50 Years of NASCAR Racing ~ Post 54
By Matt McLaughlin
Editor’s note: This article is part of a special reprise of Matt McLaughlin’s “50 Years of NASCAR Racing”, written and published in 1998 in commemoration of NASCAR’s 50th Anniversary celebration that year.
In keeping with the RacersReunion mission of passing the history of our sport down to younger fans, Matt has kindly granted us permission to run the entire series. Please, sit back and enjoy as you take a journey back through the pages of history and perhaps relive a memory or two. Many thanks to Matt for his generosity in sharing. God bless you, my friend.
Long before Bill France Senior was even born, much less NASCAR, a race track opened in Central New Jersey. The Trenton Speedway was opened in the year 1900, one of the first such facilities of its type in the country, back when automobiles were still rarities. The half mile dirt oval was replaced by a one mile dirt track just prior to World War 2, then paved in 1957. It took 58 years after the track opened for a NASCAR Grand National race to be run on the track, but the spiritual forefather of Pocono and Dover hosted 8 Grand National events in its history. Trenton also served as one of the most exciting stops for the Northern Modified series for many years.
The first Grand National race at Trenton was held on Memorial Day weekend of 1958. NASCAR’s rising superstar of that era, Fireball Roberts, won the race handily over another star of the era, Junior Johnson in a Ford. (Junior was back competing full time that year, after a brief stint in jail for making moonshine.) In an odd development, the pole winner for the event, Frank Schneider, never started the race. The automobile factories had withdrawn their support of NASCAR in 1957, so it was not uncommon for drivers to ask promoters for appearance money for showing up at the track, to offset expenses. Schneider got a little greedy and the promoters refused to pay, so he hauled his car home. NASCAR suspended him for the stunt, and Schneider never raced again in the Grand National series.
The 1959 Trenton race was won by Tom Pistone, one of the few Northern drivers of the era. (Because of his Italian ancestry and Chicago home address, Pistone was dogged by accusations he was funded by the mob throughout his career. Chris Economacki once quipped Tom’s race car was the only one with a hood behind the wheel.) Pistone rubbed out the competition that day, and held off a hard charging Cotton Owens by 12 seconds for the win. Lee Petty, who would win that year’s championship, came home third. His son Richard, still a part time racer at that point, had a less successful run at Trenton that day. The King to Be brought out the day’s only caution flag when he slugged the wall on lap 95. Richard would get his vindication at the track, but it was going to take awhile. After the 1959 race, the Grand National series didn’t run at Trenton again until 1967.
NASCAR had come a long way in those intervening years, and Bill France was trying to bring his organization to the next level. Part of the plan was for stock car racing to lose its image as a strictly regional sport, indigenous to the Southeast. Thus France added the “Northern Tour” to the schedule each summer. Some, but certainly not all, of the big name drivers would head North each year to compete against the locals at tracks like Thompson Connecticut, Malta New York, Islip, Long Island, and of course Trenton. Richard Petty had also come a long way in those intervening years. No longer a rookie, he had become a driver as dominant as the sport had ever seen, and Trenton was one of his 27 victories that year. Darel Dieringer did make Richard work hard for his money that day, and the two swapped the lead back and forth between them throughout the race. Despite finishing ninth, one of the heroes of the day was underdog Bobby Allison. Allison, a racer’s racer, wanted to compete in every race he could. Thus he assembled a race car, with a small amount of financial help from a gentleman by the name of JD Bracken. The car was a low budget effort, a 65 Chevelle, that by some accounts was an insurance write off after being involved in a flood, equipped with a small block Chevy. Most of the Northern tour races were run on short tracks, so with the weight break NASCAR gave small block equipped cars, Allison could at least hope to run with the big dogs. At Trenton however, he was at a decided disadvantage to the big Hemis and Ford 427s. Allison manhandled his car to the lead pack, only to be felled by overheating problems and a blown tire. Still, that spirited drive, along with a win at Oxford, Maine and a second at Fonda NY during that year’s Northern Tour, helped Bobby Allison catch the eye of Fred Lorenzen. Lorenzen would give Allison his first factory backed ride later that year.
