A Racing History Minute - April 6, 1952

Stock Car Racing History

Thanks, Tim.

Look who broke the track record AND setting on the pole

Current NASCAR

98.4-mph. They're pushing the envelope closer and closer to that elusive 100-mph Martinsville lap I thought couldn't be done in a stock car. 50 years ago, for the April Virginia 500, RR member, Rex White sat on the Martinsville pole with a 72-mph lap. Pole speed has increased over 26-mph on a 1/2-mile track in the interim. Amazing.

Ward Burton Son on M'ville Truck Pole; Awesome's Boy is 8th

Current NASCAR

And I apologize for my original headline indicating Jeb is Jeff Burton's son. He is Ward Burton's son.

Ward Burton Son on M'ville Truck Pole; Awesome's Boy is 8th

Current NASCAR


updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

Martinsville Cup: 5-Time & Aussie on Front Row; GoGirl 32nd; Mark 35th in Hamlin's #11

Current NASCAR


updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM

You Ain't Woman Enuff... or something like that - to handle the old timey cars...

Stock Car Racing History

I was thinking about Loretta Lynn singing "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" - but I guess that's a little different than the point this former racer is making.

This story appeared in this week's Martinsville paper and I guess a bunch of you folks here may have run into the subject and the car at Daytona in February.

Fond memories of a Ford

Pendleton, Stoltz recall beach racing

In this photo taken in February, Collinsville native Lynwood Pendleton poses with Brice Stultzs restored 1937 Ford that Stultz raced at the Daytona beach races in the 1950s in Daytona Beach, Fla. (Contributed photo) Friday, April 5, 2013 By DOUG POWELL - Bulletin Sports Writer When asked about how auto racing of the 1940s and 1950s differs from today, Lynwood Pendleton answers, emphatically. Racers now couldnt drive a car that they had back in those days, Pendleton said. They couldnt handle one. Theyre just not man enough to do it. The Collinsville native answers this way because, in his eyes, auto racing has almost changed into a completely different sport. Back then you had to man handle a car, Pendleton said. Now theyve got power-steering, cooling suits, and everything. Its just altogether a different sport. Its much easier than it was back then. Back then was when Pendleton fell in love with the sport as a young man in the 1940s when racing was just beginning to find its niche in the world. Now, the 71-year-old looks back with fond memories. The first big race I ever went to was in 1955, Pendleton said. I went to Darlington, S.C. It was my first race and I just have been interested in them ever since. Pendleton, who is retired now, makes his way to the Living Legends of Auto Racing (LLOAR) event in Daytona Beach, Fla. every year, for the past 12 years, with the same Ford. The car is a 1937 Ford belongs to Brice Spider Stultz and its is the only surviving car from the beach races of the 1950s. The LLOAR event hosts people from all over the country and its a place where people can show off old cars, exchange racing memories, and much more. I just enjoy seeing the old cars and the old race cars and getting to meet and talk to the drivers, Pendleton said. The people that you meet over the years, you want to go back and see them kind of like a big family. One of the features of LLOAR is the beach parade, which Pendleton takes part in. They went great. They have a beach parade where they line them (the cars) up and parade them up and down the beach, Pendleton said. We went into north turn, we started off in (the highway), the original route they used to run and went into south turn and come up the beach, ...the original run they used to run years ago. Pendleton takes the Ford with him to the parade every year a Ford that doesnt belong to him, but to a good friend. Its a Ford that has a tremendous amount of history, yet sits in a garage at Collinsville Motor Imports just like any other vehicle. Also spending a good deal of time in that garage is the 84-year-old Stultz, who works at Motor Imports a spot very similar to the one where he and Pendleton first met. He used to work at the Mitchell Motors over in Martinsville and thats how I got to know him many years ago, Pendleton said, and then he opened up the motorcycle shop in Collinsville and I got to know him a little better. We got well-acquainted, and he asked me if I would be interested in taking one of his cars down which tickled me to death and Ive been taking them ever since. The races are exactly what they sound like races on a beach. It was part of how auto racing started (well after, of course, the sports early history with moonshine runners during Prohibition) and the beach races were a challenge that few drivers have ever seen. Stultz had experience racing, but when he hit the beach races it was a whole new ball game. In those years, Stultz said, running 100 miles an hour, say for an hour and a half, averaging 100 miles an hour, was really something. Staying at 100 miles an hour really shook me up. Often times, the race car was also the car the driver drove to the track. Back then, you drove it to the track and that was the car you owned, Pendleton said. You raced it, and if you made it through the race, you loaded up and drove back home. Factor in that making it through the race was also challenging. Unlike today, there was no pit crew to help the driver out. It was just him and maybe a friend or two to help out, according to Pendleton. It was what you brought and what you worked on yourself and what you built and tried, Pendleton said. To outrun somebody else, it was your doing. Pendleton said that personalized aspect of racing made it more enjoyable and exciting than what it is today. It was more fun back then, Pendleton said. There were so many drivers in it that just had a lot of fun doing what they done. Stultz, who started the 1955 beach race in 83rd place, climbed all the way up to 12th before what looked like a wreck ended his day. Stultz made it clear it was not however. I got in soft sand and ran over the edge of the bank, Stultz said. It looked like I may have wrecked, but I didnt. We had talked my brother and my mechanic the night before. (They said) dont get in that soft sand ... you cant get out of it. Stultz did land in the soft sand on the last lap and was eventually passed by many cars to conclude the race. The late Alfred Bruce Speedy Thompson of Monroe, N.C. went on to win the race. Stultz became interested in motorcycles after the sportsman race in 1955 and decided to part ways with the Ford by selling it. I was young, Stultz said. 19, 20 years old, I just had notions that I could get rid of that durn thing. The first guy that came by and made me offer, I sold it to him. However, the attachment to the car was too strong for Stultz, and several years later he received a phone call from a friend who had purchased it in a junkyard in Danville. He offered the car back to Stultz and Stultz took it without hesitation and restored it back to its glory days. Stultz wont make the mistake again of letting the car get out of his sight. He likes to keep it at his place and show it to people, Pendleton said. Theres a lot of people that come by and want to see it and hes got a lot of pictures and a lot of history and he can explain it to them and show them the car right there at his place. Pendleton and Stultz enjoy sharing the car with each other as well as sharing the cars rich history with anyone who asks. The car will always have a special place in Stultzs heart. I like my old car, Stultz said. It looks good and everybody brags on it and I do too. Its just fun to have. Race fans not attending the Martinsville races this weekend can attend the Curtis Turner Museum annual parade on Saturday in Roanoke where the 1937 Ford will be driven around for all in attendance.

