Racing History Minute - October 21, 1973

As we wind down the 2013 season with the "silly chase" scenario, we are going back in time today to 1973 when the title was decided by the dedicated effort of not just ONE team, but several. It was a time when the spirit of the sport was more apparent than the selfishness of the sport. It was also a time when NASCAR was running on the wonderful track in Rockingham, NC. So, come with me now as we travel back 40 years to a sunny Sunday afternoon at North Carolina Motor Speedway for the "American 500".

Richard Petty qualified his STP Dodge on the pole with a speed of 135.748 mph. David Pearson in the Wood Brothers Purolater Mercury would start second, Donnie Allison in the DiGard Chevy third, Bobby Allison in a Chevy fourth and Benny Parsons in the L.G. DeWitt Chevy fifth.

The American 500 was the 28th and final race of the 1973 season. Benny Parsons started the race with a 194.35 point lead over Richard Petty. Petty was a heavy favorite even before winning the pole because he ran the track well and he had either won or finished second in the previous three races leading up to Rockingham. Parsons, while a great driver and very popular, just didn't seem to have the car to win the championship, although leading the points.

David Pearson blasted into the lead when the green flag waved and led the first 20 laps before Coo Coo Marlin led a lap in his Chevy. Laps 22-28 belonged to David Sisco. 48,000 fans watched Pearson, Sisco, Dick Brooks, Cale Yarborough, and Bobby Allison trade the lead back and forth. Fans were also witnessing a miracle in progress with the Benny Parsons car.

On lap 13 of the 492 lap race, Benny and Johnny Barnes tangled which literally destroyed the Parson car. When the number 72 of Parsons was towed into the pits and dropped from the wrecker, the entire right side of the car was gone. The wheels were torn off, the axles broken and, in short, there wasn't enough left to make a good haul to a junk yard. Now, witness the miracle. The miracle that WAS racing in those days.

When the wrecked unhooked, Parsons, crew went to work. Within seconds, members of other crews were there helping. Still in the garage was a car that had failed to qualified. Immediately that car was being stripped for parts necessary to get Parsons back into the race. Benny, sure his day was over and the championship hopes gone, watched, perhaps in awe, perhaps in disbelief, as the car was being put back together. Suddenly, after losing 136 laps, Benny Parsons roared back onto the track to the roar of the crowd. Underdog Parsons could still pull off this championship as the second place in the standings, Petty, had fallen out of the race several laps earlier with broken cam shaft. Benny would motor on to a 28th place finish and clinch his first and only Winston Cup Championship.

1. David Pearson, Wood Brothers Mercury, winning $16,795.00

2. Buddy Baker, K&K Insurance Dodge, winning $11,050.00 (1 lap down)

3. Cale Yarborough, Richard Howard Chevrolet, winning $7,925.00 (1 lap down)

4. Bobby Allison, Allison Chevrolet, winning $6,525.00 ((4 laps down)

5. Dave Marcis, Roger Penske Matador, winning $4,175.00 (4 laps down)

6. Donnie Allison

7. Richard Brooks

8. Charlie Glotzbach

9. Lennie Pond

10. Coo Coo Marlin

11. Cecil Gordon

12. Elmo Langley

13. Johnny Rutherford

14. Richard Childress

15.David Sisco

16. Tony Bettenhausen

17. Henley Gray

18. Jabe Thomas

19. James Hylton

20. J. D. McDuffie

21. Ed Negre

22. Walter Ballard

23. Dean Dalton

24. Buddy Arrington

25. Gordon Johncock

26. PeeWee Wentz

27. Darrell Waltrip

28. Benny Parsons

29. Eddie Bond

30. Bill Champion

31. Jody Ridley

32. Jim Vandiver

33. John Sears

34. Charlie Roberts

35. Richard Petty

36. Richie Panch

37. Paul Tyler

38. Neil Castles

39. Richared Bown

40. Joe Frasson

41. G. G. Spencer

42. Johnny Barnes

43. Frank Warren

PERSONAL NOTE: This was the year before my parents got their first motorhome so we were sitting next to the fence midway between turns one and two. We always listened to the races through our radio headsets. We saw the Parson's car when it wrecked and although we were sad for Parsons, we figured (being Petty fans) this was the chance Richard needed to win the championship.

After a bit, the announcers said there were crews swarming all over the Parsons wreck so I walked over to the fence behind the garage to see what was going on. I saw the car and all the guys working on it but dismissed any chances of returning to the race as sheer folly. From time to time the announcers would say something about the work progressing but I never believed the car would be back on track.

The lap came when the red and blue number 43 did not come by when it was supposed to and the radio informed us Richard was behind the wall. In a couple minutes it was confirmed that he was out of the race. I remember sitting down in the lawn chair, ready to watch the rest of the race but no one really to cheer for.

Suddenly, tentatively and slowly on the apron, came the number 72 of Benny Parsons. The crowd was going crazy and I watched the car pass in front of me. You could see completely through the car on the right side. Only the roll bars remained in place on the right side. I found myself standing and cheering widly as Benny went by. I watched the rest of the race pulling for Benny Parsons, almost in disbelief that he was even out there. At that point, the championship for Richard didn't matter half as much to me as the spirit of "never give up" something I strongly believe in. Every lap that Parsons went by was another lap in the book of the "little engine that could". "I think I can, I think I can, I KNOW I CAN". And Benny did it that day.

As we always did, we went to the pits after the race. After talking to Richard and gettting our autographs (by then I must have had 10,000 of his) we tried to find Benny Parsons. I never did get to talk to him that day but I did talk to him at Daytona in February. He was everything you would want a champion to be and even more importantly, he and those pit crews proved that you should always keep on getting after it. Adversity gives you reason to try harder.

