Racing History Minute - March 2, 1975

A field of 40 cars was expected for the Carolina 500 held at North Carolina Motor Speedway on March 2, 1975. However, only 31 cars showed up to qualify (reason unexplained). Buddy Baker would qualify the Bud Moore Ford on the pole with a speed of 137.611 mph. Richard Petty in a year old Dodge would start second, Darrell Waltrip in a Chevrolet owned by his wife, Stevie, would start third, Lennie Pond in the Ronnie Elder Chevrolet fourth and Benny Parsons in the L. G. DeWitt Chevy fifth.

A crowd of 31,500 watched the field roll off pit road ready for the start. The green flag waved and Buddy Baker, known to have a very heavy foot, flew out front with the field hot on his heels. On lap 8, Darrell Waltrip would move out front until lap 30 when David Pearson showed his hand and went out front. Pearson only led two laps before a flying Cale Yarborough took over. On lap 93, Richard Petty would take over the lead but, just as in the Daytona 500, the rapid Dodge developed overheating problems and he was forced to pit several times to top off the radiator.

Pearson and Yarborough fought between themselves for the lead from lap 129 through the end of the race at lap 492. Cale finally went in front for good on lap 463 and would cruise to a 13.5 second win over Pearson. Average speed for the race was 117.588, slowed by 4 caution flags for a total of 34 laps around the 1.017 mile track.

Yarborough's win was made easier when, on lap 300, D. W. rubbed against Benny Parsons and both cars spun sideways down the track. Lennie Pond and Dave Marcis crashed into the spinning duo, rendering Parsons unconscious. Parsons was transported to the local hospital for observation.

Finishing order:

1. Cale Yarborough, Junior Johnson Chevrolet, winning $17,200.00

2. David Pearson, Wood Brothers Mercury, winning $10,815.00 (13.5 seconds back)

3. Richard Petty, Petty Enterprises Dodge,winning $10,925.00 (9 laps down)

4. Dick Brooks, Junie Donlavey Ford, winning $5,200.00 (15 laps down)

5. Bruce Hill, Hill Chevrolet, winning $3,950.00 (17 laps down)

6. Richard Childress

7. Ed Negre

8. James Hylton

9.Buddy Arrington

10. Dean Dalton

11. Ricky Rudd

12. Elmo Langley

13.Carl Adams

14. David Sisco

15. Clyde Dagit

16. Travis Tiller

17. Walter Ballard

18.Frank Warren

19. Rick Newsom

20. Cecil Gordon

21. Darrell Waltrip

22. Benny Parsons

23. Lennie Pond

24. Dave Marcis

25. Buddy Baker

26. Coo Coo Marlin

27.Jabe Thomas

28. Donnie Allison

29. Bobby Isaac

30. Dick Skillen

31. Earle Canavan

A young Ricky Rudd, from Chesapeake, Virginia, started his first Grand National race that day. The 18 year old, looking more like a 16 year old, started 26th in a Ford owned by Bill Champion. Rudd would work his way to finish 11th, although he was 56 laps behind the winner.

PERSONAL MEMORIES: My family and a load of friends were there in the motorhome, parked just across the infield paved road from Victory Lane. We had gotten there early Saturday and had encircled our encampment with the other RVs of friends with whom we had built up a relationship over several races. We always pulled our RVs in such a way as to have an enclosed area where we set up food, chairs, and drinks. We always had plenty of food and drink and would sit before a camp fire late into the night "bench racing", each of us adding colorful stories to the races we had enjoyed over the years. Such occurrences were a way of life with our traveling group of race fans.

I remember spending over an hour of this race in the pits, right behind the Petty pits,watching several stops where Maurice (Chief) and Dale Inman tried to cool down the hot Dodge. Having already seen that scenario at Daytona only a couple weeks earlier I was thinking we were in for a long season if they couldn't get that problem resolved.

I had been in the pits for pre-race drivers' introductions. I have this distinct memory of seeing Ricky Rudd walk by and wondering how old he was. I found out later that day he was 18 but looks were most deceiving as he looked much younger. Of course we all know Ricky went on to a successful career in Cup racing.