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Weekly Track Transponders? Richmond's Southside Speedway Now Requires Them

Local and Regional Short Track Racing

Saw a note on Richmond's weekly Southside Speedway site that they now require transponders. Is that now commonplace at the weekly tracks?

Transponders are on Their Way as Southside is Gearing Up for 2013

March 21, 2013 The transponder system was ordered March 21 and will be installed and working for opening night, April 5, 2013. Track owner, Sue Clements, stepped up and ordered the system after a sponsor backed out at the last minute and put the transponders in doubt for the upcoming season. The transponder system will have many benefits for the speedway, drivers and even the fans. Drivers and fans will be able to follow their practice, qualifying and race info in real time on their smart phones, tablets or laptops with the "Race Monitor" app.

Beginning opening night, transponders will be mandatory for Late Models, Modifieds and Legends. Grand Stocks, Street Stocks and U-Cars will be mandatory on May 31, 2013. This will give those divisions a little extra time to purchase a transponder, but you can still take advantage of the system if you already have one. The rules concerning mounting location of the transponders will be posted on the website shortly and they should mirror the rules that other area tracks run.

If you do not already have a transponder, you can purchase one directly from Chris Stefi within the next 30 days. There are two options for you to consider, a Classic (you own) or a Flex (a lease). To help with the cost the speedway has negotiated a special price if you purchase within 30 days. These prices are not marked up and hopefully will help, but they can not be guaranteed beyond April 19, 2013. Payment must be made in full before your transponder will be ordered. One order will be placed on March 29th, so the transponders will be delivered in time for opening night and a second order will be placed on April 19th. If you need a transponder, we highly encourage you to take advantage of these prices and contact Chris Stefi at racesouthside@yahoo.com or (804) 640-6332 for more information. Shipping charges may apply.

Thanks and we look forward to a very exciting 2013!!!

SOUTHSIDE SPEEDWAY
2013 TRANSPONDER RULES
1.
Transponders will be used for the 2013 season and beyond at Southside Speedway. Transponders are mandatory for the following classes effective opening night Friday, April 5, 2013, if the system is installed and operational at this time:
Late Model Sportsman
Modified
Legends

Transponders will be required for Grand Stock, Street Stock and UCAR beginning Friday, May 31, 2013.

2.
Drivers who do not have transponders may borrow one from another driver.

3.
Mounting Instructions:
a.
All transponders shall be mounted 72 inches, plus or minus 2 inchesfrom the front edge of the front bumper, measured from the centerof the car.
b.
You must make sure there is a direct signal to the ground with no object between the transponder and the track surface.
c.
You must register your number and test your transponder with track officials.
d.
Transponder mounted in any location other than described above will be subject to disqualification.

4.
Drivers are responsible for any transponder damage if using a track transponder.

5.
Results may be viewed on mylaps.com.

6.
Finishing positions as determined by the transponders may be overruled by track officials if there is a clear difference at the finish line.

updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:09:31PM

Historical Highway Marker Keeps Wendell Scott’s Legacy Alive In Virginia

Stock Car Racing History

Some photos from Yahoo! Sports:

Below: Wendell Scott, Jr. & brother Franklin at dedication ceremony

Historical Highway Marker Keeps Wendell Scott’s Legacy Alive In Virginia

Stock Car Racing History

Glad to see this. Nice to see the participation by so many folks, too, who have ties to RR.

April 5 - Two Lee Petty memories

Stock Car Racing History

Chase... an excerpt from a Wally Bell post on the "Where is John Jackson J&J Racing?" thread:

Dave.. growing up in NY state, and being from Owego (Shangri La speedway, where I at 9 years old saw Lee Petty race), I became an oval track fan while being a Drag Racer.....