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Racing History Minute - May 19, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

Found more info about qualifying. I THINK this may help clarify. On the other hand, there is still plenty of confusion to go around. The first round of qualifying was a week before the race on Sunday, May 12. Dieringer won the pole in Stroppe's Mercury. But he was a last minute sub for the car. Stroppe and presumably Richter arranged for Weatherly to race the car. Pontiac squelched that idea, and Little Joe put together a separate deal with Ray Nichels. Dieringer had to hump it overnight from South Carolina where he finished 7th in the Rebel 300 on Saturday, May 11.

Neither Jack Smith or Rex White made the trip for the first day of time trials. Stick Elliott lost an engine in Jack's #47 at Darlington. So they may have had their hands full with the tear down and rebuild vs. making the trip west for qualifying. Smith's name is not included in the top 15 finishers at Riverside which leads me to question if he made the trip race weekend. His car is also not included in the rundown for either the Old Dominion or Southside races on May 18th and 19th. So really, we don't know jack about where Jack raced. Ha.

Rex finished dead last at Darlington after a wreck on lap 2. He too may have made the decision to start on the repairs for the GN car vs. flying to Riverside for qualifying. Yet he isn't listed in the rundown for either Virginia GN race or the Riverside one. Someone get Rex on the phone & find out where he was that weekend!

After round one, it seems the locked-in top qualifiers were:

1. Darel Dieringer

2. Bob Perry

3. Bruce Worrell

4. Dick Santee

5. Denny Weinburg

6. Lloyd Dane

7. Jack Norton

8. Al Self

9. Jim Cook

10. Jim Simpson (in Chevy that had been arranged for Rex)

Additional qualifying was held Saturday, May 18. It seems Skip Hudson was quickest ON THAT DAY in Weatherly's ride. That would slot the car 11th. Penske was 3rd quickest overall behind Dieringer and Hudson/Weatherly, and he would have lined up 12th. That helps reconcile qualifying and race reports I've found. Only took 53 years.

Racing History Minute - May 19, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

On May 19, 1963, NASCAR's Grand National division raced at Southside Speedway in Richmond for the fourth and final time. Ned Jarrett won over Richard Petty as Dave Fulton posted about here:

NASCAR sanctioned another race the same day three time zones and more than 2,500 miles to the west. NASCAR's Pacific Coast late model division ran the Riverside 250 on RIverside's winding road course.

Program cover from  Motor Racing Programme Covers

Seventeen cars raced at Richmond - a full 8 cars less than the average for other GN races in 1963. One explanation for the shorter field is that a few of the GN regulars raced in the Riverside race instead. I'm guessing Les Richter's show money and purse size were substantially better than offered at Southside - enough so at least to make the trek west.

Some of the "names" that raced at Riverside included:

• Joe Weatherly - the reigning GN champion from 1962
• Darel Dieringer
• Rex White - the 1960 GN champ
• Jack Smith

Another interesting participant was Roger Penske, a USAC regular. Penske had road course racing experience - but limited experience at best in stock cars. Penske's Pontiac along with the one raced by Weatherly were built by Ray Nichels.

Recently, I've tried to find many more articles about non-GN races. Landing ads, previews and reports for the Pacific Coast late model races has been among the toughest challenges. But the Riverside 250 got a good bit of publicity in the local papers.

Dieringer won the pole in his Bill Stroppe Mercury.Skip Hudson won the pole, but he didn't get to start first - or even race at all. Hudson qualified the Nichels Pontiac that Joe Weatherly planned to race. Little Joe raced in the GN race at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas on Saturday and then flew to California for Sunday's race.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Penske qualified 3rd but fell to dead last on lap 1. He skittered off course while to avoid the spinning car of Jack Norton. By the time he gathered up his Nichels Pontiac, the full field had flown by him.(Confusing point: race report suggests Penske started 12th - so I'm not really where he qualified.)

As the race progressed, Dieringer continued to set the pace out front. Behind him, however, Penske was putting his road racing experience to good use. Undaunted by the lap 1 off-road excursion, Rapid Roger returned and lap by lap began making his way through the field. He found himself in third after only TEN LAPS.

A caution around the mid-point of the race negated a sizable lead Dieringer had built on Weatherly in second place and the rest of the field. When the green flew again, however, Darel held onto the lead.