LeeRoy Yarbrough had replaced Dieringer as Junior Johnson’s driver in 1968. The pairing had failed to yield the expected results. Yarbrough turned his season around at Trenton in 1968, beating David Pearson by over a lap. Once again driving an independent small block Chevelle that year, Bobby Allison managed to finish third. The combination of Yarbrough and Johnson would go on a tear on the big tracks in 1969.
The Trenton track had been lengthened to 1.5 miles when the Grand National circuit paid their visit there during the annual Northern Pilgrimage. The new length came with an odd feature. The track owners had wanted to lengthen the track, but an elderly woman whose property they needed to buy behind the back straight refused to sell. Thus they were forced to put a big dog leg that went into the infield along the back straight to have the track lengthened. The resultant track was not a true oval, but was shaped like a kidney. Drivers were forced to take a right half way down the back straight. If the drivers were a little confused, the tire engineers were even more baffled. The high loads the track put on tires caused rampant failures. Recall the cars, with their heavy weight and ever escalating horsepower output, were already on the ragged edge of tire technology of the day. The situation would culminate with the infamous Talladega boycott. Bobby Isaac’s Hemi Dodge was clearly the class of the field that day, but problems with tires blistering late in the event dropped him to third, a lap off the pace. Petty’s day was also hampered by tire troubles. David Pearson “slowed down to go faster” and won that race in a Holman-Moody Ford. He would go on to win that year’s championship as well.
When the Grand National scene returned to Trenton in 1970, they bought along a strange looking menagerie of car’s as well, including a flock of Superbirds and Dodge Daytonas with their trademark high tail fins. Richard Petty’s Superbird just wasn’t up to speed in practice for the event, and the crew couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Richard wound up slapping the wall. Because it was the only car they had with them, the Petty Engineering crew made hasty hammer and duct tape repairs to the Plymouth. When Richard returned to the track, he was a half second faster a lap. Both the King and the crew were left scratching their heads, but the tale had a happy ending, when Richard won the race. It was only Richard’s second superspeedway win of the year, and it seemed appropriate the race on the oddly shaped hacked together track, was won by an oddly shaped hacked together car. Bobby Allison, a perennial Northern Tour favorite, came home second.
The King won again at Trenton in 1971. Early in the going he was dogged by Pete Hamilton, but Buddy Baker, who had lost his brakes, wound up smashing into Hamilton’s Plymouth. Despite the wreck, and not having brakes, ironically enough, Buddy managed to finish second. Once again Allison had a fine run, and wound up third.
The Northern Tour was no more in 1972. Most of the events on the annual swing North had been held on short tracks, and NASCAR’s new title sponsor, RJ Reynolds, was not interested in any race of less than 250 miles being on the schedule. Of all the tracks up North, Trenton was the only one left of the old Northern Tour stomping grounds. (Dover Downs had also started holding races in 1969.) Bobby Allison, who had always run so strong at Trenton finally got the victory that had eluded him that day. Ironically enough, considering Allison had started racing up North in those old Chevys, he was at the wheel of a Richard Howard owned Monte Carlo that year. It was the first season a Chevrolet was competitive since the early 60s. Bobby Isaac actually seemed to have a faster car, and gave Allison all he could handle, but had to settle for second, 1.4 seconds behind Allison. Richard Petty was third.
No one knew it that day, but the 1972 event was to be the last of NASCAR’s top league events as the track. The track did have a date on the 1973 schedule, and in fact the teams showed up and even had qualifying for that race. Rain moved into the area and the race had to be canceled. It was never rescheduled.
There is talk now of returning NASCAR racing to New Jersey on a superspeedway outside of Atlantic City. While the plan’s future is currently uncertain, one thing is for sure. The track will not be kidney shaped, like the odd old track in Trenton.
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I’d love to see a new kidney bean shaped track, although I’d take a 1/2 mile track and make it about a 3/4 mile track with the dogleg.
Let me clarify my statement – I wouldn’t alter any current half mile track.
But I’d like to see (oh, say, maybe in Fontana) a 3/4 miler with the outward dogleg like Trenton instead of the 2 miler that’s there now.
Fontana could only benefit from that, and yes, I’m mindful that is a “Home track” for you. Be happy that Irwindale is back. Fontana would make a great fish pond… or shopping center.
