Racing History Minute - July 16, 1958

As we have done these History Minutes since April 5th, I have learned so much I never knew or, perhaps, knew at one time and forgot along the way. I have written about tracks about which I had never heard, and many drivers whose names were not familiar to me. I have read and written about the long distances the guys traveled to race all over the country and a foray or two into Canada. Today is a totally unfamiliar track to me. Although I have heard of the winner of the event, many of the 23 starters are names unfamiliar to me.

Today we travel to the .333 mile dirt track located in Busti, NY for a 150 lap/50 mile race. Lee Petty would win the pole in his Oldsmobile with L.D. Austin taking second place. Shorty Rollins would start third, Al White fourth and Bob Duell fifth. My resource does not list lap leaders, or much detail of the race other than to say pole winner Petty would lose 11 laps while repairing mechanical problems.

When the checkered flag was waved, Rookie of the Year contender, Shorty Rollins would become the 15th different winner in the 30 Grand National races of 1958 thus far. How many of the names in the following run down do YOU recognize?

Top five finishers were:

1. Shorty Rollins, Rollins Ford, winning $600.00

2. Bob Duell, Julian Buesink Ford, winning $470.00

3. Ken Johnson, Ford, winning $375.00

4. Emory Mahan, Chevrolet, winning $270.00

5. John Seeley, Ford, winning $245.00

Sixth through tenth were L. D. Austin, Bill Poor, Lee Petty, Bob Finale and John Walker. I must mention 15th place finisher Squirt Johns and 19th place finisher Jug Pierce to reiterate my question about the guys you may have known in your racing past. Oh, and Ted Chamberlain, a name we have encountered several times in our History Minutes, finished 22nd out of the 23 starters.

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

Thanks, Tim. July 16th is a special date for me. Thirty years ago tonight, in 1983, I stood in the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway victory lane with Dale Earnhardt after he beat DW in the Bud Moore / Wrangler Thunderbird.

Apparently Stateline Speedway in Busti still operates today:

http://www.stateline-speedway.com/

And a history page for the track is maintained here:

http://www.statelinelegacy.org/

Good article about the race here:

http://www.chautauquasportshalloffame.org/NascaratStateline.php

Thanks, Chase. I was just reading the reprint of that story in the December 5, 2010 Jamestown (NY) Post-Journal.

http://post-journal.com/page/content.detail/id/576010/Stateline-Get...

shorty rollins and ld austin are the only names i am familiar with enjoyed the post tim

I believe the # 15 finisher is Squirt Johns and not jones. I remember Squirt and his #511 1960 Ford from 61-62 when Uncle Sam decided I should spend a couple years in upstate New York. A great driver and a very funny man . I have gotten to see him several times and have lunch here in Florida over the past 3 years .. also remember the eight Ball chevy's of Emory Mahan

who drove fast and hard and looked like a college professor with his tiny wire rim glasses....as JM says, memories

Bill, you are exactly right. Squirt's last name is JOHNS. I have corrected the post and thank you for calling that error to my attention. Please apologize to Squirt for me next time you see him. I do appreciate you making this correction. I don't want our History Minutes to contain errors and it's through the assistance of all you guys that we can keep it correct.

From Jamestown Post-Journal

Looks like Lee Petty led the first 30 laps. Then local shoe Squirt Johns got by Petty's 42 and led the field through lap 71. Then on lap 71, Johns blew a tire while leading which gave the lead back to Lee.

For a number of laps - at least through 138, it sounds like the front was contested amongst Petty, Carl Tyler, Bob Duell and Emory Mahan.

Somewhere just past mid-race, Lee Petty lost a wheel and obviously the lead. But he returned to finish 8th. Carl Tyler ran over Lee's errant wheel, and that derailed his shot at the win.

With Petty, Tyler and Squirt having issues, Shorty then took over and was apparently in front the rest of the way. The local guys pursued Rollins to the end, but they couldn't pass Shorty's #99 Ford.

(Click article to read larger version in a separate tab.)

Some were local hot shoes !

A Busti Bump. 

(I put that one on a tee for some of you.)