Forum Activity for @tmc-chase

December 23, 1964: NASCAR announces post-season awards

Stock Car Racing History

Back in the day, NASCAR's annual 'banquet' wasn't a black-tie affair in early December at the Waldorf in NYC or at the Wynn in Vegas. NASCAR and its competitors had an awards dinner in February before the next season's Speedweeks really got rolling. (My hunch tells me the festivities continued informally until the wee hours of morning in hotel lounges, rooms and poolside.)

Yet some of the post-season awards were announced before the end of the calendar year. A couple of significant awards for the 1964 season were announced on December 23rd.

Lloyd Dane was named as the winner of the annual Naughton Award for Sportsmanship. Rather than wait until the Grand National division's dinner in February, Bill France did a classy thing by choosing to present the award to Dane in front of his peers at the Pacific Coast late model division's dinner in early January 1965.

From Spartanburg Herald .

G.C. Spencer, Fred Lorenzen, Larry Frank and Ned Jarrett as well as NASCAR official James Ellmore were recognized by NASCAR for their acts of heroism in coming to the aid of other competitors. From Spartanburg Herald .

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/23/19 08:38:52AM

December 23, 1963 - Cotton and Paschal team up

Stock Car Racing History

Cotton Owens signs veteran driver Jim Paschal to drive his Dodges for 1964. From Spartanburg Herald .

From Ray Lamm collection

Paschal is shown here in Cotton's #5 Dodge racing A.J. Foyt in Banjo Matthews #5 Ford. From Ray Lamm collection .

Paschal raced nine times for Cotton in the early part of the 1964 season IN 1964. (He didn't race for him as the season began in 1963 as he was still driving a part-time schedule for the Pettys.) The pair had a pretty good run together with six top 10s in the nine starts - and only one finish outside of the top 20 (a 21st at Martinsville).

By late April, however, a shuffling of driver seats began to take shape - a Springtime Silly Season. On May 1, the Herald reported Paschal was leaving Cotton's team to return to the 2nd Petty Plymouth again. Paschal's move turned out to be a good one for him and the Pettys as Jim won the World 600 in only his 2nd race back with the team.

Paschal replaced Buck Baker who moved to Ray Fox's team replacing Junior Johnson. Junior had been hired by Holman-Moody. When all the movement stopped, Larry Thomas found himself in the driver's seat of Cotton's second Dodge that had been vacated by Paschal.

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/23/19 08:39:44AM

Stock Car Racing magazine cover project

Stock Car Racing History

This is a cool project you've built and offered Russ. You've now saved me from searching on ebay in the future ... or emailing you with yet another cover request! Ha.

What we now need to figure out is how to anchor / bookmark the page on RR so folks can refer to it frequently before this thread disappears into the abyss of the site.

December 22nd racing history

Stock Car Racing History

December 22, 1964 - The Spartanburg Herald reported on a recent test at Daytona as drivers gave their opinions about the new concrete retaining wall. At the time, it was hailed as a great advancement in driver safety.

December 22, 1965 - Ray Nichels announced he had signed upstart Sam McQuagg for a partial schedule in Nichels' Dodges in 1966. From Spartanburg Herald .

The pair raced a single season together and competed in 16 races. McQuagg picked up his only career Grand National victory in the Firecracker 400 at Daytona.

From Devin's collection .

From Ray Lamm collection .

From Ray Lamm collection .

December 22, 1969 - Many teams and drivers received their entry forms for the 1970 season-opening race at Riverside. As reported on December 23rd by the Spartanburg Herald , the form had a unique twist not previously seen. In the entry form, NASCAR said any team who submitted an entry form would have to participate in the race - even if the regular driver withdrew for any reason. Many believed the new provisions to be a Bill France tactic as a hedge against a repeat of the drivers walk-out at Talladega in 1969.

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/22/19 03:07:49PM

December 21, 1967: Darel Dieringer signs with Mario Rossi

Stock Car Racing History

On December 21, 1967, Chrysler Corporation announced Darel Dieringer would be paired with Mario Rossi to run a partial schedule for 1968. In Rossi's #22 Plymouth, the pair competed in eighteen 1968 races as well as a race at Middle Georgia Raceway in November 1968 that was the 1st race of the 1969 season.

After parting ways following 1968, Dieringer all but retired from GN racing. He didn't race again until 1975 when he returned for 4 races. Rossi then brought in Bobby Allison to drive for his team in 1969-70.

From Spartanburg Herald .

Dieringer with his 1968 ride. From Ray Lamm collection .

The #22 Plymouth going through tech. From Ray Lamm collection .

Dieringer racing Buddy Baker at Darlington. From Ray Lamm collection .

