Racing History Minute - August 27, 1961

The 1961 season was a different season for me. My Uncle Bobby's favorite, Lee Petty, had been injured in Daytona in February. Uncle Bobby and I just talked about those days early in 1961 a few weeks ago during one of my visits. As I have said many times, my uncle is 80 years old and although his physical body is suffering, his mind is as sharp as ever and his memory is as clear as watching a blue-ray dvd. He is amazing. He had never told me, until those few weeks ago, that he actually called the hospital in Daytona a couple of times while Lee was there to check on him. Those were the days before HIPPA and the hospital staff would actually update you on a patient's progress. Believe me, back in those days, a "long distance call" was a big deal for my entire family. It had to be a dire emergency to consider placing such a call. But, this "Minute" is not about Lee Petty, nor the entire 1961 season, just a trip back to South Boston, VA for a 50 mile/200 lap race on the quarter-mile paved track.

Twenty-one cars qualified for the event with Cotton Owens taking the pole with a speed of 52.62 mph in his Pontiac. Jim Reed in a Chevy would start second, Junior Johnson in a Pontiac third. Junior had won the previous two races, one at Asheville-Weaverville on August 13th and another at Southside Speedway in Richmond on August 18th. Elmo Langley started a T-Bird in fourth, with Rex White in a Chevrolet fifth.

Jim Reed jumped into the lead when the green flag fell and he would lead the first thirty-two laps. Junior Johnson took over and would lead the rest of the way to win the 48th race of his career. I found it funny that the reference I use for these Minutes (Greg Fielden's "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing") described Junior as "the rotund Pontiac driver". Days before political correctness I guess!

Wendell Scott, in his rookied season in Grand National racing, was taken out bya crash on lap 114 and Doug Yates suffered the same fate on lap 166. Pole winner Owens fell out of the event on lap 75 with transmission failureand Richard Petty, representing a then struggling Petty Engineering, fell out on lap 32 with a blown engine in his year old Plymouth.

Top five finishers were:

1. Junior Johnson, Holly Farms Pontiac, winning $800.00

2. Jim Reed, Reed Chevrolet, winning $525.00

3. Ned Jarrett, B. G. Holloway Chevrolet, winning $375.00

4. Emanuel Zervakis, Monroe Shook Chevrolet, winning $275.00

5. Rex White, White-Clements Chevrolet, winning $350.00

Sixth through tenth were Jimmy Pardue, Larry Thomas, Harry Leake, Bob Barron, and Bob Presnell. Elmo Langley was 12th, Doug Yates 14th, Fred Harb 15th, Wendell Scott 16th, Cotton Owens 17th, G. C. Spencer 19th, Richard Petty 20th, and 21st and last position was John Hamby who parked his Dodge on the 22nd lap stating "handling problems".

Just a thought here; do you suppose the "rotund Pontiac driver" became that way through an excess of Holly Farms chicken? And I thought chicken was such a good food for a diet!!!!!!!

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

Junior was definitely on a streak with 3 wins in a row.

Tim... I remember it being a huge deal at my parent's party line house growing up in the 50s/early 60s to make or receive a long distance telephone call just as you say. No direct dial... all "operator assisted."

Tim... both Greg Fielden and Racing Reference are incorrect on one count. South Boston was still dirt in 1961. SoBo was opened in April 1957 by Buck Wilkins and Dave Blount as a quarter-mile dirt track.

Following the 1961 season, the track was paved and expanded to a .357-mile layout with a concrete retaining wall for the 1962 season.

The very brief Associated Press clip carried by the Fredericksburg (Va.) Free Lance Star of Junior's 1961 win specifies dirt track, also.

Now retired Associated Press Motorsports writer, Mike Harris wrote a story about South Boston Speedway and its traditions that was carried nationally back in November 2000. The copy below ran in the hometown newspaper of deceased, multi-time NASCAR Modified Champion Richie Evans all the way up in Rome, New York.

No mention in the 13 year old story of South Boston alumni Hermie and Elliot Sadler, but Ward and Jeff Burton's father, John remembers watching Junior Johnson win a dirt South Boston Grand National race with a flat tire the last two laps. Junior won at SoBo in 1960 also, so it might have been that race. Maybe you can check the story on Junior's 1960 South Boston win and see if a flat tire is mentioned, Tim.

Great stuff Dave!!! Awesome articles. Thanks.

Found a few things in archives of The Danville Bee.

The race was originally scheduled for Saturday, August 19th, the day after the GN cars raced at Richmond.

Rain postponed the event, and it was initially rescheduled for September 9. The race would have been shoehorned into a 3-day stretch following the Southern 500 of Hickory-South Boston-Richmond.

Instead, the race was rescheduled for the following Sunday,August 27 - an open weekend before Darlington.

Great research finds, Chase. Note the rescheduled ad, incorrectly advertises SoBo in 1961 as a 1/2-mile track.

The ad in South Boston's Halifax Gazette for the rescheduled GN event placed as much or more emphasis on the regular Saturday night show as it did the rescheduled GN race the next day:

Unfortunately, the original race preview story in the Halifax Gazette seems to have suffered the fate of a folded page when microfilmed:

Emanuel Zervakis was so well know in these parts that the ad found by Chase in the Danville Bee just proclaimed him "The Greek!"