Racing History Minute - July 12, 1958

July 12th - a memorable day for Petty racing history.

• July 12, 1970 - Richard Petty wins the Schaefer 300 at Trenton Speedway in the legendary Plymouth Superbird.
• July 12, 1958 - Richard makes his professional racing debut in a convertible race at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina.

and...

• July 12, 1958 - Bob Welborn wins the Columbia convertible race in a Chevy fielded by Richard's uncle, Julian Petty.
• July 12, 1958 - Jim Paschal wins the GN race at McCormick Field in Asheville, NC in Julian's #49 Chevy normally driven by Welborn.

For the Columbia ragtop race, Fireball Roberts claimed the pole for the 200-lap, 100-mile race in his #22 1957 Chevrolet. Qualifying alongside him was Bob Welborn in his Julian Petty-owned #49 Chevy. Possum Jones timed 6th in a second, #48 Julian Petty Chevy. Richard lined up in 13th.

Fireball and Welborn came to the pits to get fuel for the stretch run of the final 50 laps. Julian's crew put some fuel in Welborn's car - but the team wasn't sure if they got enough. He got back on the track in front of Roberts, and then endured 25 miles of getting rapped in the bumper as Fireball tried to find a way by him.

On the last lap, Roberts made his move as Welborn's car began running on fumes. But he didn't have quite enough. Welborn nipped Roberts by about a half car-length as his car ran dry.

Head to my blog post to read more:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-12-1958-bob-welborn-captures.html

Fin	Driver	Car
1	Bob Welborn	'57 Chevrolet
2	Fireball Roberts	'57 Chevrolet
3	Larry Frank	'57 Chevrolet
4	Doug Cox	'57 Ford
5	George Dunn	'57 Mercury
6	Richard Petty	'57 Oldsmobile
7	Fred Harb	'57 Mercury
8	Brownie King	'57 Chevrolet
9	Bobby Lee	'58 Ford
10	Ken Rush	'57 Chevrolet
11	Neil Castles	'56 Ford
12	Shep Langdon	'56 Ford
13	Bill Poor	'56 Chevrolet
14	Roy Tyner	'58 Plymouth
15	Johnny Allen	'57 Ford
16	Gober Sosebee	'57 Chevrolet
17	Possum Jones	'57 Chevrolet
18	Johnny Gardner	'56 Ford
19	Clarence DeZalia	'56 Ford
20	Gene White	'57 Chevrolet
21	Wilbur Rakestraw	'57 Ford
22	Glen Wood	'57 Ford
23	Bennie Rakestraw	'57 Mercury
24	John Hamby	'56 Chevrolet
25	Don Pettyman	'56 Chrysler

Re: the race at McCormick Field...

Ordinarily, Bob Welborn would have been at the wheel of the #49 Chevy. Welborn couldn't be in two places at once with the convertible points-paying race at Columbia falling on the same day. So Paschal was tapped to sling it around McCormick Field.

A field of 15 cars lined up, stretching from the home-plate turn to where third base would have been in the former baseball stadium.

Jim Paschal held the pole position in a '57 Chevrolet fielded by Julie Petty, Lees brother. Cotton Owens had the other front-row spot in a Pontiac.

Many speculated the pole winner wouldn't be passed if he didnt experience any trouble. This proved to be true.

Paschal immediately pulled out front, and no one could get around him. He led all 150 laps. Owens stayed right on Paschals rear bumper and was the runner-up by only a car length. Rex White finished third, Lee Petty fourth and Jack Smith fifth. Right behind came Junior Johnson and Buck Baker.

Head to my blog post to read more:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/07/july-12-1958-paschal-pockets-cash-in.html

Fin	Driver	Car
1	Jim Paschal	'57 Chevrolet
2	Cotton Owens	'57 Pontiac
3	Rex White	'57 Chevrolet
4	Lee Petty	'57 Oldsmobile
5	Jack Smith	'57 Chevrolet
6	Junior Johnson	'57 Ford
7	Buck Baker	'57 Chevrolet
8	Whitey Norman	'57 Chevrolet
9	Shorty Rollins	'58 Ford
10	Barney Shore	'57 Chevrolet
11	Billy Rafter	'57 Ford
12	R.L. Combs	'56 Ford
13	Tiny Lund	'56 Ford
14	Banjo Matthews	'57 Pontiac
15	Herman Beam	'57 Chevrolet

--
Schaefer: It's not just for racing anymore.
updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

good one Chase. love those ragtop race reports...

July 12, 1964 was a big day for driver Billy Wade and the Bud Moore organization. In fact, the period of July 10 through July 19, 1964 was as storied a time in the history of car owner Bud Moore as any he ever experienced. During those ten days in July 1964, Moore's driver Billy Wade (replacing Joe Weatherly who was killed at Riverside in Jan. 1964) swept 4 consecutive NASCAR Grand National races on the Northern Tour.

The sweep started at Old Bridge, New Jersey, continuing at Bridgehampton, New York and Islip, New York and concluded at Watkins Glen.