With a bit more than 20 laps to go, however, Penske made his move. He passed Weatherly and Dieringer to take the lead. He led the rest of the way, and claimed the win when the checkered flag fell at the end of the 93-lap race. The Riverside victory was Penske's only NASCAR win as a driver.

The Captain takes the checkers. - Getty Images

And gets the enjoy the rewards of victory lane as a driver - something he has had the opportunity to do many more times as an owner. -  Getty Images

Race report from San Bernardino Sun-Telegram

While Penske was happy - and Ray Nichels - and Les Richter, others were not. USAC officials were none too pleased with Penske's dalliance with NASCAR. Following his win, his USAC license was suspended.

I realize AAA/USAC and NASCAR were competitors in many ways in the 1950s through 1970s for tracks, factory support, hot shoe drivers, fan interest, etc. But it seems like USAC was generally the organization that always came off sounding like an annoying, petulant little brat whenever one of "their" drivers wanted to race in other events. Big Bill wasn't particularly happy when the roles were reversed, but he seemed to handle it privately and with far less public chirping than USAC.

In the end, I think Roger cared little about having his USAC license suspended. In time, the reconciliation happened. And as evidenced by Team Penske celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2016, it's pretty clear he has fared quite well.

updated by @tmc-chase: 05/18/17 06:20:07PM

Racing History Minute - May 18, 1958

Stock Car Racing History

On May 18, 1958, NASCAR featured two of its series on two legendary tracks in two southern states. Fireball Roberts won the convertible division race at Lakewood Speedway, and Junior Johnson won the GN race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

The same, another big stock car race was held up north. USAC and MARC (later ARCA) joined forces to co-sanction a 250-lap stock car race at the famed, one-mile dirt, Langhorne Speedway.

NASCAR has featured sets of brothers over the years. The Allisons, Waltrips, Labontes, Burtons, Buschs, etc. The Langhorne race was expected to include three sets of brothers: Jerry and Bobby Unser, Jim and Dick Rathman, and Nelson and Dudley Stacy. Of those six, I'd never heard of Dudley Stacy until finding these articles.

Qualifying on Saturday May 17 presented a challenge for several drivers. Many needed to be in Indianapolis for practice and time trials for the 500. I don't know the pole winner or the rest of the starting line-up yet. But the race report include the following among the "top qualifiers": Harvey Henderson, Bob James, Wimpy Mays, George Henderson, and Darel Dieringer.

Of the three sets of brothers promoted to participate, only the Stacys names are included in the limited rundown of the race I've found. Dick Rathman won the pole for the Indy 500, so it makes perfect sense why he may not have traveled overnight to Langhorne. I'm not sure if the others fared poorly - or didn't show in Langhorne as had been expected.

Nelson Stacy had an eventful, competitive but eventually disappointing day. First, his windshield broke on his Chevy convertible.He then lost part of his hood. As it dangled, it pulled to the right and took the right front fender with it.

As the race progressed, his instrument panel started to come undone. And THEN as the race neared its end, Stacy's LEFT side fender and door started separating from the car. Yet remarkably, he was able to continue and lead much of the race.

Stacy hit the pits to have his crew scurry over the car and remove the flapping sheet metal.

Stacy not only got back on track, but he built a one-lap lead over second place Mike Klapak. He was walking the dog on the field and headed for victory. Until...

With six laps to go, Stacy's #2 Chevy stumbled. He was out of gas. He coasted around with a push assist from Dick Linder. By the time he returned to action, however, Klapak had unlapped himself and taken the lead. He led the remaining laps to capture the win. Even with all he endured, Stacy still managed to finish second.

I found a series of remarkable pictures showing the progressive damage Stacy's car went through. How in the world that thing continued is beyond me.

Based on the race report, 42 drivers started the race with 23 finishing it. UltimateRacingHistory.com only includes the top 20 finishers.

Fin	Driver
1	Mike Klapak
2	Nelson Stacy
3	Gordon Gorman
4	Les Scott
5	Virgil Barbe
6	Iggy Katona
7	Walt Boslough
8	Bob Pronger
9	Dudley Stacy
10	Wimpy May
11	Jim Findley
12	Dick Linder
13	Pappy Hough
14	Paul Wensink
15	Bill Cornwall
16	Lou Fegers
17	Jack Lawrence
18	Norm Whitmeyer
19	Russ Hepler
20	Mario Rossi

updated by @tmc-chase: 05/18/17 12:43:57PM

Racing History Minute - May 15, 1977

Stock Car Racing History

RacersReunion member Owen Kearns wrote this race report for the Bakersfield Californian. I hope he and/or Scott Baker will have more to add to this post.