Dieringer racing Curtis Turner and Wendell Scott in 1968 World 600 at Charlotte. From Ray Lamm collection .

updated by @tmc-chase: 01/03/20 11:49:04AM

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

A gaggle of us are having dinner with them tonight to celebrate. We're going to a Polynesian place just outside of Nashville called the Omni Hut. Its in Smyrna TN near what used to be an active USAF base / air strip. The place has been around longer than my parents' marriage. It opened in 1960 by Jim Walls following a 20-year Air Force career - including having been at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Walls passed away last year.

http://www.murfreesboropost.com/after-pearl-harbor-pilot-s-heart-landed-in-smyrna-cms-30461

My future aunt and uncle took my dad and his girlfriend there in 1961 or so. They've been going for special occasions ever since. My dad claims the menu hasn't changed since it opened - though the prices obviously have. My first memories of going there were probably when I was 7 or 8 years old.

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

Mom: "We have some good news and some bad news. The good news is you are destined to be a Petty fan. The bad news is Plymouth is out of NASCAR until further notice."

Me (initially): *sigh* close eyes

Dad (smirking): "Should we tell him Fords have taken over?"

Me (after camera put away): WAAAAAAAAH

Mom: "Must be the colic."

Dec. 21, 1954 - Deadline Revealed for Yea or Nay on Daytona Speedway Project

Stock Car Racing History

December 21, 1963 - A couple from Winchester TN got married while the bride had time between college semesters. Wheels were then set in motion to have a young'un a couple of years later who would become a racing fan in general and a Petty fan specifically. Happy 50th Anniversary to my folks.

December 20: A.J., Banjo, Cotton, David ... and Pauls

Stock Car Racing History

In one of the funnier, head-shaking, racing stories I've heard over the years, Pearson and Cotton separated over a bag of ice. Likely more to it than that - but that is Pearson's side of the story.

From Charlotte Observer .

Q: WHAT CAUSED YOU TO GO YOUR SEPARATE WAYS? Pearson: Were just as close friends now and we didnt get mad at each other. We were getting ready to go to Columbia (S.C.), to the race down there. He had the truck pulled outside (of the garage) and went home to take a shower. All of us were out there ready to go.

We were running a little bit late so we just decided, me and the crew, we got in the car and took off to get some ice for the cooler so we wouldnt have to when he come out. So when we went to get the ice, Cotton came out and he thought we run off and left him. He kind of got a little ill about that and he just pulled the race car and truck and everything back in the garage. So when we got back we thought hed left us and wed have to hurry up and go catch him. So we took off to Columbia and when we got there, there was no Cotton.

He got mad and pulled his truck and stuff into the garage and we thought he had already gone. When we got back, we didnt see no car or truck or nothing. He had pulled it back into the shop. We thought he run off and left us and he thought we had run off and left him. It all ended up on account of that bag of ice we went to pick up.

But the next morning I went up there and the boys were standing on the outside. I said What are yall doing standing out here? They said He just fired us. He got mad, said we run off and left him last night. I couldnt believe it and I went back in there and I said What are you doing Cotton, getting mad at these boys and running them off. We thought that you run off and left us. We went to get ice. He said if you dont like it you can go too. I said, well, I dont like it so I just turned around and walked out. I told the boys when I went outside Well, Im gone too so thats what we broke up about. Neither one of us was mad. He said that and when he said that, I didnt like it. I lost a bunch of points. I didnt race. Anyway, it worked out all right. I wasnt mad. I understood why he got mad cause he thought we run off and left him and later on, he felt the same way that I was. He wasnt mad at me; he just didnt understand what happened. Were real close friends.

December 20: A.J., Banjo, Cotton, David ... and Pauls

Stock Car Racing History

December 20, 1966 was an "ABCD" day.

A.J. Foyt signed with Banjo Matthews to race in several GN events in 1967 - NASCAR superspeedway ones that were also recognized by FIA. Also, Cotton Owens announced he and David Pearson were staying together for the 1967 season. From: Spartanburg Herald

From  Danny Quick collection.

From  Stacy Todd collection

In the closing paragraph of the above article, it was also noted Cotton Owens contracted to build Dodges for a "Tennessee man" who was expected to hire PAUL LEWIS as his driver. Turns out the owner was another A.J. - A.J. King.

Driving his familiar #1, Lewis made 8 starts for King with 2 top 5s and 4 top 10s. After the 25th race of the season in the Carolina 500 at Rockingham in June, however, King made a driver switch. Bobby Isaac made one start for King at Bristol in the 33rd race of the season.

From Spartanburg Herald .

Then another Paul - Paul "Li'l Bud" Moore was hired to take the seat. Moore made 5 starts for King during the second half the season. When Moore took over, the number was changed to 53.

From Spartanburg Herald .

From  Jack Walker collection.

Moore and King made another 9 starts together in 1968 before parting ways after the Firecracker 400. King fielded cars only 4 more times in 1968 and 1969 with Sam McQuagg and Pete Hamilton. He returned in 1975 after a long absence for an ill-fated entry with Tiny Lund in the Talladega 500.

From  Ray Lamm collection

From  Chuck Johnson collection.

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/20/16 03:29:03PM