1976 Union 76 Pit Crew Champs
Stock Car Racing History
Big weekend for the Level Cross bunch.
- Pit crew competition winners on Saturday
- Carolina 500 race winner on Sunday
Forum Activity for @tmc-chase
Stock Car Racing History
1976 Union 76 Pit Crew Champs
Stock Car Racing History
From perspective of 2nd place finisher, the crew of independent driver Lennie Pond.
October 16, 1965 - Petty v. Lorenzen
Stock Car Racing History
The 1965 National 400 was held at Charlotte on October 17th. One of the weekend's prelim events was a 250-mile modified-sportsman race on Saturday. Lee Roy Yarbrough was flagged as the winner but was then DQ'd. Ralph Earnhardt was awarded the win. This race recently got a lot of posts about it on RR here:
But another prelim race was held on Saturday following the modified-sportsman race. Ed Otto - ever the promoter - even after being booted from NASCAR by Big Bill - was still active in racing. He promoted a series of drag races down a 1/8 mile track at Charlotte. Though I'm unsure the exact location, my guess would be CMS's pit road was set up as the strip.
The marquis race of the slate was to be a best-of-3 match race between Richard Petty in his 43 Jr. Plymouth Barracuda and his stock car rival from the early 60s, Fred Lorenzen.
Though the King had returned to NASCAR GN racing, he wasn't entered in the big races. Chrysler and NASCAR had come to terms mid-season enough that the Plymouth and Dodge teams could resume racing. But they were basically limited to running in the remaining short track events. Superspeedways were off limits.
Lorenzen arrived for the match with some racing momentum. He had won the pole for the National 400, and the drag race was standing between him and Sunday's 400-miler. He raced a Ford Mustang prepared by Dick Brannan. I believe the car he raced was like this Stark Hickey Ford sponsored gold Mustang.
For the first race, 43 Jr. got a great jump on Lorenzen, and Petty won easily. In race two, Petty missed a shift. The little hiccup was just enough to let Fast Freddy slip by for the win. In the deciding 'rubber match' third race, Petty's crew realized the Barracuda's engine was losing oil pressure. 43 Jr. was withdrawn from the race. Lorenzen was given the match win via forfeit, but he made his run down the strip anyway. During his solo run, he too apparently damaged the engine in his Ford.
Was all of it on the up and up? Or was it all just a show with a pre-determined outcome arranged by Otto to entertain the fans? Dunno though I'd like to think both drivers and teams legitimatelyprepared and raced.
Though I haven't been able to find any news clippings about the race, the inaugural, May 1966 issue of Stock Car Racing magazine had a 2 page layout about it.
Lorenzen had a huge weekend. He won the pole for the GN race, inherited the drag match race, battled with A.J. Foyt during the 400, and took the checkers ahead of Dick Hutcherson and Curtis Turner.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/16/17 11:53:40AM
Grand American 100 - October 24, 1970
Stock Car Racing History
The race was scheduled the day before the American 500. Though the Grand American race was completed, Sunday's GN race was postponed by rain - twice. It was finally held on November 15th ( Tim Leeming RHM ).
In addition to the GA race, the Union 76 pit crew competition was held on Saturday. Bobby Allison's Mario Rossi-led crew won it.
Race preview for GA100.
Race report.
Racing History Minute - October 16, 1955
Stock Car Racing History
NASCAR's GN drivers raced for the final time on Martinsville Speedway's dirt surface on May 15, 1955. Tim Flock won the 200 lap race. Over the summer, the track was rebuilt with asphalt covering the long-standing dirt surface.
The objective was to have the pavement in place for the next GN race, a 200 lap race on October 16, 1955.
The paving project was completed on schedule. Before the GN cars arrived in mid October, NASCAR's sportsman cars got first crack on the new track in early October. Billy Myers won the first race on the new surface on October 2. ( Martinsville's website says Myers won on Monday October 3rd. I'm not sure if their site is wrong or if the race was rain delayed a day.)
Race preview from The Gastonia Gazette
The weekend's activities didn't get off the best start. Qualifying was rained out, and the drivers drew for their starting spots. Gwyn Staley in Hubert Westmoreland's Chevy was awarded the pole. Herb Thomas lined-up second in a second Chevrolet for the front row. Fonty Flock and Lee Petty made up row 2. Eddie Skinner rounded out the top 5 starters.
The race was delayed an hour by the lingering rain; however, the skies finally cleared and it was time to go racing. At the drop of the green, Thomas got the jump on Staley and led the first seven laps. - Getty Images
Tim Flock then picked up on the newly paved surface just as he had with last race on the old dirt surface. He paced the field for the next 66 laps. Short track ace Jim Reed put his skills on display vs. the GN regulars by taking the lead from Flock and leading 32 laps.
As things sorted out, the rest came down to a back and forth between convertible king Bob Welborn and South Carolina's Speedy Thompson. Both had started well back in the field due to an unlucky draw I suppose. Welborn started 11th in his #44 Chevrolet. Thompson started 17th in the 27-car field - the worst starting spot of Carl Kiekaefer's 3-car Chrysler entries.
Just past the halfway mark of the race, Welborn took the lead for a 15-lap stretch. Thompson snuck in a one-lap lead - perhaps during a pit stop - before Welborn re-took the lead for a bookend 16-lap lead.
But with just over 60 laps to go, Thompson's Mopar found another gear as was often the case with the Mercury Outboard Chryslers of that era. Speedy went to the point, and he wasn't passed again the remainder of the race.
