In 1967, I saw the Marty Robbins' racing movie "Hell on Wheels" at a movie theater in Dunn, NC.
It featured weekly racing at the Nashville Fairgrounds and was (in my opinion) a pretty bad movie.
Until I stumbled on a six minute opening clip on YouTube , I was not aware of a movie Marty made in 1972, titled "Country Music" in which he takes west coast country music DJ Sammy Jackson of radio station KLAC on a tour of country music life.
The movie opens with scenes shot at Ontario Motor Speedway - specifically the 1972 Miller High Life 500 on March 5, 1972. Marty was actually entered in the race in his #42 Dodge and posted an exemplary 8th place finish in the 51-car field! Marty's car was sponsored by station KLAC for the race, so they got a double pop.
In the brief clip, which is the movie opening, you'll be introduced to the DJ and hear an interview with Richard Petty and Bobby Allison. Richard would finish one position behind teammate, Buddy Baker's STP Dodge. If you listen closely during the interview segment, you'll hear the race track P.A. announcer giving the qualifying time of 6th place finisher, Hershel McGriff.
From the lost movie vault, the opening of "Country Music" follows. Enjoy!
In addition to the 51 starters in the race won by AJ Foyt for the Wood Brothers, over 50 other drivers failed to make the field! Over 100 cars attempeted qualifying runs. You'll see the drivers who didn't make it (many you'll recognize) listed below the results from Racing Reference:
1972 Miller High Life 500
NASCAR Winston Cup race number 4 of 31
March 5, 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario, CA
200 laps on a 2.500 mile paved track (500.0 miles)
Time of race: 3:56:04
Average Speed: 127.082 mph
Pole Speed: 153.217 mph Cautions: 4 for 31 laps
Margin of Victory: 4.2 sec
Attendance: 68,498
Lead changes: 36
Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led
1 1 21 A.J. Foyt Purolator (Wood Brothers) '71 Mercury 200 31,695 running 132
2 2 12 Bobby Allison Coca-Cola (Richard Howard) '72 Chevrolet 200 16,945 running 20
3 4 11 Buddy Baker STP (Petty Enterprises) '72 Dodge 200 11,670 running 6
4 3 43 Richard Petty STP (Petty Enterprises) '72 Plymouth 199 9,970 running 17
5 8 96W Ray Elder Olympia Brewing Company (Fred Elder) '72 Dodge 194 5,845 running 3
6 11 4W Hershel McGriff The Cousins (Beryl Jackson) '70 Plymouth 193 4,470 running 0
7 25 48 James Hylton Madden Food Systems / Pop Kola (James Hylton) '71 Ford 191 4,435 running 0
8 22 42 Marty Robbins KLAC 570 Radio (Marty Robbins) '72 Dodge 190 3,445 running 0
9 24 64 Elmo Langley Elmo Langley '71 Ford 188 3,370 running 0
10 10 9 Ramo Stott Housby Racing (Jack Housby) '72 Plymouth 188 2,575 running 0
11 26 61 Jimmy Finger Brookehill-Dellcrest Funeral Homes (Don Bierschwale) '71 Ford 188 2,480 running 0
12 15 17W Jack McCoy Ernie Conn '71 Dodge 186 2,420 running 0
13 19 3W John Soares, Jr. John Soares Racing Enterprises (John Soares, Jr.) '70 Dodge 186 2,345 running 0
14 9 72 Benny Parsons L.G. DeWitt '71 Mercury 185 2,845 running 13
15 40 6W Bill Butts Speedway Eng. / Floyd & Howerton Plumbing (Gary Sigman) '72 Dodge 185 2,220 running 0
16 48 1W Cliff Garner Bill Champion '71 Ford 185 1,495 running 0
17 33 91W Johnny Anderson Conner's Muffler / Adams Machine Shop (Don Nuzum) '72 Chevrolet 184 2,170 running 0
18 13 2W Dick Bown Ober Logging (Mike Ober) '72 Plymouth 184 2,170 running 0
19 35 84W Jim Danielson J&L Body Shop (Jim Danielson) '71 Mercury 184 2,120 running 0
20 17 10 Bill Champion Bill Champion '71 Ford 182 2,620 running 0
21 31 76 Ben Arnold Ben Arnold '71 Ford 182 2,085 running 0
22 28 32W Kevin Terris Sta-Power / Brunswick Industries (Dean Barnicle) '72 Plymouth 180 2,070 running 0
