Forum Activity for @tmc-chase

Darlington's 2014 Date?

Current NASCAR

Darlington + Labor Day = WIN

If it happens, I want to go. Only made 1 Darlington trip. It was supposedly the last Southern 500, but even it was held in November when the switch with California Speedway was made. I want to sweat at a true LD oriented Darlington race. (Though my hunch tells me they'd run it at night vs. day.) The onus will be back on the fans to put our money where our mouths are. We wanted this change - now we'll have to see how serious we are as fans to support it.

Seems to me the loser in the swap, however, may be Atlanta. Right? They've already lost one date. In my opinion, the track was helped a bit with the move from a questionable November date weather wise to Labor Day weekend. But when I returned last year, it just didn't seem to be well attended. If its remaining date is moved to Mother's Day weekend, I have serious concerns about the attendance. I enjoy the racing there. I just don't think fans have a passion for the tradition of Atlanta like they do for Darlington, Martinsville, Daytona, etc. Its probably because the Atlanta quadoval of today isn't the Atlanta oval track of 1960. Hope I'm wrong because I think Atlanta's racing heritage merits keeping a race there. But Mother's Day weekend - if that's when its slotted - worries me.

September 16, 1990 - Million Dollar Bill Hits Dover Jackpot

Stock Car Racing History

Lake Speed apparently crashed in Happy Hour. He complained of shoulder pain. Originally, he thought he could still go. But on race day, he apparently discovered he'd broken his shoulder. And Ellis got the nod.

September 16, 1990 - Million Dollar Bill Hits Dover Jackpot

Stock Car Racing History

Race Report from The Item

September 16, 1990 - Million Dollar Bill Hits Dover Jackpot

Stock Car Racing History

In the second 1990 race at Dover Downs International Speedway, Kyle Petty driving a Peak Antifreeze Pontiac finished 8th in the 500 lap race also sponsored by Peak.

From Lee Greenawalt collection

Yep, even in 1990:

• Dover still had "Downs" in its name before the company restructured, separated the casino operations from the auto racing facility, and renamed the track Dover International Speedway.
• The track surface was still asphalt vs. concrete.
• The drivers still battled that grueling, extra 100 laps and 100 miles.

Bill Elliott won the pole for the Peak Antifreeze 500, led a dominating 364 laps, and claimed the win over Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt - the only other cars on the lead lap. His victory was his only one on 1990 - and it was his final one in the famous red Coors Ford. In 1991, the Harry Melling owned car was re-skinned in the blue colors of Coors Light.

From Craig Bontrager collection

Though the race was the LAST win for Bill in a red car, the race the FIRST for another team. Phoenix Racing made its Cup debut in this race. Driver Jeff Purvis suited up for the team having made only one other Cup start - at Martinsville earlier in the season for Bobby Allison as the Raybestos team transitioned from Mike Alexander to Hut Stricklin.

Fin	Driver	Car
1	Bill Elliott	Ford
2	Mark Martin	Ford
3	Dale Earnhardt	Chevrolet
4	Harry Gant	Oldsmobile
5	Michael Waltrip	Pontiac
6	Dale Jarrett	Ford
7	Rusty Wallace	Pontiac
8	Kyle Petty	Pontiac
9	Davey Allison	Ford
10	Ken Schrader	Chevrolet
11	Hut Stricklin	Buick
12	Sterling Marlin	Oldsmobile
13	Derrike Cope	Chevrolet
14	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	Buick
15	Terry Labonte	Oldsmobile
16	Richard Petty	Pontiac
17	Butch Miller	Chevrolet
18	Jimmy Spencer	Pontiac
19	Darrell Waltrip	Chevrolet
20	Brett Bodine	Buick
21	Greg Sacks	Chevrolet
22	Dave Marcis	Chevrolet
23	Dick Trickle	Pontiac
24	Jimmy Means	Pontiac
25	Morgan Shepherd	Ford
26	Ernie Irvan	Chevrolet
27	Rick Wilson	Oldsmobile
28	Rob Moroso	Oldsmobile
29	Alan Kulwicki	Ford
30	Jimmy Horton	Pontiac
31	Tommy Ellis	Oldsmobile
32	Ricky Rudd	Chevrolet
33	Jeff Purvis	Chevrolet
34	Jim Sauter	Pontiac
35	James Hylton	Buick
36	Geoffrey Bodine	Ford
37	Jerry Hufflin	Pontiac
38	Mike Potter	Pontiac
39	Tommy Riggins	Oldsmobile
40	J.D. McDuffie	Pontiac

updated by @tmc-chase: 09/15/17 01:13:01PM

Time to celebrate - ITS GOAT WEEK!