Wouldn’t bother me either Michael. I like right turns… and real drivers can make them. Didn’t we “almost” have something like that at Phoenix before they went and “fixed” it? Thanks for your comments. They are always welcome here.
And speaking of Phoenix… Here’s my recap of the Cup race Sunday, as promised.
First off, Saturday night the wife & I were out to get a bite to eat in Glendale near their new Football Stadium & Hockey Arena and who do we see strolling around? Ryan Newman, just walking about in a 39 Army shirt. And at our hotel earlier (the Renaissance) was Joey Logano, post-Nationwide race, there with what appeared to be Penske crew guys.
Now onto the race. We got up early and headed toward the track around 9:00. That got us into the track in about 40 minutes (from leaving the hotel in Glendale). Not bad. After tailgating for a bit, we headed in, past the merchandise trailers and into the race.
The B-17 flyby was very cool. The weather was interesting – it’s twice now that we’ve been to a race in Phoenix and have been rained on (although this time it was just barely rain, more like drops).
The new cars do look very cool up close and in person. The racing was good, especially after a restart. After a while, it got to be single file for stretches, but there was intermittent passing that I’m guessing (from what I’ve read) wasn’t shown on TV. One thing of interest was the number of start & parkers who didn’t park. The 87, the 36 & 7 cars, and the 32 all seemed to be running towards the end, although some had incurred damage or had spent some time behind the wall.
The crowd was good, very into the race. Danica had a large contingent of fans there, and a lot of them were bummed out when she blew a tire and hit the wall (and bounced off David Ragan).
It will be interesting to see how the crew chiefs will be able to adjust these Gen 6 cars, especially on the cookie cutters. Hopefully they get the bugs worked out and allow for some side by side racing and for passing. There was passing at Phoenix, but a lot of it used the roller coaster dip on the dogleg to cut a corner and shove your way in front of the car you’re racing. Not too many of these dips / shortcut on the cookie cutter tracks.
Anyway, we had a great time out there for the Cup race. And really, any day at the race is a good day.
Michael, thanks so much for remembering to tell us about Phoenix. I remembered seeing this come in last night and making a mental note to answer it, as I was on the laptop, getting ready for the “Goat Rodeo” on radio. This morning, this was the third post I checked before finding it. ~LOL~
Love your wonderment at seeing drivers and crews walking among us, the great unwashed. I guess you are too young to remember when it was that way at most races. They didn’t always live in giant Motor Coaches, fly in whenever it suited them and hired bodyguards to keep us away as some do today.
North Wilkesboro was probably the smallest of towns we visited while chasin’ racin’, but it was also the most hospitable. The little town rolled out red carpets for racers and race fans alike. We all stayed in the local hotels and motels, and we all ate at the local restaurants. Jam sessions and sing-alongs in parking lots were commonplace. It was a very different time, and I’m thrilled that you got to experience just a tiny bit of old-time fun in racing.
I told you it didn’t matter what track you were at; ;if you are there, AT the race, you are part of the experience and you can’t help but have a great time.
Thanks also for the confirmation that there was indeed passing at Phoenix. I suspect that is the case at most tracks we hear described as “Parades.” The cameras just choose to concentrate on those first three cars, and to heck with anything going on out back. One quick note here… the #32 has never been a start and parker. It’s low budget, to be sure, and decidedly not the fastest horse in the barn, but it chugs along each week, with the driver du jour, finishing laps down, but barring a crash, finishing.
And now on to Las Vegas. Any chance you get to go to that one too?
Unfortunately I missed out on the time when the drivers mingled with the unwashed masses out there. And with that a lot of great races at tracks like North Wilkesboro. Tis a shame.
And thank you for the note on the 32 – yes, they aren’t start & parkers, but they do run a limited schedule correct?
As for Las Vegas this weekend, the wife & I did LVMS last year (Edwards won at that race too) and it was much too much a parade for my preference.
Take care and have a great Wednesday!
Michael, if the #32 isn’t in a race, it’s probably because they didn’t make it in. With careful use of Terry Labonte’s Championship provisional, they have been able to keep the little car in most races, and last year, in the top 35 in points. I love Ken Schrader and have a world of admiration for Frankie Stoddard for doing what all the rest say can’t be done… running an independent team in the face of all the multi-car big-money teams.
