In December 1955, Bill France and his board of directors for NASCAR completed a merger with the Society of Auto Sports, Fellowship and Education - a lengthy label reduced to a concise acronym of SAFE. - Sarasota Journal
The business combination expanded NASCAR's operations a bit in the Midwest. NASCAR also launched a "new" convertible division series in 1956 - a racing division operated previously by SAFE. Though eligible to join NASCAR, most of SAFE's drivers apparently chose not to align with France and went different directions. Nonetheless, NASCAR scheduled the first convertible race under its new sanctioning and promotion umbrella for February 25, 1956. Where else COULD such a division debut but the sands of Daytona Beach.
Race preview from Daytona Beach Morning Journal
Though NASCAR didn't expand its driver base by adding racers from SAFE, it did fill a 29-car field with plenty of names familiar to NASCAR fans including:
Two-time NASCAR GN champion, Herb Thomas. The race would be the future NASCAR HOFer's only convertible series start. - Getty
Bob Pronger whose Ford was so new his number had not yet been painted on it - Getty
Mel Larson - looking dapper in his suit and with a novel connecting roll bar from the windshield to the bar behind the front seat - Getty
Roy Atkinson - Bill Rankin
Don Oldenberg - a SAFE driver who did choose to join NASCAR. He was SAFE's 1955 convertible champion. - Getty
Jimmy Thompson - with a stylish white look - car, tires, windshield, and side windows - Getty
Joe Weatherly - who probably had a good chuckle upon realizing his name on the car was spelled wrong - Getty
Local favorite Fireball Roberts - Bill Rankin
Weatherly claimed the pole position and led the first five laps. Shortly after the green, Bill Brown drifted wide on his first pass through the north turn. He stalled his Mercury against the fence in the north turn and simply abandoned the car. - DBMJ
Starting 14th after apparently not even laying down a qualifying lap was Curtis Turner. (If true, I'm not sure how he ended up in 14th vs. deeper in the field.) He'd had a mild scare in the modified sportsman race the day before when his car caught fire. But Turner wasn't worried about where he'd been or where he was starting - he was focused on where he was GOING.
From Full Throttle: The Life And Times of Curtis Turner :
Though Weatherly leveraged his top starting spot to lead the first few laps, Turner pursued him relentlessly from the jump. Once he caught him, Pop and Little Joe waged an epic, see-saw battle at the front of the field until the mid-point of the race. They raced lap after lap...
...after lap... - Getty
...after lap... - Getty
...after lap. Here they slide past the abandoned car of Bill Brown. - Getty
Again, from Full Throttle :
Though the pair drove team Fords for Pete DePaolo (along with Fireball), Little Joe's blue oval couldn't keep up. He lost the water pump on his car, was done for the day and finished a disappointing 19th.
With his rival and friend sidelined, Pop just kept the wheel in his Ford until the end. After many attempts before and after the formation of NASCAR, Turner finally got the win that he truly wanted at Daytona. - Bill Rankin
Teammate Roberts hung in there with Turner to finish second. Thomas was third, and Marvin Panch finished 4th with an assist from a relief driver. Placing 17th in the finishing order was RacersReunion member Tiger Tom Pistone.
Once more from Full Throttle :
Race report from DBMJ
Click article to open larger version in new tab.
Fin | Driver | Car |
1 | Curtis Turner | '56 Ford |
2 | Fireball Roberts | '56 Ford |
3 | Herb Thomas | '56 Chevrolet |
4 | Marvin Panch | '56 Dodge |
5 | Dick Joslin | '56 Dodge |
6 | Red Duvall | '55 Buick |
7 | Ray Atkinson | '56 Dodge |
8 | George Bumgardner | '54 Buick |
9 | Mel Larson | '55 Ford |
10 | Pete Peterson | '56 Ford |
11 | Art Binkley | '55 Plymouth |
12 | John Schipper | '55 Mercury |
13 | Larry Odo | '56 Chevrolet |
14 | Bob Pronger | '56 Ford |
15 | Herschel White | '56 Oldsmobile |
16 | Jack Lawrence | '55 Plymouth |
17 | Tom Pistone | '56 Chevrolet |
18 | Jimmy Thompson | '56 Mercury |
19 | Joe Weatherly | '56 Ford |
20 | Bud Palmer | '56 Mercury |
21 | Bill Lutz | '56 Ford |
22 | Larry Frank | '55 Oldsmobile |
23 | Don Oldenberg | '56 Dodge |
24 | Jim Reed | Chevrolet |
25 | Dave Hirschfield | '55 Chevrolet |
26 | Gene Blair | '55 Mercury |
27 | Bob Vance | '56 Ford |
28 | Bill Brown | '55 Mercury |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM