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Racing History Minute - July 17, 1960

Stock Car Racing History

Today we are going back to 1960 to another track with which I am not at all familiar. Although by 1960 I lived and breathed everything stock car racing, I was not aware of a 2 mile paved track in Montgomery, NY, but further looking into the matter, I discovered it was a track laid out on an air base runway system. In fact, it was a triangular track configuration apparently a precusor to the shape of Ponoco. Interesting information to learn today.

Nineteen competitors made the trip to New York for the "Empire State 200". John Rostek would capture the pole in a Ford with Richard Petty qualifying second, Rex White third, Buck Baker fourth and Jim Reed fifth. Pole speed was 91.650 mph on this totally flat track.

Buck Baker would push his Chevy into the lead on the green flag and he would hold that lead for two laps before Rex White powered by him to lead for four laps. It was then John Rostek's to set the pace until lap 13 when White would re-assume the lead. Rex went back into the lead on lap 14 and would stay there through lap 48. Jim Reed was closing on Rex in the late stages, but experienced engine problems with only a handfull of laps to go and fell off the pace. Ned Jarrett had attempted a good run early in the race, but three pit stops to replace tires which were experiencing excessive wear on the Courtesy Ford. In fact, because the track was paved and was totally flat, tirewear was excessive on all the cars. Some drivers took to cut across the dirt, fishtailing as they went, to relieve the stress on the tires on the paved surface.

The ONE caution in the race was required to remove the haybales which were used as "walls" on the straightaways, from the track. Seems the drivers cutting across the dirt would sometimes hook a haybale and drag it onto the racing surface. Having said that, and having read about cutting through the dirt in the turns, makes one wonder exactly what was the "racing surface".

Jim Reed took over first place on lap 49 and was able to stay in front until lap 77 when Rex White would once more go out front and stay there until the checkered flag on lap 100. It was Rex's second win of the season in the 25th race of 1960. Rex would go on to win the Grand National Championship at the end of the season. Rex often participates in RacersReunion events with the public and entertains the folks with many racing stories. He is truly a Champion in life as well as in NASCAR.

Top five finishers were:

1. Rex White, Piedmont/Friendly Chevrolet, winning $2,970.00

2. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $1,600.00

3. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $1,200.00

4. Ned Jarrett, Courtesy Ford, winning $725.00

5. Buck Baker, Thor Chevrolet, winning $625.00

Sixth through tenth were Lennie Page, John Rostek, Bob Duell, Herman Beam, and L.D. Austin.

Remainder of the finishing order, respectively, were Jimmy Pardue, Buddy Baker, Jim Reed, Curtis Crider, Neil Castles, Ken Johnson, Eddie Riker, Bunkie Blackburn,and in 19th and final positon wasJim Whitman who completed only five laps before the engine failed in his Dodge.

In my mind, it is an amazing picture to envision these cars racing on such a flat surface on a course marked, in part by hay bales. My resourse indicates it was a "hot and sultry day" when the 5,000 fans watched the race and if you've ever been to an air base where shade is non-existant, you can begin to imagine how hot it must have been on a July day with the sun heating up that pavement. All a part of the interesting history of this wonderful sport.

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

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

Racing History Minute - July 16, 1958

Stock Car Racing History

Bill, you are exactly right. Squirt's last name is JOHNS. I have corrected the post and thank you for calling that error to my attention. Please apologize to Squirt for me next time you see him. I do appreciate you making this correction. I don't want our History Minutes to contain errors and it's through the assistance of all you guys that we can keep it correct.

Racing History Minute - July 16, 1958

Stock Car Racing History

As we have done these History Minutes since April 5th, I have learned so much I never knew or, perhaps, knew at one time and forgot along the way. I have written about tracks about which I had never heard, and many drivers whose names were not familiar to me. I have read and written about the long distances the guys traveled to race all over the country and a foray or two into Canada. Today is a totally unfamiliar track to me. Although I have heard of the winner of the event, many of the 23 starters are names unfamiliar to me.

Today we travel to the .333 mile dirt track located in Busti, NY for a 150 lap/50 mile race. Lee Petty would win the pole in his Oldsmobile with L.D. Austin taking second place. Shorty Rollins would start third, Al White fourth and Bob Duell fifth. My resource does not list lap leaders, or much detail of the race other than to say pole winner Petty would lose 11 laps while repairing mechanical problems.

When the checkered flag was waved, Rookie of the Year contender, Shorty Rollins would become the 15th different winner in the 30 Grand National races of 1958 thus far. How many of the names in the following run down do YOU recognize?

