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ATLANTA 250 1968

Stock Car Racing History

Victory lane - Gadsden Times

Race report published in the Palm Beach Post

(Click article to enlarge)

NASCAR Came to Pocono 40 years Ago Monday; Petty Won on Tricky Triangle Before NASCAR

Stock Car Racing History

I realize this is STOCK CAR RacersReunion site, but Dave mentioned the SCHAEFER 500 Indy car races at Pocono. A few years ago, I blogged about each of them that ran from Mark Donohue's 1971 win in the first one through Al Unser Sr's win in the final one in 1978.

Recently, I updated each of my blog posts with more articles, photos and decals. If you care to read about any of them, you can find links to the posts for the individual races by clicking here.

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2014/07/schaefer-500s-revisited.html

NASCAR Came to Pocono 40 years Ago Monday; Petty Won on Tricky Triangle Before NASCAR

Stock Car Racing History

A year ago, I blogged about Petty's win in the 1973 Acme Super Saver 500.

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/07/july-29-1973-petty-poaches-pocono.html

After breaking early in the 1972 USAC 500 stock car event, he returned in 1973 to claim the win. His experience likely set him up for success with wins in two of the first three Cup events there.

Here is my blog post for his win in the inaugural Cup event there in 1974...

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-4-this-day-in-petty-history.html

...and the winner's trophy as was displayed at the Petty Museum.

And here is my blog post about RP's win at Pocono in 1976 when he was greeted in victory lane by his future daughter-in-law.

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-1-this-day-in-petty-history-part_01.html

updated by @tmc-chase: 07/29/17 12:21:38PM

July 31, 1977: Benny Parsons Gets Serious at Pocono

Stock Car Racing History

In February 1975, the Winston Cup Series 1973 Champion Benny Parsons claimed a popular if unexpected victory in the Daytona 500. He and his L.G. DeWitt had to be excited about the prospects of a successful season. Instead, the team didnt win again the rest of the year. In 1976, the 72 team claimed victory only twice once each at Nashville and Dover. And through the seventh month of 1977, Parsons and Company had only another Nashville trophy to show for the season.

Meanwhile, King Richard had a head of steam. In mid July, Petty finished third in the Nashville 420. The race before Nashville, he won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona the third win in his last four starts and fifth overall in 1977. After a so-so 1976, the 43 team looked like it was ready to tangle with anyone for another championship quite the opposite of Parsons season.

The Cup teams headed for Pocono for the Coca-Cola 500 on July 31, 1977. The up-and-comer hot shoe and loud mouth driver of the DiGard Gatorade, Darrell Waltrip, won the pole.

Waltrips perennial nemesis from the southern short tracks and later for Cup championships, Bobby Allison, qualified second in his self-owned, Coca-Cola AMC Matador. David Pearson timed 3rd in the legendary Wood Brothers Mercury. Parsons and Petty started 4th and 5th, respectively.

Source: RIS Photography

The race was an atypical Pocono event with lots of lead changes. Throughout the race, drivers generally led a single-digit number of laps before surrending it to someone else. The one notable exception to that generalization was Parsons. On a couple of occasions, he was able to lead stretches of 17 and 25 laps. Plus, when other drivers surrendered their short-lived leads, it was often to Benny.

Though Parsons team was able to keep him near the front, an element of doubt had to be in their minds. A race earlier, the 72 was in a position to win again at Nashville. Instead, an embarassing pit miscue resulted in tires falling off the car because of missing lugnuts.

With about 30 laps to go, Parsons well executed pit stops during the day benefited him. He got the lead again and built a reasonably comfortable 2 second margin on the 43 of Petty. With the checkers in sight, Petty found another gear in his STP Dodge Charger and began narrowing the gap.

Finally as Benny saw the checkered flag through his windshield, he waved his hand out the window to celebrate a win even though the 43 was only a couple of car lengths behind him and still closing.

Janet Guthrie finished a respectable 11th matching her best finish at that point of her limited Cup career.

With the monkey off Parsons back, the team went on to win twice more in 1977. Few, however, could have predicted how the Kings remaining season would unfold. Despite winning five times in the first half of the season, a third and second at Nashville and Pocono in July, and a 2nd place finish in the points to Cale Yarborough the 43 would not win again the rest of the season. Nor would he win in 1978. In a pattern that loosely resembled Parsons drought, the 43 wouldnt find its way to victory lane again until February 1979 at Daytona.

