Racing History Minute - May 16, 1964

Yesterday we were in Hampton, Virginia with the good ole boys as they had just completed a 100 mile race on a .4 mile dirt track won by Ned Jarrett. Overnight, the open trailers towed the cars to Hickory, NC, to compete on another 100 mile event on a .4 mile dirt track. Ned Jarrett had returned to his home track and a crowd of 10,000 folks showed up to watch their neighbor try to win two in a row.

Junior Johnson out qualified Ned to start on the pole, but Ned qualified second. Fans were happy! Most fans, however, knew that Ned seemed to be "jinxed" at Hickory so they weren't ready to start counting their good fortune just on qualifying. Junior took the lead on the green flag with Ned on his door. On lap 3 Ned went around Junior's Ford to take the lead. Ned would lead until lap 46 when David Pearson would move to the point. Ned went back out front on lap 137, but Pearson retook first spot on lap 148. Ned was chasing David but not able to catch the swift Dodge Pearson was driving but with 14 laps to go, David had a tire go down coming off turn two and was forced to the pits.

Ned went to the front with David's pit stop, but David returned to the track and made a blazing run to make up the distance but there just weren't enough laps. David would finish second, one lap behind the winning Jarrett. Hometown fans of Jarrett had been rewarded with a victory and Ned surely felt great after winning before such a partisan crowd. Surely Ned has fond memories of that race, even today.

Top five finishers were:

1. Ned Jarrett, Bondy Long Ford, winning $1,150.00

2. David Pearson, Cotton Owens Dodge, winning $600.00

3. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $400.00

4. LeeRoy Yarbrough, Louie Weathersby Plymouth, winning $300.00

5. Buddy Baker, J.C. Parker Dodge, winning $275.00

Sixth through tenth, in order, Earl Brooks, Neil Castles, Elmo Langley, Wendell Scott and Doug Cooper.

The remaining eight finishers (only 18 entries) in order, were, Buck Baker, Jimmy Pardue, Marvin Panch, E.J. Trivette, Don Tilley, Jack Anderson, Junior Johnson and Jimmy Helms.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

Hope Dave or Chase come up with come good pictures from this event. Hickory is a track with many first hand memories for me although I haven't been there since about 1998.

Just imagine the logistics of racing in Hampton one night and Hickory the next. That's a 350-mile tow after the Hampton race with limited help, all tired.

Tim, later that same year in September 1964, Darlington would run Labor Day Monday, Hickory on Friday night and Richmond on Sunday. When I went to the Richmond showrooms of Lawrence Plymouth, Southside Dodge and Richmond Ford on Saturday to see the cars and meet Richard Petty, David Pearson and Ned Jarrett, all three cars were still covered in Hickory clay in the Richmond dealer showrooms.

I never made it to Hickory until the late 80s for a Busch race. Never saw it as dirt. I remember passing the track going to the mountains from eastern NC in the early 70s.

I always thought the greatest racing scenes in "Last American Hero" were those featuring Sam Ard in #00 and Jimmy Hensley in #63 running side-by-side in an early 70s Hickory Late Model Sportsman race. That movie also featured Ned in the track office at Hickory where he was then promoting.

A rather inspiring item I read in an ESPN story by Ryan McGee told that when Bobby Isaac passed in 1977, Ned gave the recently married Bobby's family two cemetery plots at Catawba Memorial Park overlooking the Hickory track. Ned stated that one day he'd be buried there beside his old friend, Bobby Isaac overlooking the Hickory track.

Looking down on Hickory Speedway from Bobby Isaac's final resing place beside the future burial site of Ned Jarrett. Photo by Ryan McGee for ESPN

Race report from Spartanburg Herald

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