Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
Tim - I borrowed liberally from your entry to craft a blog post today:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/10/october-18-1964-national-400.html
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Stock Car Racing History
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
Interesting side story to the race involving motorsports writer Tom Higgins and long-time engine builder and crew chief Waddell Wilson excerpted from this RacersReunion interview of Higgins by Rhonda Beck a couple of years ago:
RB: Waddell Wilson and Dale Jarrett are also being inducted into this years NMPA Hall of Fame. Do you have any special memories about them over the years?
TH: I can tell you a lot about Waddell. Its a small world situation with Waddell and me. We grew up only about 15 miles apart and we were in Boy Scouts at the same time but different troops. We went to the same camporees and same courts of honor and I remember I was always tickled to death at a court of honor to get one merit badge. But we were all jealous of Waddell because he usually got five.
He was very smart guy and could do about anything in the outdoors or with machines or whatever. He and I also played high school basketball against each other. He for Bakersville and me for Burnsville. Both are very small towns in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
I remember the last game of the regular season in 1955. Waddell and I had a little incident and I asked him why he hit me and he said Dang anyone that would be ahead by 22 points in the fourth quarter and leave the first team in
I told him that our coach was getting ready for the conference tournament. Well I didnt see him again. Our teams didnt play each other in the tournament. We won the conference championship that year.
I didnt see Waddell, didnt know what happened to him, for nine years. I came to work for the Charlotte Observer in 1964 . I was walking through the garage area at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the fall race known as the National 400 .
Someone grabbed me, spun me around. It was Waddell Wilson. I said, Dont hit me! and we both laughed and he said What are you doing in this garage area? I said, Well what are you doing here first? and he said, Im building engines for Holman-Moody. What are you doing here? I said, Well, Im going to be writing stories for the Charlotte Observer about you building engines for Holman-Moody. And weve been the closest of friends ever since.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/17 09:35:26AM
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
The hard lick Richard took in the 1964 National 400 may have been his first one at Charlotte. But it certainly wasn't his last or the worst. He clobbered the wall in a practice session for the 1986 600. After somehow getting cleared by doctors, he raced the 600 in D.K. Ulrich's Chevy.
From Craig Bontrager collection
From Alan Woodard collection
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/17 09:35:04AM
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
I'm hoping someone here has a better photo of this one I found in the Spartanburg paper's scanned archives.
A stunned and shaken-up Petty is led away after the race. From Daytona Beach Morning Journal .
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
Race report from Spartanburg Herald .
Follow-up on Petty's misfortune with a win seemingly within his grasp - also from Spartanburg Herald .
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/17 09:34:36AM
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
The teams had to battle persistent rain over the long weekend to squeeze in qualifying. But as Tim noted, the 43 laid down the fastest lap to claim the top starting spot.
Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
Despite the erroneous headline, the ARCA 200 mile race was rained out and postponed from a preliminary event for the National 400 to October 25, 1964. Based on the article above, sounds like only a fraction of the crowd (12,000) returned to see Curtis win.
Source: Times-News
Racing History Minute - October 18, 1964
Stock Car Racing History
Race program from Motor Racing Programme Covers .
As noted on the cover, CMS hosted its first ARCA race. Though banned from NASCAR and Bill France Sr., Curtis Turner returned to the track he helped build and won the 200 miler overseen by a different sanctioning body. Jerry Bushmire shared this article about Pop's win here at RR.
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/17 09:34:11AM
October 18, 1959 - Lee Petty Wallops Wilkesboro
Stock Car Racing History
Starting second in his #42 Plymouth, Lee Petty wins the Wilkes 160, a 100-mile race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Son Richard finishes third in only his second time at the track. Coincidentally, the race was the 43rd of the 1959 season.
Lee swept both Wilkesboro races in 1959. Richard also developed a knack for the track. His third place finish in only his second trip there was a harbinger of good things to come. He eventually racked up 15 wins and 33 Top 5s in 66 starts over his career.
Tiger Tom Pistone finished 4th - the first car one lap down.
Read on for more:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/10/october-18-1959-lee-petty-wallops.html
| Fin | Driver | Car |
| 1 | Lee Petty | '59 Plymouth |
| 2 | Rex White | '59 Chevrolet |
| 3 | Richard Petty | '59 Plymouth |
| 4 | Tom Pistone | '59 T-Bird |
| 5 | Junior Johnson | '59 Dodge |
| 6 | Larry Frank | '57 Chevrolet |
| 7 | Glen Wood | '58 Ford |
| 8 | Buck Baker | '59 Chevrolet |
| 9 | Shep Langdon | '58 Ford |
| 10 | Brownie King | '57 Chevrolet |
| 11 | Jack Smith | '59 Chevrolet |
| 12 | Bill Taylor | '57 Ford |
| 13 | Bill Morton | '58 Ford |
| 14 | Herman Beam | '57 Chevrolet |
| 15 | Speedy Thompson | '57 Ford |
| 16 | G.C. Spencer | '59 Chevrolet |
| 17 | Dick Blackwell | '57 Ford |
| 18 | E.J. Trivette | '57 Plymouth |
| 19 | Bobby Keck | '57 Chevrolet |
| 20 | Layman Utsman | '58 Chevrolet |
| 21 | Bill Scott | '57 Chevrolet |
| 22 | Roy Tyner | '57 Chevrolet |
| 23 | Tommy Irwin | '59 T-Bird |
| 24 | Barney Shore | '57 Chevrolet |
| 25 | Ned Jarrett | '57 Ford |
| 26 | Jimmie Lewallen | '57 Ford |
updated by @tmc-chase: 10/18/17 09:39:38AM
Todd Parrott has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR
Stock Car Racing History
You have GOT to be kidding me.