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Racing History Minute - August 8, 1968

Stock Car Racing History

Today's Racing History Minute is close to home for me as it happened at Columbia Speedway which was, in 1968, a half-mile dirt track. It is one of the most historic tracks in the history for NASCAR for a number of reasons and is now being preserved as "The Historic Columbia Speedway". It was the track where I saw my first race in 1952 and drove my first race in 1969. It also played a huge part in the career of The King as I am sure my friend, TMC Chase, will document here sometime today. In fact, the first 3 historic races I found for this date were all won by a Petty! Anyway, time to get to the race which is the subject of this Racing History Minute.

The "Sandlapper 200" was set to run on a sultry Thursday evening. Columbia, South Carolina currently uses the marketing slogan "Famously Hot" and although this summer has quite lived up to the triple digit days, I do recall that the Thursday night of this race we were baking, broiling, and sweating in the heat and humidity. The twenty-four cars and drivers that showed up for this race were ready to tackle the track, the heat, and each other.

Buddy Baker would put the Ray Fox Dodge on the pole with a speed of 74.196 mph. Richard Petty had his Plymouth in second, Bud Moore (Lil Bud) started third in a Bondy Long Ford, with Bobby Isaac in the K&K Dodge in fourth. Fifth place starter was Neil Castles. Let it be noted that Lil Bud Moore was a regular competitor in the weekly Late Model Sportsman (Now Nationwide) events at the speedway. He was a master of the track and could probably have qualified a wheel barrow in the top ten. Lil Bud is active today in many RacersReunion events and is always a most fascinating individual with whom to spend some time.

Buddy Baker led the first two laps before Lil Bud used his Columbia Speedway expertise to move in front. He would lead until lap 32 when Buddy Baker moved around him to re-take the lead. On lap 73, Bobby Isaac put the red K&K Dodge in front and would stay there until lap 126. It was then that David Pearson took over in the blue and gold Holman-Moody Ford. David would lead the rest of the way to win by half a car length over Charlie Glotzbach. I recall watching from my usual vantage point in turn four and believing Glotzbach surely beat Pearson to the line, but that was not to be.

Bobby Isaac had suffered a blown tire on l ap 184 which put him into the wall and out of the race. Just before the Isaac crash, John Sears had launched his Ford over the guardrail in turn three and his Ford rolled end over end a couple times. John was hurt, but it took him a few minutes to gain some recognition of where he was.

With the win, Pearson regained the points lead and enjoyed his 11th win of the season and the 41st in his career which would continue until he won a total 105 Grand National (now Cup) races.

Top five finishers were:

1. David Pearson, Holman Moody Ford, winning $1.000.00

2. Charlie Glotzbach, Cotton Owens Dodge, winning $600.00

3. LeeRoy Yarbrough, Lyle Stetler Ford, winning $400.00

4. Elmo Langley, Langley-Woodfield Ford, winning $300.00

5. Neil Castles, Castles Plymouth, winning $275.00

Tiny Lund, another Columbia Speedway weekly racer, finished sixth, Clyde Lynn 7th, Wendell Scott 8th, Jabe Thomas 9th and Walston Gardner 10th. Bobby Isaac is credited with 11th, John Sears 13th, Henley Gray 14th, J.D. McDuffie 15th, Buddy Baker 16th and Bobby Allison 17th. Bill Seifert 18th, Ed Negre 19th, Earl Brooks 20th, Richard Petty 21st, Roy Tyner 22nd. and Lil Bud received 24th and last place money after his crash.

I am also posting a "Personal History Minute" for this date in the Blog Posts for today. I hope you'll take a minute to sign in and read the Blog post.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

August 7, 1977: Talladega Trivia Time

Stock Car Racing History

Really nice memories and trivia with that one Chase. Thanks for the great read.

August 7, 1966: A day of Blue and Yellow

Stock Car Racing History

More wonderful memories! Chase, you are THE man!

Racing History Minute - August 7, 1949

Stock Car Racing History

Laverne!!!! Thank you! Those pictures add so much to this History Minute. I very much appreciate you adding these to the post. Yes Sir, sounds like that old song from you youth "See you in September". You will and I am looking so forward to the 28th.

By the way, several of us in RacersReunion are going to meet at The NASCAR Hall of Fame on Thursday, August 22nd. It would be wonderful if you can make it. Nothing formal, just a day for exploring some more history.

Again, thank you for such a great contribution to the history.

Racing History Minute - August 7, 1949

Stock Car Racing History

I am sure there will be those at the event on September 28th that can tell us all about this race! I hope so

Racing History Minute - August 7, 1949

Stock Car Racing History

The third race for the "Strickly Stock" divison of NASCAR racing, which became Grand National, then Winston Cup, then Nextel Cup, then Sprint Cup, and now often referenced as "NASCAR's Premier Series" occurred on this date in 1949. What makes it extra special for our purposes is that the race happened on the one mile dirt track known as Occoneechee Speedway, located in Hillsboro, NC. The event was 200 laps/200 miles and would start 28 cars. The reason it is "extra special" is because, thanks to a dedicated group of individuals collectively known as "The Historic Speedway Group", fans can return each year to see this historic track.

