When I made the first post in the Racing History Minutes on April 5th of this year, I had decided that I would not post anything more recent than 1993 for two reasons:
1. My Greg Fielden books ("Forty Years of Stock Car Racing", "Forty Plus Four" and "Rumbling Ragtops") ceased with the 1993 season. Greg has since has an additional book published entitled "The Complete History of NASCAR Racing" which I found in an outlet store for $10.00. That book is loaded with information and also tons of beautiful pictures. Oh, and by the way, we just purchased that book last month so it is still around and I would highly recommend it.
2. My personal feelings are that carrying the History through 1993 is sufficient as the basis of the sport was built and nutured prior to that era. You may have noticed that most of my post focus on the 50s and 60s because I truly believe those were the decades the saw the birth of the sport and the growth of the sport. Without those guys and those cars, there would be no NASCAR. The cars were REAL cars and the drivers were REAL men.
Another point to insert here is that I have a verbal agreement with my good friend, TMC Chase, that he reports ALL the victories by the Pettys or their drivers. Chase is an excellent historian and has the ability I can seem to develop which is finding and posting clippings, photos and personal memories of events.
This date, November 14th, had only TWO Grand National Races between the first season in 1949 and the 1993 season and BOTH were won by Richard Petty. Chase has given me permission to post on one of the Petty victories so I have chosen the one in Augusta, Georgia in 1965 as I was at that race. The other race on this date was in Richmond, Virginia in 1971. Chase has excellent posts of each of these races and he will be linking those reports to this post later today. Additionally, I suspect Dave Fulton may have an addition to the Richmond race.
Before going to the 1965 Augusta race. I'll give you the top five from Richmond in 1971:
1. Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises Plymouth, winning 4,450.00
2. Bobby Allison, Holman-Moody Ford, winning $2,585.00 (1 lap down)
3. Pete Hamilton, Cotton Owens Plymouth (?), winning $1,750.00 (10 laps down)
4.Charlie Glotzbach, Richard Howard Chevy, winning $1,175.00 (13 laps down)
5. Elmo Langley, Langley Ford, winning $965.00 (20 laps down)
Thirty cars started that event with Bill Dennis on the pole in a Junie Donlavey Mercury. Bobby Allison was the fastest qualifier with a speed of 87.584.
Ok, time to go back to 1965 and the half-mile, high banked asphalt track in Augusta, Georgia. The 150 mile event would be the first of the 1966 season, and many of the Mopar fans were excited that the 1966 season would see the full-time return of their favorites, most of whom had boycotted the 1965 season in response to NASCAR outlawing the "Hemi" engine for that season.
It was a bright and sunny afternoon that greeted a grandstand full of fans. Richard Petty had captured the pole with a speed of 82.987 mph. He was followed by Bobby Isaac, making his second start in the Junior Johnson Ford. Ned Jarrett would start third in his Bondy Long Ford, Tiger Tom Pistone fourth in his Glen Sweet Ford, and Elmo Langley fifth in his Ford.
Bobby Isaac hustled his Ford out front at the fall of the green flag and he battled Richard Petty for 11 laps before the yet to be crowned King slipped by to lead laps 12 through 105. On lap 106 it was Tiny Lund storming his way into the lead in an independant Ford owned by Lyle Stelter. Tiny's car arrived at the track to late for practice or qualifying and had to start in 30th position, dead last.
On lap 200 of the scheduled 300, Tiny's distributor gave up and he coasted into the pits where it took numerous laps to replace the distributor and return Tiny to the track. By that time, Richard was out front for good although Isaac gave Richard more than a good "run for the money". Isaac had hit the wall very early in the going and literally drove flat out to make up 3 laps and was dogging the back bumper of the blue Plymouth at the end of the race.
Isaac said after the race "I get the finest job in the word that a race driver could have. I'm in a car that could run off and hide from everybody, and I run into the wall". Isaac dejectedly walked away from the pits and disappeared into the infield to leave the track.
Finishing order:
1. Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises Plymouth, wining $1,700.00
2. Bobby Isaac, Junior Johnson Ford, winning $850.00
3. Ned Jarrett, Bondy Long Ford, winning $820.00
4. Jim Paschal, Gary Weaver Ford, winning $515.00 (3 laps down)
5. Roy Mayne, Tom Hunter Chevrolet, winning $490.00 (4 laps down)
6. David Pearson
7. Bobby Johns
8. Darel Dieringer
9. Cale Yarborough
10. John Sears
11. Neil Castles
12. Frank Warren
13. Wayne Smith
14. Wendell Scott
15. Buddy Baker
16. Doug Cooper
17. Worth McMillion
18. Henley Gray
19. Tiger Tom Pistone
20. Tiny Lund
21. Alan McMillon
22. Bob Derrington
23. Jabe Thomas
24. Gil Hearne
25. Roy Tyner
26. J. T. Putney
27. Buck Baker
28.Larry Hess
29. Don Tilley
30.Elmo Langley
PERSONAL NOTE: My family and I were at this race, sitting in the stand across for the Tiny Lund pits. Not sure why we were in the stands as we were usually in the infield. I remember watching Tiny coast into the pits and I watched through binoculars as they were work on the car. I was at the angle that I could see Tiny in the car even though the hood was up. I can still envision the look of total disappointment in Tiny's face that day. His little independant Ford was the class of the field that day. As stated, he started last, no practice, no qualifying, and he flawlessly worked his way into the lead. Once there, he was pulling away from the field. Without problems, he would have won going away.
Making this even more poignant for Lund was the movie crew there filming for the movie "Tiny Lund, Hard Charger". That was a wonderful documentary style movie that simply disappeared from existance. How wonderful it would be to get ahold of a copy of that movie. Important for the Leeming family was the scene in that movie where my Daddy, carrying the huge "Plymouth 43" flag we had, was filmed as we walked across the infield heading to Victory Lane. The first time we saw the movie, my Daddy, a shy man at that time, was thrilled that he was in a movie! In fact, we all were.
Another memory from that race is one of the pit stops made by Wendell Scott. His pit was not far from Tiny's so I have a good view. He pulled in and the crew was changing the right front tire and were having problems with it. Wendell unbuckled, got out, and helped change the tire. He climbed back in an roared off back onto the track. Looking at the finishing order and noting that he was only 24 laps off the pace on a half mile track makes me recall the dedication Wendell had for the sport. He may have won only one Grand National race, but if effort and desire count for anything, Wendell will soon be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Be sure to read the posts added here by TMC Chase as he is the most excellent person to chronicle the Petty stories.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
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What a change! It's been awhile since I've checked in and I'm quite surprised. It may take me awhile to figure it our but first look it's really great.
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