I miss racing at "The Rock". I miss racing at North Wilkesboro too. Those two tracks should be used by NASCAR to give fans some really good racing. Thanks to Andy Hillenburg for what he tried to do for Rockingham.

I remember the sun was always setting, or many times had already set as we left Rockingham across the backstraight and headed through Hamlet onto to South Carolina. It was always a nice trip to and from Rockingham because, in my way of thinking, most of the trip was on highway US 1. Two lanes, little towns, a couple of speed traps, but more in tune with the way it was traveling with Uncle Bobby in the early days.

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

I had gone to the first ever spring Rockingham race - the 1966 Peach Blossom 500 - with my buddy Frank on the race train from Richmond.

Now, in 1975, I was living in Wilson, NC and this time I was Frank's guest on pit road at Rockingham. Frank and I had both graduated from college in 1970. I immediately took a job in Wilson with the Wrangler Jeans (Blue Bell, Inc.) folks. Frank had immediately joined the Coast Guard and spent 4 years stationed at Cape May, New Jersey; Yorktown, Virginia and Norfolk.

Now Frank was getting his Master's Degree in Journalism at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. He was living in Siler City and working part time for the Siler City newspaper. That's how he got press credentials and a press guest pass for me. It was the first time I ever watched a Cup race from pit road. Little did I know what the future held and that I'd be reciprocating getting passes for Frank when I became Manager of Wrangler NASCAR Special Events in 1980 and Frank was teaching journalism at UNC.

Here are some Associated Press qualifying and race reports for the 1975 Carolina 500 as caried in the Spartanburg, SC newspaper:

From Motor Racing Programme Covers

Though NASCAR and fans may have WANTED a 40-car field, low car counts were frequent in 1975 - especially early in the season. Even with increased money via RJR, the winnings simply weren't enough to keep every car coming every week. Richmond only fielded 22 cars the week before Rockingham, and only 23 cars raced at Bristol a few weeks later.

Junior Johnson and Cale lost the Carling Beer sponsorship after 1974 and didn't land Holly Farms as a replacement until the 8th race of the year. To manage costs, the 11 team skipped Riverside and Richmond before and after the Daytona 500. Rockingham was only the team's 2nd race of the year.

The day before the 500, the Cup crews participated in the annual pit crew competition. The DiGard / Donnie Allison crew led by Mario Rossi and featuring RR's Will Cronkrite won the challenge. - DBMJ

Bud Moore's team pitting the 15 of Buddy Baker. - Ray Lamm

Its amazing how little the sport, doctors, and the media knew about head injuries - or would admit. Interesting that Benny Parsons was knocked unconscious yet was treated for ... a headache.

Cale in victory lane with crew chief Herb Nab.

Chase, very interesting about Cale and Junior skipping the previous week's Richmond race, since Cale and Junior had associate sponsorship from Richmond headquarted ETHYL Corporation, manufacturer of gasoline "lead" anti-knock compounds.

Note the Ethyl patch on Cale's uniform and Ethyl hat on his head as he is interviewed in Rockingham's victory lane by Sammy Bland.

Of course, Ethyl's primary product fell out of favor in the U.S., where their Richmond Corporate Headquarters overlooks the former site of the Virginia State Penitentiary near Oregon Hill.

As recently as the late 1990s, Ethyl was embroiled in controversy in Richmod over the demolition of housing in historic neighborhoods.

I don't guess Ethyl would be very popular in today's NASCAR with it's corn oil fueled "green" cars.

However, back in the 90s I was priviliged to help coordinate with Anne Gottwald, the wife of Ethyl's Chairman, Teddy Gottwald, a huge black-tie benefit at the toney Country Club of Virginia to benefit Crippled Childrens' Hospital of Richmond and Speedway Children's Charities. It was an awesome event attended by Virginia's "bluebloods" - along with Richard Petty and Humpy Wheeler, with a 100% stock car racing theme. As tuxeoded millionaires and their purple haired wives disembarked from their limos, they were treated to tires being changed with the sound of impact wrenches on Junie Donlavey's #90 parked beside the front door of CCofV.

That was an unforgettable evening.

Here's how Richmond's Style Weekly described Ethyl's Gottwald family in 2010:

Bump