Two years ago, Tim Leeming posted about the October 28, 1961 GN race at Greenville-Pickens. ( Tim's RHM )
The winner, Junior Johnson, didn't have much time to celebrate. And the rest of the field didn't have time to lick their wounds. The whole gaggle of 'em had to hump it to Hillsboro, NC overnight to race on Sunday at Orange Speedway - the 52nd and final race of the 1961 season.
Even after 51 events and getting ready for back-to-back races to end the year, folks were excited to see the battle of the Pontiacs. Joe Weatherly with Bud Moore, Fireball Roberts and the Greenville-Pickens winner Johnson were the Big Three running the Indian Head. A fourth Pontiac driver was entered - Bob Welborn - in Julian Petty's car.
Though the race was expected to be competitive, the battle for the championship was not. Ned Jarrett already had his first title secured before arriving in Hillsboro. He took a route followed by Benny Parsons in 1973 and Matt Kenseth in 2003 by winning only 1 race.
The weekend got off to a sad start before the GN drivers rolled into town. University of North Carolina grad student and rising actor Kenton Kyle was killed at the speedway on Friday night. From what I can tell, he and some buds were joy riding around the track when the car in which he was riding wrecked.
Years earlier, Hillsboro promoted an amateur, 10-lap race for college-students . I can't find anything to indicate such a race was still going on by 1961. But it makes me wonder if the tradition from the 1950s had continued to draw the young'uns to Hillsboro near race weekend.
Weatherly won the pole and pretty much had his way with the field. He led the first 100 laps, gave it up for one lap as Junior Johnson got credit for leading once, and then got it back for the remaining 64 laps.
Welborn - the 4th Pontiac rep - had a forgettable race. Julian's car lost a rear end early, and Welborn was done after only 6 laps. Finish: 20th, dead stinkin' last.
The Chief - Maurice Petty - carried the torch for the Petty clan. He earned a 4th place finish in his #42 Plymouth. His brother and future King finished 10th after starting 5th.
Rex White had to be a bit frustrated. He started second and ended the race in the same spot - and didn't lead a lap. He likely just followed Bud Moore's #8 all race long.
Victory photo shared by Dennis Andrews
In today's Cup racing, it seems many shrug a collective ehhhh about the multiple 1.5 mile tracks on the schedule. Many yearn for a return of the shorties such as Wilkesboro, the old 1/2 Richmond, Nashville - and even further back with memories of Columbia, Wilson, Rambi, etc.
I found this writer's perspective interesting. He too wanted to retain the legacy of the short tracks - in 1961! He recognized the future of racing was headed towards asphalt and big tracks, but that doesn't mean he had to like it.
Today, a romanticized view is held about the history of Orange Speedway / Occoneechee. But at the time, this writer was down on the track and believed the better racing was on the bull rings.
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Joe Weatherly | '61 Pontiac |
| 2 | Rex White | '61 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Ned Jarrett | '61 Chevrolet |
| 4 | Maurice Petty | '61 Plymouth |
| 5 | Fireball Roberts | '61 Pontiac |
| 6 | Fred Harb | '61 Ford |
| 7 | Herman Beam | '60 Ford |
| 8 | L.D. Austin | '61 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Harry Leake | '60 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Richard Petty | '61 Plymouth |
| 11 | Curtis Crider | '61 Mercury |
| 12 | Junior Johnson | '60 Pontiac |
| 13 | Ed Livingston | '61 Ford |
| 14 | Tommy Irwin | '61 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Wendell Scott | '60 Chevrolet |
| 16 | Joe Jones | '60 Ford |
| 17 | Buck Baker | '61 Chrysler |
| 18 | Lee Reitzel | '60 Ford |
| 19 | Doug Yates | '60 Plymouth |
| 20 | Jim Paschal | '61 Pontiac |
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Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/29/17 10:21:39AM