General

modernfarmer.com has declared this week to be known as Goat Week. I guess they can do that. Like Brian France, they apparently have the authority to do so.

Yep, there is even a web site...

http://modernfarmer.com/tag/goat-week/

A goat cam...

http://modernfarmer.com/2013/09/goatcam/

A goat t-shirt...

http://shop.modernfarmer.com/product/goat-t-shirts

A Pinterest page...

http://www.pinterest.com/averypins/goat-week/

And even this that makes me laugh over and over and over and over...

Happy Bleating.

updated by @tmc-chase: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM

September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

Stock Car Racing History

Several articles culled from the archived microfilm of The Tennessean and Nashville Banner...

Clicking each article should open it in a new browser tab for easier reading.

Newspaper ad promoting the race in conjunction with the Tennessee State Fair. Fans didn't get to see Super Tex - but the un-advertised Waltrip took the trophy. Interesting the track used Fred Lorenzen's STP Plymouth from NASCAR in its advertising. Wonder if the USAC brass in Indy blew a fuse over that.

Race previews

Race report

Post-race columns

updated by @tmc-chase: 09/15/17 01:19:02PM

September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

Stock Car Racing History

Several pics from The Tennessean from the 1972 USAC 200.

Publicity shot of Gordon Johncock, DW and Bobby Unser

Waltrip all smiles after winning the pole. Nashville mayor Beverly Briley was there to shake his hand & act like he knew something about racing.

USAC officials gather before the race. "On two, BREAK!"

Drivers meeting

Waltrip asking a question or offering an opinion with Wayne Andrews beside him.

Pre-race discussion amongst USAC regulars Bobby Unser, Johncock and Al Unser

Waltrip takes the checkers and is greeted in victory lane. Interesting he still had his Winston Cup logo on the car. With USAC's perennial distaste for NASCAR, I'm a bit surprised USAC officials didn't insist it be removed.

September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

Stock Car Racing History

Pretty sure you are right. I don't have that article on my hard drive. But now that I see it, I think I recall him posting it at TrackForum. I'm not sure Jerry has thrown away a scrap of paper since 1960. Haha.

September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

Stock Car Racing History

Ol' DW was pleased to show off his new "used" acquisition to a couple of of lovelies from the speedway. This publicity photo ran in The Tennessean in May 1972. Good gracious I miss hot pants in victory lane. Haha

September 16, 1972 - "Jaws" Wins Nashville USAC Race Over 3 Plymouths & Chevelle; RR Member "Winding" Wayne Andrews Places 9th

Stock Car Racing History

Russ included a little bit about this race in a 2011 blog post.

http://nashvillefairgrounds.blogspot.com/2011/02/memorabilia-part-2.html

Another unique race from the 1972 season was the Tennessee 200 USAC stock car race. USAC stands for United States Auto Club. They were the sanctioning body for the Indianapolis 500, but they also had a stock car division. They had competed at Nashville in 1959 and 1960, and in the sixties on a national level, the series was nearly an equal to NASCAR (which at the time was seen as more of a Southeastern regional sport). In the fifties, sixties, and even into the 70s, many drivers who competed in the Indianapolis 500 also competed in many of the USAC stock car races.

Although the brochure states AJ Foyt would be competing, he didn't make it to Nashville. But Indy stars Bobby Unser, Gordon Johncock, and Roger McCluskey were in the race along with the full-time USAC stock car stars.

But unknown to the USAC stars, there was an unknown ringer in the field. In September of 1972 Darrell Waltrip had raced in a total of four Winston Cup races. But he had three full years of experience on the 36-degree banks at Nashville. The Tennessee 200 was like throwing Br'er Rabbit in the briar patch. Running the same Terminal Transport Mercury he was running in the Cup series, Waltrip qualified on the pole, led all 200 laps, and lapped the field in the process.

Bobby Unser once told me he was driving as hard as he had ever driven, so tired he was about to fall out of the seat, and looked up and, "Here came Waltrip lapping me like I was tied. And waved as he went by!"

Unser finished second, one lap down, while Johncock was third, 4 laps down.

The USAC guys couldn't believe this kid they had never heard of had beaten them so badly. So they decided to tear the car apart during the post race inspection. The car was found legal in every area, and the USAC guys left scratching their heads with their tail between their legs.

I firmly believe that race helped put Waltrip's name on the national racing radar as much as anything he had done to that point in his career.