Forum Activity for @tmc-chase

June 25th - A Lee Petty Daily Double

Stock Car Racing History

Better late than never I suppose. I finally landed on some archival material for Lee Petty's June 25, 1954 win at Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester NY. I'll true up my blog entry about the race later. But for now, I'll share what I imaged this afternoon from the archives of the Rochester Democrat Chronicle newspaper.

June 20 edition preview article

June 22 edition preview article - Good grief! Look at promo shot of Hershel McGriff!

June 25 race day preview article

June 26 race report - Lee Petty the race winner

updated by @tmc-chase: 06/25/17 10:11:06AM

June 25th - A Lee Petty Daily Double

Stock Car Racing History

That's actually a good point Dave. I've been reluctant to pass for research as part of this effort. But I am trying to be open minded to spend a nickel or two here and there if I'm certain I can learn something. I've bought 3-4 old issues of Southern Motorsports Journal and Illustrated Speedway News and gleaned some neat things. I haven't bought archived newspaper articles b/c I'm unsure what is written beyond the abstract & whether its worth the money. But absent much more for Rochester, you've given me something to think about. I'm also planning to check with Nashville's library to see if they have an interlibrary loan program where I can get some microfilm from Rochester's paper from back in the 50s.

June 25th - A Lee Petty Daily Double

Stock Car Racing History

First - a Happy Birthday to my daughter who turns 15 today on June 25th. Oh where has the time gone. And what is a dad to get except a learner's permit and a stomach ulcer.

On to racing.

Lee Petty won twice on June 25th. The first time was in 1954 at Monroe County Fairgrounds in Rochester, NY. Herb Thomas won the pole for the 200-lap, 100-mile race on the half-mile dirt track and finished 2nd to Lee. Dick Rathaman, Buck Baker and Hershel McGriff rounded out the top 5.

The '54 Rochester race is one of a handful where I've all but struck out finding much information beyond Greg Fielden's recap in Forty Years of Stock Car Racing. I'm hoping someone here knows more about the race and help supplement what I've blogged here:

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-25-1954-lee-petty-romps-to.html

Lee's 2nd June 25th win was in 1958 at Lincoln Speedway near New Oxford, PA. Ken Rush won the pole while driving for ... Julian Petty. Buck Baker finished second, and Bob Welborn finished third in a second Julian Petty entry. Future Petty Enterprises driver - Jim Paschal - finished seventh. Also, Mario Rossi made his final start as a driver in this race.

Lincoln Speedway still runs an active program of dirt cars today.

Read on for more.

http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-25-1958-lee-pettys-pennsylvania.html

updated by @tmc-chase: 06/25/17 10:10:09AM

Racing History Minute - June 25, 1966

Stock Car Racing History

June 25th and the Pettys, well they went together like peas and carrots.

- Lee Petty won on June 25, 1954 in Rochester NY and on June 25, 1958 at Lincoln Speedway in Pennsylvania:
http://racersreunion.com/community/forum/stock-car-racing-history/24840/june-25th-a-lee-petty-daily-double

- Ken Rush won the pole for the 1958 Lincoln Speedway race in a Chevrolet fielded by Julian Petty.

- And in the Lone Star 500 at Texas World Speedway, Richard Petty won the race from the pole on June 25, 1972:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-25-this-day-in-petty-history.html

And from a personal perspective, June 25th is also the anniversary of the 1978 Schaefer 500 USAC open wheel race at Pocono:
http://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2010/06/june-25-this-day-in-schaefer-racing.html

updated by @tmc-chase: 06/25/17 10:15:00AM

Racing History Minute - June 25, 1966

Stock Car Racing History

On the same day Pearson was winning for Cotton Owens at Greenville-Pickens, Cotton announced he'd hired a 2nd driver to race for him in the 4th of July Firecracker 400 - Mario Andretti. From Spartanburg Herald Journal . (Click on pic to enlarge it & make it more legible.)

Racing History Minute - June 25, 1966

Stock Car Racing History

Race report from Spartanburg Herald Journal

Racing History Minute - June 24, 1961

Stock Car Racing History

I'd say Pops focus was on other matters in June 1961.

Source: Daytona Beach Morning Journal

Racing History Minute - June 24, 1961

Stock Car Racing History

And Paschal? He was racing a Pontiac for Julian Petty.

Racing History Minute - June 24, 1961

Stock Car Racing History

If you want to go a slightly different direction - yet stay within the theme of this post - you might check out the Texas Country / Southern Rock music of the Starkey Johnson Band . They even released an album titled Barnburner!

Racing History Minute - June 24, 1961

Stock Car Racing History

On the same day Junior won at Starkey, Lee Petty gave the racing community an update on his recovery from his near-fatal wreck at Daytona in February and his opinion of the state of racing.