23 43 70 J.D. McDuffie McDuffie Engineering (J.D. McDuffie) '71 Chevrolet 180 2,545 running 0
24 39 34W Markey James Tony Oddo '72 Chevrolet 179 1,995 running 0
25 42 7 Dean Dalton Dean Dalton '71 Mercury 179 2,025 running 0
26 30 47 Raymond Williams Raymond Williams '71 Ford 179 1,970 flagged 0
27 37 44W Jim Whitt Dean Barnicle '71 Ford 178 1,920 running 0
28 12 20 George Altheide George Altheide '70 Dodge 178 1,920 running 0
29 38 95W Bob Kauf Wrought Iron Company (Paul Stockwell) '72 Chevrolet 174 1,870 engine 0
30 47 39W Carl Adams Paul Burchard '71 Ford 174 1,845 running 0
31 32 19 Henley Gray Henley Gray '71 Ford 173 2,330 running 0
32 34 77 Charlie Roberts Charlie Roberts '71 Ford 173 1,795 running 0
33 49 27W Chuck Bown Rose Auto Wrecking (Dick Bown) '70 Plymouth 165 1,770 engine 0
34 46 40W Les Loeser San Fernando Valley Lumber Co. (Jerry Lankford) '72 Chevrolet 164 1,745 tires 0
35 51 82W Ron Gautsche Tognotti's Speed Shop (Ron Gautsche) '71 Ford 160 1,720 running 0
36 14 24 Cecil Gordon Cecil Gordon '71 Mercury 138 2,220 crash 0
37 45 14 Dick Kranzler Goodyear Tire Center (Dick Kranzler) '72 Chevrolet 137 1,670 running 0
38 21 99 Don White Nichels-Goldsmith (Ray Nichels) '72 Plymouth 114 1,745 fuel pump 0
39 36 52W Gene Romero Sta-Power (Kevin Terris) '70 Plymouth 105 1,620 engine 0
40 20 23W G.T. Tallas Richard's Service Center (G.T. Tallas) '71 Ford 88 1,620 clutch 0
41 6 97 Red Farmer Long-Lewis Ford (Willie Humphries) '72 Ford 69 1,720 engine 0
42 27 41 Earle Canavan Budget Tapes / River Oaks Chrysler-Plymouth (Earle Canavan) '72 Plymouth 65 1,570 running 0
43 29 79 Frank Warren Frank Warren '70 Dodge 55 2,040 clutch 0
44 7 16 Mark Donohue American Motors (Roger Penske) '72 Matador 45 1,615 crash 0
45 5 71 Bobby Isaac K & K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf) '72 Dodge 45 3,665 crash 9
46 50 29W Bill Osborne Paul Burchard '72 Ford 36 1,440 a frame 0
47 44 30 Walter Ballard Hekiman Foreign Car Service (Vic Ballard) '70 Plymouth 33 1,915 crash 0
48 16 89W Don Noel Rainbow Western Sales Co. (Don Noel) '71 Ford 27 1,415 engine 0
49 41 18W George Follmer Norris Industries / Roy Woods Racing (Joe Frasson) '72 Dodge 4 1,440 engine 0
50 18 57 David Ray Boggs Boggs Racing Enterprises (David Ray Boggs) '70 Dodge 2 1,365 clutch 0
51 23 31 Jim Vandiver O.L. Nixon '70 Dodge 1 1,375 engine 0
Failed to qualify : Pat Fay (#99), Bill Shirey (#74), Perry Cottingham (#73), Dale Lee (#65), Tru Cheek (#62), Don Graham (#57W), Ken Shoemaker (#56), Jerry Barnett (#55), John Fairchild (#50), Sam Stanley (#47W), Bill Seifert (#45), D.K. Ulrich (#40), George Wiltshire (#39), Jimmy Insolo (#38), Joe Frasson (#78), Marion Collins (#78W), Dick May (#84), Richard Childress (#96), Harry Jefferson (#94), Larry Smith (#92), Verlin Eaker (#91), Richard D. Brown (#91), Bill Dennis (#90), Clint Hutchins (#89W), Les Covey (#89), Mike Saint (#88W), Ron Keselowski (#88), Allen Jennings (#86), Dan Geiger (#85), Harry Schilling (#84W), Don Tarr (#37), Frank Burnett (#36), Ed Negre (#8), Bob England (#8W), Steve Pfeifer (#08), Ivan Baldwin (#07), Charlie Glotzbach (#6), Jerry Oliver (#6W), Neil Castles (#06), Doc Faustina (#5), John Sears (#4), Emiliano Zapata (#04), Tommy Gale (#03), Johnny Steele (#2), Frank James (#00W), John Lyons (#9), Phillip Pedlar (#11W), Larry Esau (#12W), Bub Strickler (#35), Gene Riniker (#34W), Wendell Scott (#34), Glenn Francis (#33), Johnny Halford (#32), Carl Joiner (#26), Chuck Hetrick (#25W), Jabe Thomas (#25), Jim Gilliam (#24W), Nels Miller (#21W), Paul Dorrity (#15), Arnie Krueger (#14W), Willie McNeal (#14), Bobby Mausgrover (#00)
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"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