Top five finishers were:

1. Shorty Rollins, Rollins Ford, winning $600.00

2. Bob Duell, Julian Buesink Ford, winning $470.00

3. Ken Johnson, Ford, winning $375.00

4. Emory Mahan, Chevrolet, winning $270.00

5. John Seeley, Ford, winning $245.00

Sixth through tenth were L. D. Austin, Bill Poor, Lee Petty, Bob Finale and John Walker. I must mention 15th place finisher Squirt Johns and 19th place finisher Jug Pierce to reiterate my question about the guys you may have known in your racing past. Oh, and Ted Chamberlain, a name we have encountered several times in our History Minutes, finished 22nd out of the 23 starters.

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

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

Racing History Minute - July 15, 1964

Stock Car Racing History

Back in the day, as I like to say, NASCAR would run its "Northern Tour" to give fans up north exposure to the sport and to give the drivers a little relief from the heat and humidity of the South during July. In 1964, that tour include a half mile paved track in Old Bridge, New Jersey which held the "Fireball Roberts 200" eight days after the famed superstar had succumbed to his injuries in the World 600. Second race of the tour was July 12th on a 2.85 mile road course in Bridgehampton, New York. The third race of the tour was in Islip, NY, on a .20 mile paved track where the boys would race 60 miles on this date in 1964.

Billy Wade, in Bud Moore's Mercury had won the first two "Tour" events and would capture the pole for this race in Islip. Ned Jarrett would start second, Richard Petty third, David Pearson fourth, and Jimmy Pardue fifth.

Wade would take the lead at the drop of the green with Jarrett on his bumper. Somewhere along the line in the 1964 season, Billy and Ned had developed what the press like to call a "feud" and the two drivers kept the crowd on its feet with the fender tapping and flat-out slamming into one another during the early laps. On lap 98, Ned muscled his way around Wade and took the lead he would hold until lap 193 when Billy would once more put the Mercury out front, not to be passed again. He would win the event by one lap over second place finisher Ned Jarrett

Top five finishers were:

1. Billy Wade, Bud Moore Mercury, winning $1,000.00

2. Ned Jarrett, Bondy Long Ford, winning $600.00

3. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $400.00

4. Jimmy Pardue, Burton-Robinson Plymouth, winning $300.00

5. Bob Welborn, Holman-Moody Ford, winning $275.00

Sixth through tenth were Neil Castles, Doug Cooper, Roy Tyner, Doug Moore, and Al White. Wendell Scott would finish 11th, Earl Brooks 12th, Curtis Crider 13th, David Pearson 14th, with LeeRoy Yarbrough 15th.

The remainder of the 22 car field finished as follows:

16. Rene Charland

17. Darel Dieringer

18. Bob Derrington

19. Bobby Schuyler

20. Buddy Baker

21. Frank Tanner

22. Pete Boland

The final race of the "Tour" of 1964 was five days later on another road course. The venue was Watkins Glen International where the Cup teams still race today, although the track is a different configuration. That race, on July 19, 1964., was also won by Billy Wade. The Northern Tour of 1964 belonged to Billy Wade and Bud Moore. Billy would be killed in a tire test less than six months after this win.
I would like toshare a personal memory of Billy.

The Grand National race a Columbia Speedway, in April of 1964, was just another one of those events where I was at the race track very early after spending most of the day with Richard Petty at the local Chrysler-Plymouth dealership. Although I was totally a fan of The King, I would never miss a chance to talk with any driver, no matter the level in which he drove or what car he drove. I was walking down the pit lane before any of the crowd would arrive and even before most of the drivers would get there. Sitting on the lowered tailgate of a pickup truck was Billy Wade, sitting alone. The concession stand wasn't open yet and he stopped me to ask about getting something to drink. I had an ice chest in the trunk of my car that traveled with me to all the races and was full of Cokes and Dr. Peppers, my two favorite beverages of the time.

Billy walked with me to the car and got a drink and we returned to the tailgate of the pickup truck. We sat there talking for maybe 25 to 30 minutes while the few crews who were there were getting the cars ready for practice. We talked about driving Darlington, my favorite track of the superspeedways and the "Rebel 300" which would be running there three weeks later. Billy filled me with excitement as he talked about running there and told me to look him up at the track. Billy went on to finish fourth that night at Columbia.

