The 1957 Southern 500 would result in the first on-track casualty for the still young Darlington Raceway. But let's back up just a minute to cover the absolutely confusing circumstances involved in qualifying for the race. Follow closely now.
Lee Petty was unable to qualify his car for reasons I have not discovered, so he had Bobby Myers qualify the number 42. Bobby also qualified his own car, number 4. Paul Goldsmith has Curtis Turner, his Smokey Yunick teammate qualify his car. Curtis also qualified his own car. The pole went to Cotton Owens in a Pontiac with Bobby Myers putting the Petty Olds in the middle of the first row. That's right, Darlington started them three abreast then. Curtis Turner qualified HIS Smokey Yunick Ford third fastest for the outside front row while Paul Goldsmith started 6th in the other Yunick Ford qualified by Turner. Confused yet?
Now we come to Herb Thomas, already a two time Southern 500 winner, arrived in Darlington ina visibly shaken state. The reason Herb was so nervous was not discussed, but he finally gave up his ride to Fonty Flock stating that he was just too nervous to drive the race. Fonty would start the Herb Thomas car in 15th position in the 50 car field. Fonty had problems in the Herb Thomas Pontiac almost immediately upon the start of the race and spent a few laps in the pits almost on the green flag lap. He returned to the race and began his attempt to make up for lost ground in the long race ahead. Unfortunately, his run would end on lap 27 of the race.
Fonty spun the black Pontiac at the end of the backstraight, just at the entrance to turn three and was stalled near the outside guardrail. Bobby Myers was racing Paul Goldsmith down the backstraight. Bobby was driving a Petty Olds, number 2, and, it is said, was watching Goldsmith in his mirror to head off a pass attempt expected as they approached turn three. Bobby never saw the black car sitting there and plowed into it head-on at full speed. The impact was so severed, the engine of Myers car came out and rolled down the enbankment toward to the infield.Fonty was severely injured, Paul Goldsmith was injured but not as severely as Flock, and Bobby Myers was killed.
We need to go back to just June of 1957 when the American Automobile Association began to put pressure on auto manufacturers to pull support for auto racing as it was believed such association was adverse to the interest of the general public. Auto racing, stock car racing especially, was enjoying fan association with sponsors no other sport could claim. Companies like Pepsi were advertising the "punch of Pepsi" with racing stock cars in the background. Companies just as Grey Rock (brake linings), Champion (spark plugs) and Pure (gasoline) was closely tied to NASCAR stock car racing and advertised their successes far and wide. Now NASCAR had a fatality in its then only major 500 mile race.
The Southern 500 had already brought about the rule change that pitcrew members must wear shirts rather than go topless. An award was established for the "best dressed crew". The pit gas tanks, 55 gallon drums raised on a platform, were banned in the interest of safety. After the Flock-Myers-Goldsmith crash, NASCAR outlawed black cars with the belief that if the Flock car had not been black, it would have been more easily seen by Bobby Myers and evasive action could have been taken.
As for the race, Cotton Owens took the lead on the green flag from his inside front row position. He would lead the first 6 laps. Curtis Turner led laps 7 - 10, and Paul Goldsmith 11-13. Bobby Myers led lap 14, then Turner took over for two laps. Owens went back in front on lap 17 and would stay there until lap 29 when Lee Petty took over. Petty would lead until lap 40 before yeilding to Fireball Roberts. Petty and Roberts would exchange the lead between laps 70 and 100 when Jack Smith took over. On lap 110, Speedy Thompson (true first name Alfred) moved out front and stayed there until lap 170 when Curtis Turner went back out front. Turner was able to maintain the lead until lap 216 before Thompson moved back in front to stay. Speedy would win the Southern 500 by 3 laps over Cotton Owens.
Other "highlights" of the race involved, for one Joe Caspolich, driving in his first Grand National race. On lap 67, Joe hit Bill Blair as Bill was spinning, and the Caspolich Ford was destroyed on the guardrail. Although Joe climbed out under his own power, he collasped and was transported to the hosptial where it was discovered he had sustained multiple fractures and a bruised heart. He was in critical condition.
During the middle of the race, Lee Petty and Curtis Turner were involved in a heated, door-to-door duel for the lead. Lee got into Curtis, barely touching the left rear quarterpanel, but enough to put Curtis into the wall. Curtis spent quite some time in the pits replacing the punctured radiator and returned the track to finish 11th, although 18 laps behind the winner. The story here, however, involves Turner's good friend and party buddy, Joe Weatherly. Joe roared out of the pits and chased down Lee Petty and flat out wrecked the former Grand National Champion. It is safe to assume Lee was waiting for Lil Joe when that race was over.