Audio of MRNs coverage of the race is available on-line at MotorRacingNetwork.com here or through iTunes:

http://www.mrn.com/Media-Center/MRN-Show-Archives/Classic-Races.aspx?id=3209ceee2de749648ed7513dcc43f3f4

Race reports

Fin	Driver	Sponsor / Owner	Car
1	Benny Parsons	1st National City Travelers Checks (L.G. DeWitt)	Chevrolet
2	Richard Petty	STP (Petty Enterprises)	Dodge
3	Darrell Waltrip	Gatorade (DiGard)	Chevrolet
4	Bobby Allison	1st National City Travelers Checks (Bobby Allison)	Matador
5	Dick Brooks	Truxmore (Junie Donlavey)	Ford
6	Cale Yarborough	Holly Farms (Junior Johnson)	Chevrolet
7	Ricky Rudd	Al Rudd Auto Parts (Al Rudd)	Chevrolet
8	Skip Manning	1st National City Travelers Checks (Billy Hagan)	Chevrolet
9	Butch Hartman	Hartman Autocar (Butch Hartman)	Chevrolet
10	James Hylton	Hylton Engineering (James Hylton)	Chevrolet
11	Janet Guthrie	Kelly Girl (Lynda Ferreri)	Chevrolet
12	Kenny Brightbill	Makar Enterprises (Jim Makar)	Mercury
13	Tighe Scott	Scotty's Fashions (Walter Ballard)	Chevrolet
14	J.D. McDuffie	J.D. McDuffie	Chevrolet
15	Buddy Arrington	Buddy Arrington	Dodge
16	Ed Negre	Ed Negre	Dodge
17	Richard Childress	Kansas Jack (Richard Childress)	Chevrolet
18	Joe Mihalic	Joe Mihalic	Chevrolet
19	Frank Warren	Native Tan (Frank Warren)	Dodge
20	Jimmy Means	Means Racing (Bill Gray)	Chevrolet
21	Cecil Gordon	Cecil Gordon	Chevrolet
22	Baxter Price	Baxter Price	Chevrolet
23	Nestor Peles	Steve Peles	Chevrolet
24	Dick May	McClure Motors (Alfred McClure)	Ford
25	Tommy Gale	Sunny King Ford & Honda (Elmo Langley)	Ford
26	Jocko Maggiacomo	Jocko's Racing (Jocko Maggiacomo)	Matador
27	Buddy Baker	Norris Industries (Bud Moore)	Ford
28	David Pearson	Purolator (Wood Brothers)	Mercury
29	Greg Heller	Heller Triangle Spring (Greg Heller)	Ford
30	Gary Myers	Hicks Pharmacy (Gary Myers)	Chevrolet
31	Roland Wlodyka	Rod Osterlund	Chevrolet
32	Sam Sommers	M.C. Anderson	Chevrolet
33	Ronnie Thomas	Don Robertson	Chevrolet
34	D.K. Ulrich	J.R. DeLotto	Chevrolet
35	Earle Canavan	Earle Canavan	Dodge

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

July 30, 1972: Bobby Issac wins Buddy Shuman 300

Stock Car Racing History

NASCAR's Winston Cup Series had a weekend off between its July 23rd race at Atlanta and August 6th race at Talladega. I'm sure some took the opportunity to race late models somewhere. Some tinkered around with a honey-do list at home. Some worked feverishly on their Cup cars since they served multiple roles as the owner-driver-crew chief. Some likely took a nap on the couch or from the vinyl seat of a bass boat as their worm drowned on the bottom of a lake.

Yet others headed for Hickory Motor Speedway to race the Grand National East division race on July 30th - the Buddy Shuman Memorial 300. The field was comprised of several notable drivers - some on their way up, some on their way down. Some of the 'name drivers' included Bobby Isaac; Jim Paschal; late model standout Harry Gant; Bobby Allison; ARCA winner and future Cup champion Benny Parsons; and independent drivers such as D.K. Ulrich, Baxter Price, and Wendell Scott.

Perhaps the most notable driver in the field was a former NASCAR regular who was looking to make a comeback. Cale Yarborough had several wins in the mid to late 1960s. In the early 70s, however, he took a shot at making it on USAC's Indy car circuit. In 1972, he raced in NASCAR's Daytona 500 and USAC's Indy 500. But that was about it. As he planned a return to NASCAR, he raced in an earlier GNE event at Columbia. For the Hickory race, he suited up in a Junie Donlavey #90 Ford.

The race was originally scheduled for Saturday July 29th. Heavy area rains had other plans; however, and qualifications and the race were postponed until the 30th.

Bobby Isaac and his familiar #71 Nord Krauskopf K&K Insurance Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge also rolled into track. And the team was pretty much the star of the show. Isaac planted the red Dodge on the pole, and he then proceeded to dominate the laps en route to a win. He led 288 or the race's 300 laps.

Race report from The Dispatch

Fin	Driver	Sponsor / Owner	Car
1	Bobby Isaac	K&K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf)	'72 Dodge
2	Cale Yarborough	Junie Donlavey	'71 Ford
3	Benny Parsons	L.G. DeWitt	'71 Ford
4	Gary Myers	Taylor Myers	'70 Ford
5	Elmo Langley	Langley Racing (Elmo Langley)	'71 Ford
6	Neil Castles	Howard Furniture (Neil Castles)	'71 Dodge
7	Wayne Andrews	Jack St. Clair	'70 Ford
8	Baxter Price	Patsy Long Price	'69 Chevrolet
9	Walter Ballard	Vic Ballard	'71 Ford
10	Ed Negre	Ed Negre	'70 Dodge
11	Ernie Shaw	Ernie Shaw	'70 Ford
12	Joe Childress	Roscoe Leonard	'71 AMC
13	E.J. Trivette	Gary L. Baird	'72 Chevrolet
14	Jabe Thomas	Jabe Thomas	'70 Plymouth
15	Rick Newsom	Rick Newsom	'69 Mercury
16	Harry Gant		'70 Mercury
17	Wendell Scott	Wendell Scott	'71 Ford
18	D.K. Ulrich	D.K. Ulrich	'71 Ford
19	Bobby Allison	Coca-Cola (Melvin Joseph)	'69 Chevrolet
20	Randy Bannister	Jimmy Justice	'69 Chevrolet
21	Jim Paschal	H.C. Stewart	'71 Pontiac
22	Pee Wee Wentz	Jerry Wentz	'69 Chevrolet
23	Jimmy Vaughn	Wayne Vaughn	'69 Chevrolet
24	Richard D. Brown	Ralph McNabb	'71 Chevrolet