Click to open larger version in new tab.

Racing History Minute - May 15, 1977

Stock Car Racing History

NASCAR's Winston West Series raced at the short-lived but ahead-of-its-time Ontario Motor Speedway May 15, 1977. The second annual West Coast 250 was the first stand-alone Winston West race at OMS that wasn't combined with a Winston Cup Series race.

From Motor Racing Programme Covers

NASCAR's fragmented Late Model Sportsman series raced with the Winston West drivers in the inaugural West Coast 250 at Ontario in 1976. L.D. Ottinger traveled from tiny Newport, TN to the west coast to show 'em how it's done. He was quickest in practice, won the pole, and was nipped by about two feet by winner Jimmy Insolo.

With the 1977 race scheduled as part of the Cup-Light Winston West schedule, L.D. stayed with the LMS series and didn't return for another shot at a trophy. And as race day drew near, Insolo's ride was sold out from under him. He had to be doubly-disappointed after having just won the USAC stock car portion of the Datsun Twin 200s at Ontario two months earlier ( link to my RHM ).

From Long Beach Independent

Chuck Bown won the pole by topping Ottinger's record lap from a year earlier. Jim Thirkettle qualified on the front row with him. Gary Johnson and Chuck Wahl made up the second row. From Pomona Progress Bulletin

Arlene Hiss wrecked in practice was unable to repair the car in time for qualifying. Hiss started a couple of races in USAC's open wheel and stock car races in 1976 before Janet Guthrie got going. Guthrie's name has obviously stood the test of time as a groundbreaker for her era whereas Hiss has been largely forgotten. But practice wrecks and run-ins with drivers such as Bobby Unser certainly didn't help her cause to stay relevant. From Van Nuys Valley News

Before the race could even going well, 7-8 cars piled into one another on lap 1. Drivers involved in the wreck that couldn't continue included John Borneman, John Dineen, Glenn Francis, Summer McKnight, Rocky Moran, and Bob Switzer. Vince Giamformaggio in #39 of photo below slipped by and likely exhaled. But his good fortune didn't last. He overheated, cooked his engine, and went home with a P29 DNF - only slightly better than the batch of wrecked cars.

After the restart, Bown launched from his top starting spot to lead the first 35 laps of the 100-lap race. Thirkettle, Third-place starter Johnson and west coast racing vet Bill Schmitt combined to lead the middle third of the race. Johnson then re-took the lead from Schmitt, and he led the remaining 35 laps for the win.

As noted at the beginning of the post, the race was first of stand-alone Winston West race at Ontario. As it turns out, the track hosted only one more stand-alone event for the series. Roy Roy Smith won it in April 1980. From Pomona Progress Bulletin

Fin	Driver	Car
1	Gary Johnson	Chevrolet
2	Bill Schmitt	Chevrolet
3	Gary Matthews	Plymouth
4	Hershel McGriff	Chevrolet
5	Chuck Wahl	Chevrolet
6	Bryce Mann	Chevrolet
7	Don Noel	Chevrolet
8	Glen Steurer	Chevrolet
9	Richard White	Chevrolet
10	Pat Mintey	Chevrolet
11	Terry Wood	Chevrolet
12	Ernie Stierly	Chevrolet
13	Don Puskarich	Chevrolet
14	George Spink	Pontiac
15	Chuck Bown	Chevrolet
16	Jim Haney, Jr.	Chevrolet
17	John Hamson	Chevrolet
18	Bill Osborne	Ford
19	Rick McCray	Chevrolet
20	Ron Esau	Chevrolet
21	Pete Torres	Ford
22	Steve Pfeifer	Chevrolet
23	Jim Thirkettle	Chevrolet
24	Harry Goularte	Chevrolet
25	Marc Vogel	Chevrolet
26	Bob Forester	Chevrolet
27	Bill Baker	Chevrolet
28	Don Reynolds	Chevrolet
29	Vince Giamformaggio	Chevrolet
30	Don Graham	Chevrolet
31	Tom Blair	Chevrolet
32	Bob Switzer	Chevrolet
33	Rocky Moran	Chevrolet
34	Sumner McKnight	Chevrolet
35	Glenn Francis	Chevrolet
36	John Dineen	Ford
37	John Borneman	Chevrolet

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

BAUGHMAN HI SPEED 100 May 7, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

That's great stuff FC48. I was at the State of Tennessee archives building Tuesday reviewing some microfilm. Didn't get back there yesterday after Dennis posted his report. Glad you had these clippings. I'm curious if the Banner would have much more than what Powell wrote in the Tennessean.

