |
In the 50-lap late model sportsman feature race Friday night,
Darrell Waltrip held off charging Alton Jones of Pleasant Grove, Ala. to capture the 50-lap Late Model Sportsman feature after winning the pole with a 20.57 qualifying time.
Jones, who pressed for the lead from the first to the last lap, had started second with a 20.72 qualifying run.
P.B. “Chubby” Crowell III, who had started in the No. 3 position, ran in third place until the 48th lap when he spun out under a caution flag and had to drop back to the rear.
A back turn crash involving Wendell Webster and Dorris Vaughn had brought out the caution flag with two laps remaining.
Jones, getting the jump on Waltrip at the start, led the first 22 laps mostly by a margin of a matter of feet. Waltrip took over on the 23rd lap, Jones nudged back in front on the 24th, and Waltrip regained the lead for good on the 25th.
Late Model Sportsman point leader Jimmy "Smut" Means ended up in third place, followed by Walter Wallace, Phil Stillings, Flookie Buford, Harold Cole, Charlie Chamblee and A.C. York.
With the race moved from Saturday night to a muggy, middle Tennessee July day, the race took a toll on one of the toughest ones - Cale Yarborough.
 |
But he rallied to collect his trophy, money, and kisses.
 |
--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