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

July 30, 1966: Two racing but winless legends make their GN debut

Stock Car Racing History

I'm not holding my breath. Too many fat cat politicians & developers around here have many ill-defined plans that give them the negotiating edge over Tony Jr. & his team.

July 30, 1966: Two racing but winless legends make their GN debut

Stock Car Racing History

Agreed! Grew up at the fairgrounds on many Saturday nights of late 70s. Have also returned a few times over the last couple of seasons. Still get a thrill of watching 'em zip around the banks. The number of reasons why NASCAR simply can't return here are too numerous to enumerate here.

July 30, 1966: Two racing but winless legends make their GN debut

Stock Car Racing History

I didn't say he won 4 in a row AT Nashville. I said he won the RACE 4x in a row. RP won the Nashville 400 4 straight years from 64 thru 67. His 65 win in the 400 was in only the 2nd start after the Mopar NASCAR boycott was lifted.

Paschal did indeed win for PE at Nashville in 62 and 63, but he also three-peated by winning for car owner JULIAN Petty in 1961.

July 30, 1966: Two racing but winless legends make their GN debut

Stock Car Racing History

On July 30, 1966, Coo Coo Marlin and Marty Robbins made their NASCAR Grand National racing debuts - both in the Nashville 400 at the fairgrounds speedway.

Marty made frequent starts at Nashville in late models, and many of his races had to be worked around his scheduled appearances on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. While Marty is most remembered for his um... uh... err... unique purple and yellow painted #42 Dodges, he made his first GN start in a plain white #53 Ford. Starting behind Robbins in car #74 was independent driver Henley Gray.

Also making his first NASCAR Grand National start was one of middle Tennessee's iconic racers - Coo Coo Marlin from Columbia, TN. Coo Coo was a weekly race regular at the fairgrounds and was a four-time late model sportsman champion there (including in 1966). His first Grand National start, however, didn't come until this race. For the first couple of seasons as Coo Coo increased his number of GN starts, he ran #07 Chevrolets. Beginning in 1972 and for the rest of his career, he doubled his number to 14. For his first career start, however, he started and finished 8th in a #97 Ford owned by ... yep, Henley Gray.

Oh, the race? Well it was won by who else - King Richard. Petty won the race for the 3rd consecutive time - a streak he'd grow to 4 straight by winning again in 1967. More here:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-30-this-day-in-petty-history-part-2.html

updated by @tmc-chase: 07/29/18 11:10:50PM

Racing History Minute - July 29, 1967 Nashville 400

Stock Car Racing History

I blogged about the 1967 Nashville 400 back in 2012 here:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/07/july-29-this-day-in-petty-history.html

But from what I can tell, I'm not sure I ever posted about it here in 2012 or again in 2013. I updated my post with a couple of new photos today, and I thought I'd add most of my blog post here as well.

Starting second alongside pole-winner Dick Hutcherson, Richard Petty leads 131 of 400 laps and wins the Nashville 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, TN.

The crewman is Joe Millikan. About 7 or 8 years later, Petty Enterprises fielded late model sportsman and ARCA cars in selected races with Joe as the driver. In 1979, Millikan joined L.G. DeWitt's Winston Cup team to compete for Rookie of the Year. He had a reasonable year as he finished 6th in the points (tops among all rookies ... and many veterans), won the pole position for Nashville's SunDrop 420, and collected 20 top 10s in 31 starts. The bad news was he was in the same rookie class as Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte and Harry Gant, arguably the top rookie class in NASCAR history - and his car owner was looking to exit the sport. Earnhardt won a race and finished 7th in points despite having missed four races because of an injury suffered at Pocono. And in early 1980, DeWitt folded the team, and Joe was out of a full-time ride.

The start of the race with pole-winner Hutcherson choosing to start on the outside of the front row.

Petty spent the first half of the race just trying to get out of his own way. The 43 Plymouth burned through several tires, and the King even spun on his own following a blown tire.

The Petty Enterprises team, however, never lost its composure. As the race entered its second half, the 43 regained its mojo and headed for the front. Petty passed Chattanooga, TN's Friday Hassler with about 130 laps to go and banked his 65th career NASCAR Grand National victory with a 5-lap win over second-place finisher James Hylton.

updated by @tmc-chase: 07/29/20 08:36:23AM