The July 12, 1964 Bridgehampton race would be the first of two road course wins for the Wade/Moore combo on the northern swing.

Richard Petty started on the pole in his hemi Plymouth for Bridgehampton after beating out David Pearson's Cotton Owens Dodge in a ten-lap qualifying race. There was even a ringer, as sports car star, Walt Hansgen placed 3rd on race day in a Ford.

When the checkers dropped, though, it was Billy Wade's Mercury Maruder from Spartanburg taking the trophy.

NASCAR Grand National race number 38 of 62 Sunday, July 12, 1964 at Bridgehampton Raceway , Bridgehampton, NY 50 laps on a 2.850 mile road course (142.5 miles) Time of race: 1:37:29 Average Speed: 87.707 mph Pole Speed: 90.6 mph Cautions: n/a Margin of Victory: 20 sec Attendance: 6,500 Lead changes: 8

Fin	St	#	Driver	Sponsor / Owner	Car	Laps	Money	Status	Led
1	3	1	Billy Wade	Bud Moore	'64 Mercury	50	1,225	running	31
2	7	3	Buck Baker	Ray Fox	'64 Dodge	50	675	running	0
3	9	46	Walt Hansgen	Walt Hansgen	'64 Ford	48	500	running	0
4	22	06	Marvin Panch	Holman-Moody	'64 Ford	44	350	running	0
5	10	02	Curtis Crider	Curtis Crider	'63 Mercury	42	350	running	0
6	6	11	Ned Jarrett	Bondy Long	'64 Ford	41	340	engine	0
7	21	88	Neil Castles	Buck Baker	'62 Chrysler	41	250	running	0
8	2	6	David Pearson	Cotton Owens	'64 Dodge	38	400	engine	17
9	17	9	Roy Tyner	Roy Tyner	'64 Chevrolet	38	200	running	0
10	23	68	Bob Derrington	Bob Derrington	'63 Ford	31	190	running	1
11	14	45	Louis Weathersbee	Louis Weathersbee	'63 Plymouth	31	180	running	0
12	4	16	Darel Dieringer	Bud Moore	'64 Mercury	25	270	oil pump	0
13	1	43	Richard Petty	Petty Enterprises	'64 Plymouth	21	385	engine	1
14	19	71	James Hylton	Bondy Long	'64 Ford	21	150	oil pressure	0
15	24	55	Earl Brooks	Wendell Scott	'62 Chevrolet	21	135	spindle	0
16	8	54	Jimmy Pardue	Burton-Robinson ( Charles Robinson )	'64 Plymouth	17	175	transmission	0
17	12	26	Bobby Isaac	Ray Nichels	'64 Dodge	15	115	transmission	0
18	11	03	LeeRoy Yarbrough	Ray Fox	'64 Dodge	14	110	differential	0
19	5	25	Paul Goldsmith	Ray Nichels	'64 Plymouth	13	175	transmission	0
20	16	01	Buddy Baker	Curtis Crider	'62 Mercury	5	100	con rod	0
21	13	10	Bernard Alvarez	Bernard Alvarez	'64 Ford	5	100	brakes	0
22	15	31	Al White	Al White	'62 Ford	3	100	oil pressure	0
23	20	34	Wendell Scott	Wendell Scott	'63 Ford	2		clutch	0
24	18	49	Doug Moore	G.C. Spencer	'64 Chevrolet	1		spin	0

Ken Spooner photo above shows Petty & Pearson on pole with the twin Bud Moore Mercs of Wade and Darel Dieringer lined up for the start on the 2nd row

Billy Wade at Daytona in Feb. 1964

Billy Wade took two Northern Tour road course races for Bud Moore in July 1964.

Below is the entry list from July12, 1964, preserved by the folks at Bridgehampton:

Spartanburg sports editor, Jim Foster followed the northern tour and filed a first person account of Wade's triumph at Bridgehampton on July 12, 1964:

The Associated Press report was very brief in the Fredericksburg, Va. paper, although Fredericksburg was home to the in-laws of entrant Worth McMillion:

My family and I were in New York City around this same time in July 1964, taking in the New York World's Fair and a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs with Ferguson Jenkins pitching against the New York Mets in the brand new Shea Stadium across the way at Flushing Meadows from the grounds of the World's Fair. We were staying at the Hilton in Manhattan across the street from the old Penn Station.

I may have crossed paths with Jim Foster (who I thought I first met 17 years later in 1981) , since he was also checking out the World's Fair and the Mets. Below is a column Foster wrote letting us know that Yankee race fans weren't as excitable as their southern counterparts. I had to laugh at Foster complaining about breakfast prices at the Waldorf-Astoria. Beginning in 1981, Foster was NASCAR's point man for the annual Winston Cup Awards banquet at the Waldorf, in charge of literally everything, especially seating and taking we NASCAR sponsors & our wives out to various Big Apple eateries.

--
"Any Day is Good for Stock Car Racing"

Excellent report, thanks a lot!!