So, thank you Benny Parsons, and all those crew members, who taught some, and reminded others, that all things are possible when you don't give up.

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

Several neat photos have been shared here at RacersReunion of BP's car.

This one isn't on RR - and not sure where I got it. But it really shows the devastation of BP's accident.

From Ray Lamm collection

The hastily, patched-up 72 - from Ray Lamm collection

From Andy Towler collection

From Ray Lamm collection

At the Rockingham truck race last spring, my friends texted me this photo of a restored tribute car for folks to help remember the efforts of Parsons and the L.G. DeWitt crew that day.

Race program

Tim may know something about this shot of the Allison brothers racing. Wait. What? Tim, did you shoot a photo of not one but TWO Allisons?

From Team SC Midlands collection

Colbert Seagraves has these 2 pics of Cale Yarborough pitting at Rockingham in 1973. Judging by the short-sleeves, I'm thinking they may be from the American 500 in mid-October vs. the Carolina 500 in mid-March.

From Colbert Seagraves

From Colbert Seagraves

A poignant photo - though one obscured a bit by the Getty watermark. Bobby Allison celebrating Clifford's 9th birthday on October 20.

Another look at BP's demolished Chevy coming in on the hook.

The DeWitt crew thrashes on the 72 to get it back into the race in the hopes of salvaging the title.

The championship team: Travis Carter, L.G. DeWitt and Benny Parsons.

Benny making his champion's speech at the 1973 awards dinner.

1973 was the second and last time a GN / Cup season ended at Rockingham. The first time was 1966.

Race report from Daytona Beach Morning Journal .

And column about the feel-good story of the 72 team's recovery from Wilmington NC Star-News .

I, too, had the greart good fortune to be at this race - sitting in the top rows between turn 4 and the start/finish line with my best buddy, Frank, who was accompanied by his new bride, Sandy. They'd driven down to meet us in Wilson, NC from Yorktown, Virginia where Frank's Coast Guard assignment had recently taken them from his previous assignnment in Cape May, New Jersey.

Accompanying me was my soon to be bride, Joyce, watching her first NASCAR race of any kind, although she'd watched "our" '55 Chevy driven by Danny Lee race at Wilson and Chantilly Speedway on the dirt.

I was actually much more interested in how the Rookie of the Year battle would turn out between my hometown area driver, Lennie Pond and that big mouth from Owensboro, Kentucky who my future wife thought was "the best looking driver in racing."

I tried over the roar of engines to explain to my wife to be the drama unfolding as teams scrambled to help Benny repair the L.G. DeWitt car. I don't think she understood.

Anyway, we were married 13 days later on a beautiful November afternoon 40 years ago and Joyce continued to pull for DW until we started the Wrangler racing program in 1980. I felt some measure of revenge when the special NASCAR panel voted Lennie Rookie of the Year over DW.

If only Joyce had seen this 'do upon DW's head back in 73...

Thank you, Chase! I'll be sure to show her!

i remember this day very well i always pulled for parsons one of the nicest guys to have ever put a helmet on and i agree with dave on lennie being named rookie of the year instead of that shaggy headed motormouth dw

Chase, The car seen at the truck race was the real deal, not a tribute. If I remember right it was found in New Mexico after it had been retired from dirt track duty. The man who bought it had it restored by some of the same crew that worked on it at Rockingham in 1973. I had the good fortune of seeing the car just before the restoration was finished. It was restored by Tex Powell, Richie Barz and Les Barz. All three of these men worked on getting the Chevy back on the track that day at the Rock.

Wow. Very cool. Just presumed it was a great looking replica. Too many times these days I've heard of "restored" cars when they've simply been built as similar replicas (Petty Museum is full of 'em). Awesome too that Richie Barz had a had in it.

Source: MoparDealer.com

Richie's racing resume is HOF material. Master fabricator that worked on some history making race cars from the Ford GT-40 to Championship stock cars.

To give a name to the anonymous roll bar donor, that would be Bobby Mausgrover who made a sacrificial lamb of his car...Memory is fuzzy on the details but it seems that Ralph Moody played a part in that deal...Not sure as time has put a fog on that part!

You reckon there ever was a race that the Ellington car was legal? Lol...Seems to be the contrary.

Thanks, Dennis. It is great to know the background on this car. What a tribute to Benny and all the guys who worked so hard that Sunday afternoon.

I did shoot the two Allisons. Sorry if that was not a good thing. Please note, however, there is NO D.W. in the photo.

Good question William. Hope someone with background knowledge can answer that. lol

Charles, we certainly think alike, don't we? lol

Thanks for adding this information William. I love it when folks like you come in with information my books and my memory can't provide. Thank you so much for adding to this History Minute.

Thanks, Billy B. Very nice addition to the History Minute and your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Even Ellington's first name around the track - Hoss - wasn't legal. LOL

Thanks for the information verification Billy...I was drawing off my memory page and it is getting smaller by the day!

Glad to add when I can Tim... You usually have my memory pretty much covered so there is not much I can throw in...Thanks for the articles, we do read 'em!

Chase you are so right!!!! Tim, Since my outlook on the black/white/grey issue is and always has been border line warped, I will say I will reserve speaking on what little fact that I do know on grounds it may incriminate 'EVERYBODY'', LOL!.. Always went by ...you did not cheat unless you got caught...The tree falling silently in the forest when no one is around kind of thinking...A racing criminals survival instinct /mentality I guess..Gotta admit though, I did have some really, really good teachers that did not mind listening to an off the wall idea!

Sorry for the spelling error. Richie and Les Bartz. Spelled it like I heard it pronounced.

S

On Tuesday, following the Rockingham race, NASCAR announced some news that made Richmond area fans very happy and I'm sure put a grin on the face of Tim Leeming. As reported in the Spartanburg paper:

Yep, I loved it. Way to go Lennie.