When we got to Darlington and set up camp in turn three against the infield fence, I walked over to the pits to look through the fence to see what was there to see. As I was walking over, talking to a friend of mine, I heard a voice yell out "hey Tim". I looked to the right and there was Billy Wade walking my way. He stopped to talk for a few minutes before he disappeared into the crowd. I would encounter Billy several more times during the 1964 season and was always able to share a minute or two, minimum, conversation with him. He was truly a great driver and a fine man. He is another driver we lost far too soon. Although it was January, 1965, when Billy died, the 1964 racing season had been devastating in it's losses of drivers both in NASCAR and Indy. But we won't address that today. I would rather remember that Billy Wade smile the night he was sitting on the tailgate of that pickup truck in the Columbia Speedway pit area.

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

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

Al Hylton

Stock Car Racing History

Condolences to his friends and family. God bless Al and his memory.

Racing History Minute - July 14, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

Loving those pictures! You guys are the very best.

Racing History Minute - July 14, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

Great work Chase and Dave! What wonderful information you guys added. Thank you so much.

Racing History Minute - July 14, 1957

Stock Car Racing History

Maybe it's because 1957 was the year I made my first trip to Darlington, or maybe it's because most of the 1957 cars had distinctive appearances on the track. For whatever reason, each time I post a Minute about a race in 1957, mental images of the cars and tracks, and more especially for the drivers of the era, float across my computer monitor as I try to type. When preparing the Minute for today, the term of "cookie-cutter tracks" arose as this Minute is about a 1.5 mile track, a size very prevalent in NASCAR these days. But the 1.5 mile track for today's event was DIRT. That's right. A 1.5 mile dirt track located in LeHI, Arkansas. Who knew? Did you?

On this date in 1957, a 200 mile/134 lap race was race number 30 on the '57 schedule. Twenty-six of the drivers and their crews made the trip to Arkansas for the race. When qualifying was over, Speedy Thompson would have his Chevrolet on the pole with Paul Goldsmith in a Ford in second starting position. Buck Baker would start third with Curtis Turner fourth. Fifth place starter was Bill Amick.

This race included cars designated as "Grand National" which were the same as the designated "Convertibles" with only the addition of the roof to specify a difference. Fourth place starter, Curtis Turner, was the only convertible to start in the top five. Ten of the 28 starters drove convertibles.

A crowd of 9,500 spectators came out to witness the event, but by the half-way point of the race, more than half of the crowd left the premises as the blinding dust raised by the cars made viewing impossible and breathing most uncomfortable. Two caution flags flew for a total of 56 MINUTES for no other reason than to wet the track in an effort to keep the dust down. No other cautions were required but the 56 minute total delay in the race was just too much for some fans as well.

Paul Goldsmith parlayed his second starting position into the lead on lap one and held on to that spot for 36 laps before Curtis Turner slid his Ford convertible into the lead. The topless Turner would lead until lap 72 before Jack Smith stormed into the lead in his Grand National Chevrolet. Smith steadily moved away from second place and with 10 laps to go appeared headed for a sure victory. With eight laps to go, the Chevy power plant exploded and Smith was out of the event. Smith's departure left Marvin Panch to inherit the number one position. After the race, Smith said he was "retiring from the sport" as he coiuld "not afford to keep buying engines". Plainly stated, Jack said "I quit. I have run my last race". Of course we know that wasn't set in stone as Jack went on to have a successful career in NASCAR.

Marvin Panch would win the race over a hard charging Bill Amick. With a few more laps, Amick may have stolen the event from Panch.

Top five finishers were:

1. Marvin Panch, Herb Thomas Pontiac Grand National, winning $3,500.00

2. Bill Amick, Amick Ford Grand National, winning $2075.00

3. Fireball Roberts, Paul Spaulding Ford Grand National, winning $1,375.00

4. Buck Baker, Baker Chevrolet Grand National, winning $950.00

5. Bob Welborn, Welborn Chevrolet Convertible, winning $750.00

Sixth through tenth were Lee Petty in a Grand National, Cotton Owens in a Grand National, Possum Jones in a Convertible, Billy Carden in a Grand National and Curtis Turner in convertible.

Glen Wood was 11th, Johnny Allen 12th, Jack Smith 13th, Larry Frank 14th, and Brownie King 15th. Ken Rush finished 19th, Speedy Thompson 22nd, Jim Paschal 23rd, Joe Lee Johnson 24th, Joe Weatherly 26th and Paul Goldsmith 27th.

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

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

Fred Lorenzen Beat Tiger Tom Pistone & Marshall Teague on July 13, 1958 - But Not in NASCAR

Stock Car Racing History

Awesome Dave!!! Glad you found this History Minute to share. Thanks and keep doing what you're doing.

NASCAR Hall of Fame Attendance Slide Continues

General

My schedule is free on the 22nd so I'll put that out there and see what we get as a response. I know MY schedule is not the deciding factor. lol