Winston Cup Museum

Administrative

A few years ago, Dave Fulton posted about the same a-ha moment.

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/forum/topics/never-heard-of-this-anybody-been

Someone has also created a profile here for the museum - though I don't know who controls it. It hasn't had much activity.

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/profile/TheWinstonCupMuseum

And Randall / Photobug has shared many neat pictures from the museum.

http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/photo/photo/search?q=winston+cup+museum

DIAMOND STATE 250 May 2, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

Hope RR's Dave Fulton and Frank Buhrman don't object to this copy/paste job. Found Dave's comments about Frank's attending this race on a Monte Dutton blog post. Got that?
http://montedutton.com/blog/2015/05/29/the-miles-used-to-be-more-of...

My longtime racing buddy, Frank Buhrman in Pennsylvania got to Dover long before I did. 44 years ago, on May 2, 1971, at Dover, Frank watched one of the most curious races he ever attended. Below is his recollection e-mailed to me just last night:

Looking back nearly 50 years, its surprising that so many of my great race memories were from the short-lived NASCAR Grand American division, created for the original generation of Camaros, Mustangs, Firebirds, Javelins, Cougars and so on. One of those memorable GA races was the 1971 Diamond State 250 at Dover Downs.

Its most memorable element was the race winning driver being someone nobody knew was driving the winning car. Ill give my cloudy memory account and hope it serves as an interesting counterpoint to this weekends Dover activities.

My life as a race fan has centered on what is today Richmond International Raceway and dates back to the Richmond 250 on the fairgrounds dirt in 1963, but in the early 1970s I was in the U.S. Coast Guard stationed at Cape May, N.J., so Dover Downs briefly became my home track.

We saw one or two Grand National races there, but nothing could compare to the 1971 Diamond State 250 NASCAR Grand American race. It was one of those races where you were cursed as soon as you got the lead either a wreck or a blown engine was coming, soon! Misfortune overtook most of the series regulars early on, leading to more and more obscure drivers leading, at times by large numbers of laps. When else can you recall long-time loyal NASCAR independent E.J. Trivette way out in front?

Richmond modified great (and Junie Donlavey GN driver) Sonny Hutchins, driving a borrowed car, threatened to run away with everything until his ride met an untimely end. The parade of ever-more obscure leaders ended with a Camaro #30 driven (we thought) by Krueger Johnson from Georgia. So when Mr. Johnson pulled into victory lane, the announcer greeted him with something like, Well, Krueger, this is kind of a surprise to the rest of us. How does it feel to you to be the winner of the Diamond State 250?

The response was what caught all of us off guard.

The fact is, Im not Krueger Johnson, the winner said. Im Frank Brantley. Krueger got sick and asked me to drive the car. (It might have been back trouble and not sickness, but then again, for all my memorys worth, it might be his dog died.) I had actually heard of Brantley, thanks to Hank Schoolfield and Southern MotoRacing, but the mystery driver angle continues to make the Diamond State 250 one of the more memorable races Ive seen.

As I recall, Brantley drove another couple of GA races, maybe in the #30, but the team faded from sight pretty quickly maybe they had trouble figuring out who got to keep the trophy. I was really sorry when the GA division folded. Guys like Wayne Andrews, Frank Sessoms, Al Straub (a Kentuckian who at least once entered a backup car driven by a very young Darrell Waltrip), C.B. Gwyn and others had a chance to show their stuff, and they always seemed to put on a good show.

Maybe the blessing was that the division didnt stick around long enough for NASCAR to start messing with the rules and screwing it all up.

DIAMOND STATE 250 May 2, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

DIAMOND STATE 250 May 2, 1971

Stock Car Racing History