My first trip to the now annual "Celebration of the Automobile" was four years ago. Work was on going at the time to restore parts of the speedway to a more representative appearance of what it was like during the early days of the sport. Last year, 2012, so much had been done you could almost imagine a race being held there within a few months. Oh, they put cars on the track for the purposes of "parade laps" but those quickly turned into a little more than a parade. Although there was no flat out racing such as was once experienced there, the boys were getting a little fiesty behind the wheels of those vintage race cars.

The annual event at Occoneechee is coming up September 28th, just over a month away. You can check out the website, www.historicspeedwaygroup.org , and please note it is "dot ORG" for more information. Last year, it literally poured rain throughout most of the day but it did not dampen the spirits of the hundreds of folks in attendance. I hope to see many of you there with me this year to experience a true trip down memory lane that will stay with the race fan forever.

Now, onto the History Minute for today. As already stated, the third race in the new series created by Big Bill to showcase production passenger cars was run at the Occoneechee Speedway on this date in 1949. Records for the event from my source do not provide information as to qualifying positions, margin of victory or reasons for many of the cars to be out of the race. The record does, however, tell us that 17,500 fans showed up to cheer on their favorites and to reinforce Big Bill's theory that fans would support a series dedicated to the cars they could buy from the showroom. Back then, win on Sunday (or any other day of the week) and sell on Monday was applicable to car dealerships.

It is noted that on lap 38 of the event, Sara Christain, a highly regarded female driver (yep they raced in the early days too) lost a wheel on her Ford on lap 38th and attempted to bring the car to the pits. A big Lincoln, driven by Felix Wilkes came off turn four and smashed right into Sara's car. The two now tangled vehicles blocked the front straight as Red Byron came flying off turn four and right into the tangled mass of Ford/Lincoln. As if staged for the grandstand full of fans, the accident was presented right before them. Later in the event, Bob Smith in an Oldsmobile crashed out of the event in a less spectacular fashion. No driver was injured in any crash.

In the latter stages of the race, it was a Flock-on-Flock affair, with Bob leading and Tim putting on the pressure to take over. However, with only ten laps remaining, Tim Flock's Oldsmobile broke a right front spindle and he was out of the race, leaving Bob to take the win. Of the three Strickly Stock races run, this was the second consecutive win for Oldsmobile. Remember, a Lincoln won the first race after the Ford was disqualified for beefed up springs. Jim Roper, Red Byron and now Bob Flock, were winners in the first three races of the new series.

Top five finishers:

1. Bob Flock, Bob Flock Garage Oldsmobile, winning $2,000.00

2. Gober Sosesbee, Cherokee Garage Oldsmobile, winning $1,000.00

3. Glen Dunnaway, Dunnaway Oldsmobile, winning $500.00 **

4. Fonty Flock, Ed Lawrence Buick, winning $300.00

5. Bill Snowden, Al Wagoner Chevrolet, winning $200.00

** Glen Dunnaway was flagged the winner of the first event of this series run on June 19, 1949, at Charlotte Speedway. He was, however, disqualified when a post race inspection of his Hubert Westmoreland Ford found "beefed up" springs. The Ford was beefed up to haul moonshine, so they say, but it was not "strickly stock" so the win was taken from Glen and given to Jim Roper driving a Lincoln.

Sixth through tenth were Bill Blair, Tim Flock, Otis Martin, Lee Petty, and Buddy Helms. Jim Roper is credited with 15th, Curtis Turner 20th, Red Byron 22nd, Sara Christen 23rd Jimmie Lewallen 25th, Herb Thomas 26th, Louise Smith 27th and Sterling Long 28th and final position.

If you attend the event coming up September 28th, you will most likely have the opportunity to meet sons, daughters, and wives of some of the folks who competed in this event. It is a very tangible part of the history of this great sport that we here at RacersReunion honor and support.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

August 7, 1955: Lee Petty wins in Winston-Salem

Stock Car Racing History

Great post Chase. I see you're up and at 'em earlier than I. Good for you. Now time for me to add another History Minute!

August 6, 1978: The end of an era and rise of an underdog

Stock Car Racing History

Good to see this post back again Chase! Lennie is well worth a repeat performance.

August 6, 1978: The end of an era and rise of an underdog

Stock Car Racing History

Lennie Pond was fun to watch and the couple of times I got to talk with him I would absolutely believe he slept in the car as Dave relates. I would bet no body could get near that car.

August 6, 1961: Jim Paschal wins Nashville 500

Stock Car Racing History

Great story, clippings and pictures. The 1961 season was an odd one for me. When Lee Petty was injured at Daytona in February, my Uncle Bobby sort of drew back for a couple of weeks until it was determined Lee would survive, whether or not he would race again. We went to Darlington for both races that year, and Charlotte, but for the Grand National races, that was about it. As for the local track scene (Columbia Speedway), we were there every week. We did attend the qualifying races for the World 600 that year and Richard won his race in that 1961 Plymouth. As "ugly" as that car is/was to many, I really like it. My ride, the entire time I was in the Navy, was a 1961 Plymouth! Awesome car, and did I mention it would "fly". lol. I guess I shouldn't talk about such things now that I have teenage grandsons driving, but I'm tell you, that car would move on down the road. It had that "ribbon of light" speedometer where it would show "green" until about 45 mph I think, then yellow from 46 to 65 mph, then red. Let's just say mine was glowing red most of the time. Also, the steering whel was sort of a squareish oval shape. I know that doesn't have much to do with the subject of this wonderful post, but the 1961 season brings back such memories. Thanks Chase, Dave and Russ.