Thompson took the checkers followed by Welborn and Paschal - the only three cars to finish on the lead lap. The win was the second consecutive one by Thompson following his victory at Memphis-Arkansas Speedway on October 9th ( AlexFLRacingFan's RHM ).
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Speedy Thompson | '55 Chrysler |
| 2 | Bob Welborn | '55 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Jim Paschal | '55 Chevrolet |
| 4 | Herb Thomas | '55 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Jim Reed | '55 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Joe Weatherly | '56 Ford |
| 7 | Gwyn Staley | '55 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Lee Petty | '55 Dodge |
| 9 | Jimmy Massey | '55 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Buck Baker | '56 Ford |
| 11 | Marvin Panch | '56 Ford |
| 12 | Bobby Waddell | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 13 | Bill Blair | '55 Ford |
| 14 | Pop McGinnis | '55 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Russ Graham | '55 Chevrolet |
| 16 | Ted Cannady | '55 Oldsmobile |
| 17 | Eddie Skinner | '53 Oldsmobile |
| 18 | Jimmy Thompson | '55 Ford |
| 19 | Jim Thompson | '53 Hudson |
| 20 | Ed Cole | '55 Plymouth |
| 21 | Clarence DeZalia | '54 Ford |
| 22 | Joe Eubanks | '55 Chevrolet |
| 23 | Donald Thomas | '55 Buick |
| 24 | Tim Flock | '55 Chrysler |
| 25 | Fonty Flock | '55 Chrysler |
| 26 | Glen Wood | '55 Ford |
| 27 | Dink Widenhouse | '56 Ford |
| 28 | Jimmy Pardue | '55 Chevrolet |
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Henry County 100 - October 17, 1970
Stock Car Racing History
Race preview
Paschal's good fortune fell on same day Pete Hamilton was served with a headache to prove to Uncle Sam he had indeed served his country and did not need to report for active duty in the U.S. Army.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/18 12:31:57PM
Racing History Minute - October 14, 1956
Stock Car Racing History
North Wilkesboro's race was scheduled for Sunday, October 21st. As expected, Turner was expected to expand his win tally for the season to 23.
But rain had other plans and resulted in the postponement of the race to a to-be-determined date. The re-scheduling of the race was contingent upon the point standings following the Martinsville Sweepstakes race. It was pretty evident Bob Welborn had enough of a points lead that Turner's finish at Martinsville wouldn't make much of a difference. Sure enough, Welborn won the title outright at Martinsville. As a result, I guess the Wilkesboro race was cancelled altogether.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/14/19 12:37:32PM
Racing History Minute - October 14, 1956
Stock Car Racing History
OH DOH, you didn't. Yes, you did. Comedy like that never gets Old(enberg). I get Lutz of laughs reading yours posts and replies. Gwyn are you going to post another? OK, Cannonball Comin'...
Racing History Minute - October 14, 1956
Stock Car Racing History
NASCAR sanctioned two touring series races on October 14, 1956. The races were about 3 hours apart. The GN division raced at the 3/4 mile Charlotte Speedway ( Tim Leeming RHM ), and the Convertible division raced at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, about 3 hours away.
The race was the 47th and final stand-alone event of the 1956 convertible season. Coming into the event, Curtis Turner had won 21 of the season's 46 races. Yet Bob Welborn had the points lead and was trying to wrap up his first NASCAR championship.
Following the race at Hillsboro, two other convertible races were scheduled. A stand-alone event was apparently booked at North Wilkesboro, and I haven't yet learned why it didn't happen. The ragtop racers then ended their season with a Sweepstakes race at Martinsville on October 28, 1956.
Pops continued his blaze through the season by winning the pole for the Hillsboro race. Joe Weatherly qualified his Pete DePaolo Ford on the front row alongside his teammate Turner. Joe Eubanks, Gwyn Staley and Welborn rounded out the top 5 starters.
Turner did everything he could do to get "max points". He won the pole, led every one of the race's 110 laps, and won the race. Two Joes - Weatherly and Eubanks - finished 2nd and 3rd, respectively. The trio were the only 3 cars to finish on the lead lap.
Finishing dead last was Don Corley who withdrew from the race. It's clear the driver was not Italian as he was off the track before the race even began. If he was Italian, he would have been Don Corley On. See what I did there? Test, test, is this thing on? *cough* OK, I'll umm see myself out...
Despite Turner's win, Welborn did what he had to do as well. He finished fifth in the race, but earned enough points to clinch his first of what became a streak of three convertible division titles.
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Curtis Turner | '56 Ford |
| 2 | Joe Weatherly | '56 Ford |
| 3 | Joe Eubanks | '56 Ford |
| 4 | Gwyn Staley | '56 Chevrolet |
| 5 | Bob Welborn | '56 Chevrolet |
| 6 | Allen Adkins | '56 Dodge |
| 7 | Jimmie Lewallen | '56 Chevrolet |
| 8 | Bill Poor | '56 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Larry Frank | '56 Chevrolet |
| 10 | Mel Larson | '56 Ford |
| 11 | Bun Emery | '56 Ford |
| 12 | Bill Lutz | '56 Ford |
| 13 | Don Oldenberg | '55 Buick |
| 14 | Jimmy Massey | '56 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Norman Schihl | '56 Ford |
| 16 | Whitey Gerken | '56 Dodge |
| 17 | Larry Odo | '56 Chevrolet |
| 18 | Cannonball Brown | '56 Chrysler |
| 19 | Don Corley | '56 Ford |
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/14/17 08:56:45PM