Top ten finishers were:
1. Speedy Thompson, Thompson Chevrolet, winning $13,590.00
2. Cotton Owens, Stephens Pontiac, winning $6,100.00
3. Marvin Panch, Panch Ford, winning $3,745.00
4. Jim Reed, Reed Ford, winning $2,155.00
5. Buck Baker, Baker Chevrolet, winning $1,650.00
6. Billy Carden, Westmoreland Chevrolet, winning $1,225.00
7. Billy Myers, Myers Ford, winning $1,125.00
8. Johnny Mackison, Camp Hill Special Ford, winning $975.00
9. Possum Jones, Welborn Chevrolet, winning $775.00
10.Jack Smith, Smith Chevrolet, winning $785.00
Curtis Turner finished 11th, Johnny Allen 12th, Jimmie Lewallen 14th, Bobby Johns 16th, Tiny Lund 20th, Brownie King 21st,, and Roy Tyner 23rd. Lee Petty, although knocked out of the race on lap 281, is credited with 24th. Rex White was 28th, Fireball Roberts 33rd, Jim Paschal 35th, Bill Blair 38th, Joe Weatherly 40th, Banjo Matthews 41st. A very young Cale Yarborough is credited with 42nd completing 31 laps. Paul Goldsmith was 44th, Gwyn Staley 46th, Fonty Flock 48th, and Neil Castles 49th. Finishing 50th, completing only 3 laps was T.A. Toomes.
I will limit my personal comments and memories today. My Uncle Bobby and I had attended the Spring race at Darlington in 1957, the first convertible race there. It was so much fun we decided to come back for the Southern 500, which would start my consecutive visits there each Labor Day until 1967 when the U.S. Navy had need of my services elsewhere. Although having already visited Darlington in the Spring, I still remember, vividly, the thrill I had as we pulled into the infield and parked near the third turn fence on Sunday afternoon. This was THE SOUTHERN 500. The race I had been listening to with my uncle and grandfather on the front porch of my grandfather's country home (it was country then) since at least 1952. Now I was there, against the fence, as the three abreast parade laps commenced. I heard the engines start over on the front straight, but I was not really prepared for the sight of the 50 cars rolling before me. Oh, I had seen that in the Spring, but this was THE SOUTHERN 500. The tingling excitement I felt holding on to that fence was amplified by the vibrating wire as the cars rolled by.
The wreck that took Bobby Myers' life happened literally right in front of me. To show you how the human mind deals with things, my 11 year old brain did not realize I had just witnessed the death of a race driver. Even after finding this out later, I refused to acknowledge it. What should have been an abiding nightmare for me every night was blocked from my mind without my realizing it. It was not until three years ago when I was visiting my friend, Ronnie Sharpe, that I saw that wreck again on a DVD of the 1957 Southern 500 Ronnie had. When I saw the accident on DVD, I felt both the cold chills of surpressed memory as well as the heat of the Labor Day South Carolina Pee Dee weather as I stood next to that third turn fence at Darlington.
Just a couple weeks ago, while visiting the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte with Randy Myers, nephew of Bobby and son of Billy Myers, we stopped in to chat with Chocolate Myers, Bobby's son and legendary crewman for Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Even as we stood there in the radio studio, I couldn't help but think back to that 1957 Southern 500. Oh, I didn't mention it to Chocolate, but I'm reasonably sure that each Labor Day serves as a memory of his father. I am most honored to include Randy Myers as a good friend. Randy's father, Billy, was a true pioneer in the sport and would die at a race track but not as the result of a crash. The Myers family had contributed its very life blood to the growth of the sport.
OTHER SOUTHERN 500s run on September 2nd.
1963:
1. Fireball Roberts, Ford
2. Marvin Panch, Ford
3. Fred Lorenzen, Ford
4. Nelson Stacy, Ford
5. Darel Dieringer, Mercury
1968:
1. Cale Yarborough, Mercury
2. David Pearson, Ford
3. Buddy Baker, Dodge
4. Charlie Glotzbach, Dodge
5. Paul Goldsmith, Dodge
1974:
1. Cale Yarborough, Chevrolet
2. Darrell Waltrip, Chevrolet
3. David Sisco, Chevrolet
4. Dave Marcis, Dodge
5. James Hylton, Chevrolet
I chose to go only through the 1983 season in the Southern 500 week as commencing 1984 the race was moved to the Sunday before Labor Day.
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
