Racing History Minute - June 30, 1956

Today we are heading to Chicago and the famous half-mile paved track known as Soldier Field, while although not located in the Southeastern United States, is well known in stock car racing history. Fred Lorenzen and Tiger Tom Pistone are both products of that facilityand we are all familiar with the contributions of each of those gentlemen to the sport.

The event we are covering today is a 100 mile/200 lap CONVERTIBLE event. While the rainy weather in Kentucky last night would not have suited a convertible ride, the race in Chicago on this date in 1956 was suitable enough to draw 38,000 fans for the race. Just imagine that crowd at a half-mile track!

Records I have show only that Curtis Turner was on the pole in his DePaolo Ford. Turner would lead from lap one until lap 194 when Tiger Tom would slip by to lead a very hotly contested last six laps to win by three car lengths over Turner. Pistone had spun out on lap 165 while running second but he remained on the lead lap and a caution flag put him in position to contest the win with Turner. The only real "wreck" of the race happened on the first lap when Larry Frank and Dick Joslin contested for the same part of the track and wrecked, putting both cars out of the race. Joe Weatherly had been a contender until his brakes failed him on lap 110.

Tiger Tom was bouncing around with happiness after the win. He had so wanted to win one before his hometown fans and he had done it! A part of his celebration was winning such a close one of Curtis Turner. It was Tiger's first NASCAR win.

Top five finishers were:

1. Tiger Tom Pistone, Pistone Chevrolet, winning $650.00

2. Curtis Turner, DePaolo Engineering Ford, winning $525.00

3. Bill Lutz, Ford, winning $400.00

4. Larry Odo, Odo Chevrolet, winning $320.00

5. Jimmy Massey, Hubert Westmoreland Chevrolet, winning $290.00

Sixth through tenth were Allen Adkins, Glen Wood, Bill Cornwall, Jud Larson and Pete Peterson. Bob Welborn finished 11th to hold onto his points lead although losing points to competitor Odo in second place who used his fourth place finish to make slight headway.

Jimmie Lewallen finished 15th, Joe Weatherly 16th, and Possum Jones 18th. Gene Blair was 22nd, Larry Frank 23rd and in 24th and final position was Dick Joslin.

When I was preparing this "Minute" I was surprised by the relatively small payout to drivers when the crowd was 38,000 strong. Just did seem fair to me but I'm sure the win was worth a million to Tiger Tom.

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

The Chicago newspapers have news story accounts of this race on their pay per view sites. Maybe TMC Chase can come up with a race report elsewhere. The mention below is from a racing column in the Reading (PA) Eagle.

Teammates Curtis Turner and Joe Weatherly started on the inside and outside pole in their Pete Depaolo prepared Fords followed by the #33 Chevy of Jimmy Massey and the #86 Buick of Don Oldenburg for the start of the June 30, 1956 NASCAR Convertible race at Chicago's 1/2-mile Soldier Field layout as captured in this King George photo. Winner, Tiger Tom Pistone's '56 Chevy convertible #5 is visible on the inside row still on the straight.

I didn't realize there had been several different configurations of Chicago's Soldier Field auto track. Their member, Olen McGuire made this post about the track on the website AutoRacingMemories.com in 2009:

Chicago's Soldier Field Racing History
Soldier Field has, in addition to serving as home to the Chicago Bears, served as an auto racing venue at various times in its long history. The final auto racing track was torn out in 1970. The original stadium was gutted and rebuilt in 2002.

Soldier Field was built in 1924 and was called Grant Park Stadium. It was renamed to Soldier Field the following year. The first racing was on May 19th, 1935 on a 1/4 mile cinder oval. A 1/4 mile banked board oval was built for an 8 day long midget racing festival that ran June 17th, 1939 to June 25th, 1939. A 1/4 mile dirt oval operated from May 4th 1942 through May 31st, 1942.

Post war, a 1/4 mile paved oval operated from June 16th, 1946 to September 1st, 1958, and again from May 14th, 1960 through 1966 (The 1/4 mile track had been removed in 1959 for the Pan-Am games.) A 1/2 mile paved oval operated from July 21st, 1956 through 1958, and from June 17th, 1961 through 1967.

A NASCAR race ran on the 1/2 mile oval on July 21st, 1956. The final track was a 3/8 mile paved oval which ran in 1967 through June 1968. The track was torn out in 1970 in anticipation of the Chicago Bears moving to the stadium; removal of the track facilitated the construction of more seating.

The fate of the track is in a league all by itself. According to famed NASCAR historian Greg Fielden,the Soldier Field track was torn out of the stadium in 1970 following protests by HIPPIES who objected to city financing of auto racing.Is that not bizarre?

Found this brief race recap in Daytona Beach Morning Journal for free. I'm not paying for Chicago's newspaper. Only thing I want pay for in Chicago is a deep dish pizza.

No Chicago dogs?!

If I'm going to travel for a dog, I prefer getting a Sabrett or Hebrew National from a NYC street vendor. So pizza is my thing for Chi-town.

Plus, we have some pretty doggone good dog places right here in Nashville including the appropriately named [ The Dog of Nashville ]. Features one of my faves: The Barnyard, a brat covered with pulled pork and slaw. Whoo doggy!

Chase, I'd ask you to bring me one of those barnyard brats but don't think it would get down here in one piece....lol....

I posted this a couple of years back, but for those who never had the pleasure of grabbing a dog on the way to Wilson County Speedway:

I'd direct you to Dick's Hot Dog Stand in Wilson, NC, the place we always got the dogs we took to Wilson County Speedway. Dick's is a national treasure, having been featured on the PBS show "Vanishing Americana" and listed by ChoppedOnion as one of the top-10 dog places in the country. In fact, when we sporadically visit Wilson, we have to take several coolers to bring back dogs ordered by folks in Charlotte who know their eastern NC delicacies. We also bring back barbecue.

Photos from Chopped Onion Website

Review of Dick's Hot Dog Stand from "Chopped Onion"

Until recently, I have only known Wilson, North Carolina to be the home of several outstanding Q houses. Now, I know that it's also the hometown of a world class hotdog stand. Dick's Hotdog Stand founded in 1921 by Socrates "Dick" Gliarmis is on the corner of Nash & Pearson Street in Wilson. Dick's is a Wilson institution, but it's also a museum of sorts. Inside, the walls are covered with photos of all the famous swells, celebrities and corkers that have visited Dick's over the years. Celebrities include Stan Musial, Ava Gardner, President Jimmy Carter, Steve Young, Harris Barton, Jerry Rice, Coach Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden, Joe Paterno, Bob Uecker, Jim Lampley, Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster and Burt Reynolds. The photo collection is impressive, but for me, the real stars @ Dick's are the top quality hotdogs; you won't find any nuclear red dogs here. Their dogs are grilled and the buns are steamed. I had three dogs with a side of onion rings. My dogs were topped with mustard, onions and Dick's homemade chili. The dogs were simply outstanding! And my lightly fried rings with their great sweet taste were equally outstanding and also very addictive. The hot-dogs were so outstanding in fact, that they will easily find a spot in my top ten best hot-dogs of the American Realm. The homemade chili that tops those dogs is so good that the Campbell Soup Company tried to buy the recipe without success. Enjoy!

Race preview and ad from June 30, 1956 Chicago Tribune

Race report from July 1 Tribune

Tiger Tom Pistone was one of the truly great drivers , never treted as the /star he was . Think the world of Tiger !