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The season already had several storylines. Dan Gurney predictably won on Riverside's road course. The future King, Richard Petty, dropped jaws everywhere with his dominating performance at Daytona and newly unveiled racing Hemi. Wendell Scott became the first black driver to win a NASCAR GN - though that storyline was denied immediately following the race. And short track superstars David Pearson and Ned Jarrett each pocketed a win. 

One driver who had NOT created a storyline for himself - at least in a positive way - was Fred Lorenzen. After banking 6 wins and 21 Top 5s in 1963, Lorenzen was still winless heading into Bristol. He had, however, won the previous race at the track - the 1963 Volunteer 500.

Despite the Mopar team's dominance at Daytona and Pearson's Dodge win at Richmond, the Fords roared back in qualifying at Bristol. Marvin Panch won the pole in the Wood Brothers Ford. Lorenzen and Fireball Roberts (winner of the 1963 Southeastern 500) claimed the next 2 starting spots in team Holman Moody Fords. Petty broke up the blue oval qualifiers by timing 4th. The remaining 8 spots were filled in the first day of qualifying.

The next round of 12 starters were set by a 2nd round of qualifying. The remainder of the field was set by the finishing order of a 20-lap qualifying race. Nothing over the 2 rounds of qualifying, however, changed the perception that the Ford was the brand to beat that weekend.

In 2014, Bristol's website posted a blog entry to accompany this picture of the pre-race drivers' meeting.

http://www.bristolmotorspeedway.com/fans/blog/633769.html

Left to right you'll see Lee Roy Yarbrough in the white jacket looking away, Buddy Baker in the hoodie, and Johnny Allen next to Buddy. Darel Dieringer with sunglasses & a popped collar is next to Allen. Next to Dieringer and looking at the ground is Fireball Roberts. Fireball's head is blocking the view of David Pearson in white pants standing next to the trailer. Next to Pearson and behind the guy with the hat is the pole winner Panch. And next to Panch in the dark jacket and tugging at the neck of it is Paul Goldsmith. Quite the picture.

Also in 2014, Marty Smith included this great photo of his dad at the race standing next to Lorenzen's pearl white 28 Ford. He found the photo as he sifted through a bunch of attic treasures that had belonged to his grandmother.

http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/11218594/nascar-long-lost-treasures-granny-attic-door-door

At the drop of the green, Panch led the first few laps. The first caution then fell when Richard Petty and Ned Jarrett tangled. Petty Enterprises 2nd team car driven by Buck Baker was nearly caught up in the spin as well as shown in this pic shared by RR member Michael Allman.

Both Petty and Jarrett were able to continue, and both ended the day with top 10 finishes.

Rather than type a recap of the remainder of the race, I'll include this excerpt from Michael Clements' book, The Crew Chief's Son: A Trackside Memoir of Early NASCAR.

Lorenzen dominated the rest of the way after surrendering the first few early laps to Panch and captured his second consecutive Bristol win. He'd extend the winning streak to three when he nabbed that summer's Volunteer 500 when King Richard broke with just a couple of laps to go. Link to my blog post about that race:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-26-1964-oh-so-close-in-volunteer.html

Victory Lane pic from Getty Images

1970 Daytona 500 winner Pete Hamilton passes away

By Dustin Long Mar 22, 2017, 12:27 PM EDT

Pete Hamilton, who won the 1970 Daytona 500 driving a Plymouth Superbird for Petty Enterprises, died Wednesday. He was 74.

Hamilton ran 64 races in NASCAR’s premier series from 1968-73, winning four times. It is that Daytona 500 victory the Dedham, Massachusetts native is best known for in NASCAR.

“We ran two cars in 1970, and Plymouth helped introduce us to Pete,” Richard Petty said in a statement. “They wanted us to run a second car with him on the bigger tracks. ‘Chief’ (Maurice Petty) led that car and started in the Daytona 500. Pete and ‘Chief’ won the race, and it was a big deal. Pete won both Talladega races that year. It was great to have Pete as part of the team. He was a great teammate. We send our prayers to his family.’’

Said Maurice Petty in a statement:

“Pete was as fast as anyone on the superspeedways in 1970. We had support from Plymouth to run two Superbirds, and they connected us with Pete Hamilton. He was a good match for us, and we won three races together. I enjoyed being around him and will miss him.’’

NASCAR issued a statement Wednesday:

“NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to the friends and family of Pete Hamilton. Hamilton’s career may seem relatively brief at first glance, but a careful study of the gentleman racer makes it abundantly clear that Hamilton achieved excellence during his extraordinary tenure in NASCAR. Hamilton captured the NASCAR National Sportsman championship in 1967, the premier series Rookie of the Year Award in 1968 and an abundance of victories throughout a variety of NASCAR-sanctioned series. But, of course, he will be remembered most fondly for his stirring victory in the 1970 Daytona 500 while driving for the iconic Petty Enterprises race team. And for that, his legend will live forever.”

Hamilton signed to run a 16-race schedule for Petty Enterprises in the 1970 season and drove the No. 40 Superbird. Hamilton passed David Pearson for the lead with nine laps to go to win the Daytona 500.

“That was pretty damn thrilling for this Yankee boy,’’ Hamilton told NBC Sports last month about passing Pearson for the lead. “The last 20 laps or so, David and I fought our hearts out, slipping and sliding. We didn’t beat on each other, but we came damn close, and I was fortunate enough to get the best of that deal.”

Hamilton said even after crossing the finish line he didn’t slow.

“When I took the checkered flag, I made a decision at that point that I wasn’t going to let off,’’ he said last month. “I was going to drive an extra lap just to make damned sure that I was the one in front.’’

“That lap after the end of the race, I still was running wide open all the way around. Finally, when I got into Turns 3 and 4, I began to slow down. It was a pretty thrilling thing.

“When I got into victory circle I remember I couldn’t stop smiling. Maurice Petty was my crew chief. We had a big old hug and a big old happy time, along with all the guys that had worked on the car.”

Hamilton went on to win both Talladega races in 1970 and scored his final series win in 1971 in a Daytona qualifying race.

He retired after the 1973 season and began building race car chassis.

“I have a very vivid memory of racing that day with guys like Buddy Baker, Charlie Glotzbach, Bobby and Donnie Allison, and David Pearson,” Hamilton told NBC Sports last month. “It makes you feel real good and proud of what we accomplished together.

“It wasn’t a ‘me’ thing, it was a ‘we’ thing. It took everybody that was on the car to make the thing really go. I was just the driver, the pilot.”

Pic from Dennis Andrews collection