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Driving a racecar to the track?

joseph c. craven
@joseph-c-craven
14 years ago
5 posts
What was the last year a driverwasallowed to actually drive a racecar for competition(now cup series car) to the track on the highway? Before tow bars, trailers, and custom haulers. Thanks, joe
updated by @joseph-c-craven: 02/08/17 11:28:33AM
Jim Streeter
@jim-streeter
14 years ago
242 posts

I saw Herb Thomas drive a 55 Chevy to Champion Raceway (Fayetteville NC ) From Sanford NC.

!954

Randy Myers2
@randy-myers2
14 years ago
219 posts
The Bill Stroppe Mercurys were garaged at the county school bus garage several miles from the old beach-road course in Daytona. They drove the cars to the track from the garages as well as to some other local area tests. 56/57
Bobby Williamson
@bobby-williamson
14 years ago
907 posts
In the late '60's, I saw a race car being towed to the race track with a rope. Since it was rope-towed, the driver's children were steering and braking the race car! True, the race car wasn't driven to the track, but it was pretty close.
Randy Myers2
@randy-myers2
14 years ago
219 posts
Bobby's story reminds me of seeing Smokey rope-tow the Chevelle out of Daytona. 66 or 67
Jeff Gilder
@jeff-gilder
14 years ago
1,783 posts
I'm trying to find this interview to get the year, but Rex White told me about when he met Lee Petty for the first time. It was at a race in Florida...West Palm, I think. He said Lee drove the car to the track from NC with Linda, Richard and the gang in the car. During the race he rolled the car knocking out the windshield. He them drove the car back to NC...wife and kids on board...no windshield.


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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®
Cody Dinsmore
@cody-dinsmore
14 years ago
589 posts
I forgot who it was....but one person in the 50's drove down to Daytona in his racecar and then parked the car at the beach and walked over to the tire store for new race tires. I think it was Lee Petty?
Fred Harper
@fred-harper
14 years ago
10 posts
in 1960 Bubba Farr drove his 1955 ford from a shop in datona to the track for the modified race.he won that race.i was there trying to help.i also have pictures taken with the car at the motel the next morning,with the few of us that were with him.
Jeff Gilder
@jeff-gilder
14 years ago
1,783 posts
This is one of those cool stories that Smokey (personally) denied....saying he had no idea how it got started. Greg Zyla reported that he actually drove across the infield onto a trailer with no gas tank...either way...a very cool story.

John Craft said:

Smokey drove HOME from the track (out of the garage area, across the infield, through the tunnel and across town to his Beach Street shop)in 1968 after his , ahem, creatively configured 1966 Chevelle (the third and final one he built) was dinged in tech by Gazaway (whom Smokey lovingly referred to as " that comic book reading S.O.B .*")during Daytona 500 qualifying. According to the papers the next day(via Bill France), thatlittle jauntwas accomplished without the assistance of a gas tank. According to Smokey , only the fuel cell can was missing and the bladder was still in place. We report; you decide.

*(Abbreviated for public consumption, Smokey had no such compunctions)




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Founder/Creator - RacersReunion®