Forum Activity for @frank-buhrman

A somewhat-nefarious figure passes

Stock Car Racing History

Sports present great opportunities to stroke the egos of those who need that sort of thing, and racing has certainly had its share, both the millionaires and those with less money but equally grand plans. Some do no harm and may even contribute positively until they run out of interest or spare change - remember Jon Thorne in the '60s or maybe Hal Needham a couple of decades later? Others we don't remember fondly or at all. I remember several news conferences back when Dave Fulton was at Richmond (and you had to pay for the media lunch to make an announcement) given by owners of new teams that promptly disappeared when the first bills arrived. Most of those involved are well-meaning but not terribly in touch with reality; some just don't give a you-know-who gets hurt while they're pursuing their next ego-massage.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

That Saturday race at Road America is another of those "NASCAR did THAT?" events. Kind of wish they were more flexible today.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Still looks like that, Jack, but it's about to get quite a bit bigger.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Would love to see the results of those races, especially the one at Southside. Never knew they were run.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Fully agree with Tim. This is awesome. I'll see if I can post other questions or bits of info that can lead to similarly fascinating explorations of our history.

Right now, I'm looking at the Speed Age magazine story on what it says was NASCAR's first Grand National/Cup road race, at Road America in Wisconsin in August of 1956. Of course, that's not correct, because a race had been run in 1954 on the Linden, N.J., Airport road course - famously won by a Jaguar - and another was run in 1955 at Willow Springs, Calif. (another race would take place there later in 1956), but I guess the argument could be made that the former was a temporary course and the latter a "western" event (although it was considered fully a Grand National race). Nevertheless, the field for this '56 race more closely resembled a modern-day road course Cup event, so I'm interested and will try to file more about it.

Also of note, work is now underway at the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing, just north of me at Latimore Valley (between York Springs and Dillsburg, Pa.) on an expansion that will dramatically increase the size of its already impressive research facility. I hope to spend more time up there.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Dave, your buddy Mr. Disney seems to have either moved around a lot or made where he actually lived a deep dark secret. The advance newspaper story on the Lincoln race lists him as being from Arlington, but other mentions say Bethesda or Silver Spring, Md. Maybe he made Donald Duck mad and had to stay on the run.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Quite a few of these tracks also had run or would run GN races, too; Marlboro had run a few Short Track Series events, so they were places used to working with NASCAR. Most just seemed one step below (probably an unfair word to use here) those tracks like Hickory, Columbia, Greenville-Pickens & others that ran GN every year.

Definitely interesting stuff. Thanks again to everybody.

P.S. - Big surprise to me to see a race at Williams Grove. They definitely were USAC folks back then.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

One other possible extension of this discussion, for Jack Walker in particular. Did the Eastern Series schedules you found include any other mid-Atlantic tracks? I ask because I now know more about Lincoln's history, but I know that the other dirt tracks in this area also ran NASCAR or other sanctioning body races from time to time - Selinsgrove Speedway, for instance, also ran an event in the bizarre 1972 Grand National East Series, which included NASCAR and ARCA drivers, but I don't know much about its history beyond GN races. I know Williams Grove was almost solely AAA/USAC, but Selinsgrove, Port Royal, Susquehanna, Silver Spring (late, much lamented), and Hagerstown also have been part of the local racing scene up here for decades, and some of these races in non-forgotten series might have taken place there as well.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

Awesome responses, everybody. Thanks so much for the info. My guess is that the Eastern Series also was something of a successor to the Short Track Series, which had ended its run in '59. Chase, that mash-up between several sanctioning bodies is what the Lincoln anniversary program called a USAC race.

All this belongs to that part of NASCAR history that the Daytona suits don't care to publicize, because so many of these efforts ended more in failure than success for the sanctioning body. Unfortunately, that denies recognition to those dedicated racers, owners, crews and others who took part. The Lincoln races all seem to have been great successes at the track, and the rundowns bring back some names from the past that we should keep alive.

It also harkens to a day when multiple sanctioning bodies on asphalt short tracks brought multiple major races to the weekly fans - much as is the case today in dirt track racing. Somehow, I think we'd be better off if we had more than just NASCAR in many areas today.

That's another story, though. For now I just want to express thanks again for a great online conversation today and some new historical info that might take root in my aging brain.

NASCAR National Short Track Series

Stock Car Racing History

The entry list shows two Disneys entered. The other must have ended up in California. Also, one clip lists Wendell Scott from Charlottesville - don't think I'd seen that before.