Today we return to the half-mile dirt track in Cayce, South Carolina, known as Columbia Speedway. The 100 mile/200 lap race there on this date in 1957 did not have an "official" name as so many of the races to follow at the facility. But it did have 21 cars show up to make the show, although only 20 cars actually did start the race.
Buck Baker put his 1957 Chevrolet on the pole with a speed of 64.585 mph. Speedy Thompson in another '57 Chevy would start outside front row. Jack Smith would put his Chevy in 3rd and Lee Petty qualified his Oldsmobile fourth. Jim Paschal in a Mercury started 5th.
I would have been at this race with my Uncle Bobby, parked against the infield fence in turn four, but I have very little recollection of the details of the race. My source for these Minutes (Greg Fielden's "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing") does not provide much detail either, but I do remember the wreck that took out Fireball Roberts on the 71st lap. Something broke in his suspension and he slammed into the unforgiving walls at Columbia. My reference indicates it was an idler arm that broke.
I also remember that Tiny Lund, and Greg references this in his record, was having a great run that night but, as always seemed to befall Tiny, bad fortune struck. This time it was with 11 laps remaining when a tire blew and caused him to dance with the retaining wall. Lund had a legitimate shot at victory that night.
Most of what I was watching was Lee Petty as that was my Uncle's favorite and, by default, my favorite as well. He fell out of the race on lap 177 when an axle broke. He had been flirting with victory in the early stages of the race.
The final laps came down to a slam-fest between Buck Baker and Jack Smith with Jack barely edging out Buck at the line. The only other car on the lead lap with Smith and Baker was Marvin Panch.
Top five finishers were:
1. Jack Smith, Smith Chevrolet, winning $1,000.00
2. Buck Baker, Baker Chevrolet, winning $625.00
3. Marvin Panch, Panch Ford, winning $400.00
4. Jim Paschal, Paschal Mercury, winning $295.00
5. Speedy Thompson, Thompson Chevrolet, winning $255.00
Sixth through tenth were Darel Dieringer, Billy Myers, Tiny Lund, L.D. Austin, and Brownie King.
The remaining ten finishers, in order, were Huck Spaulding, Dick Beatty, Lee Petty, Clarence DeZalia, Johnny Allen, Fireball Roberts, Jimmy Lewallen,Neil Castles, Ken Rush and George Green. Bob Welborn is shown as an entry, but did not start the race.
The average speed for the winner was 58.045 mph so it was a fast race even with the obvious cautions for the Roberts accident as well as Lund's accident.
It may have been on the way home from the track that night when my Uncle Bobby made a statement about the '57 Chevy being about the most perfect race car ever build. I do remember I thought most of those models made really good looking race cars, even the number 8 Rory Calhoun drove in "Thunder in Carolina". They were pretty good looking street cars too. One of my best friends had one that I truly thought was awesome, but I would never tell him that, because I was a Mopar man and I wasn't supposed to like Chevys!.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