The little team that could! And Kenny Schrader is a big favorite. He was great back when he was on This Week In Nascar with Dave Despain. Plus, the guy just wants to race. How can you not like that?
“Trenton also served as one of the most exciting stops for the Northern Modified series for many years.”
One minor or major (depending on your residence, I guess) change needs to be made to Matt’s statement from his piece on one of my favorite places. The word “Northern” needs to be deleted.
Between 1958-1971, NASCAR sanctioned 9 major National Championship Modified races at Trenton. In later years they were broadcast on MRN radio.
Of those 9 races, 1 was won by North Carolinian Carl Burris and 4 by Virginian Ray Hendrick – both southerners who led huge fields of cars, sometimes numbering 60, to the checkers. You’ll note when checking the results that one year Ray beat Alabamaian Red Farmer for the win. In those days Modified was king at many southern NASCAR weekly tracks and those Trenton races had huge numbers of southern modified stars.
In fact, in the 1966 Trenton NASCAR National Championship Modified Classic, the first 3 finishers – Ray Hendrick, Bill Dennis and Runt Harris – all hailed from the “Capital of the Confereracy” – Richmond, Virginia and competed every Friday night at Richmond’s Southside Speedway.
It was one of the greatest shows in NASCAR and fierce southern/northern rivalries made it all the more exciting. But the southern drivers prevailed 5-4 in those 9 Trenton Modified Classics!
I’ll leave the deleting to Matt. He gave me this huge and wonderful volume of work, and aside from spelling and punctuation, I would not dream of changing one word of all that he trusted me to keep inviolate. Last time I consulted my Atlas, Trenton was still in New Jersey, and that good neighbor of my home state, New York, was still above that Mason-Dixon Line you are so proud of. That to me makes “Northern” the proper descriptive adjective when speaking of the old track. Because Southerners raced there does not change its geographical location.
My point was not the Trenton track’s physical location, but the fact that the NASCAR Modified series in those days was a huge National Series, not just a “Northern” modified series as it later became. Post-60s it became very much a northern series following the beginning of the “tour” concept and the push by NASCAR to drop the modified class at the weekly southern tracks. The Trenton race in those days was the Big Shootout between the northern and southern NASCAR modified drivers.
Those races were awesome. Wish we could turn back the clock. Back then half the cars at Trenton hailed from places like Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama and Maryland.
What made Trenton so unique to the NASCAR Modified division was that it was the one really big speedway race and it drew the best from all the weekly NASCAR Modified tracks all over the country. From where I hailed in Virginia, we had no NASCAR late models racing in those days. Modified coupes were the #1 NASCAR division at all Virginia NASCAR tracks (Richmond, South Boston, Langley, Old Dominion) just as they were at Birmingham and Huntsville in the deep, deep south.
One of the things that made Trenton so special to everybody was the fact that you had Allisons and Carusos and Farmers and Hendricks and Zimmermans and Lunds and Yarbroughs and Hutchins all in coupes on the same track. That didn’t happen anywhere else in NASCAR except the Martinsville modified shows. Trenton was the only Modified race in the country except Martinsville that had a national radio broadcast.
My original premise was that the original Trenton modified races predated the Northerness of today’s NASCAR modified racing. It was truly a wonderfully blended field of the best of the best from all the weekly NASCAR modified tracks up and down the east and Gulf coasts.
The Trenton track’s NJ location in the atlas had no bearing with the NASCAR National Modified division in the 50s & 60s being northern or southern. It was both. And the Trenton NASCAR National Championship Modified races had fields that we can only dream of today. I was happy to have seen Matt highlight a place often overlooked by many. Some of NASCAR’s greatest events were waged there.
The two links below will provide some illustration of the north/south rivalry and national scope of the big modified races at Trenton “back in the day.”
http://www.thevintageracer.com/tracks/trenton.htm
http://api.ning.com/files/PQbexpVTEJFTFo03dolegrhE20RqIHXiBN504s23dfxenGm02s7LwEFQLyMgxvQE1Ui35zUcZ-PdjbkPBOT-KZImcGze3yQ5/Trenton2001966.jpg