Forum Activity for @dennis-andrews

Sunoco 260

Stock Car Racing History

Sunoco 260

Hickory Motor Speedway

Hickory, North Carolina

Saturday, June 19, 1971

Race #9 of 1971 for the Grand American Challenge Series was the Sunoco 260 at Hickory Motor Speedway, a .363 mile paved oval promoted by Ned Jarrett who also had a 50 late model sportsman race on the card that night.

Several Grand National regulars entered the event. Bobby Isaac made his first Grand American start in one of Jim Paschals Javelins and Dick Brooks was in a Camaro. Norm Krauskopf had withdrawn Isaacs K&K Dodge from competition over the size of the restrictor plate mandated for Chrysler products. He claimed the rules favored the Ford teams while penalizing the Chrysler teams. Brooks Grand National car owner Mario Rossi is reported to be ready to throw in the towel after trying to get around the plate rule by running a small block in his Dodge. Dave Marcus also landed a ride in a Camaro.

Tiny Lund took the pole with a lap of 16.35 seconds in a Camaro and led lap one before Jim Paschal pushed his Javelin to the front from the third starting spot in turn two until yielding to Lund on lap 15. Paschal was out after 17 laps with a broken valve spring. Lund would lead until lap 38 when Dick Brooks took over the top spot. Buck Baker charged his Firebird into first place on lap 70 after starting 8^th but was in the garage after 87 laps with no oil pressure. Bakers exit put Brooks back in the lead until second place starter Bobby Isaac went to the front on lap 104 when Brooks pitted , Isaac led until Lund went back into the lead on lap 153. Lund held the lead for 50 laps until Brooks went back out front were he stayed for the final 56 laps. Brooks beat Isaac by over half a lap with Wayne Andrews third on the lead lap. Lund faded to fourth after losing two laps.

Brooks collected $1,475.00 for his first Grand American win. 15 of the 24 starters were running at the finish.

Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out

1 5 95 Dick Brooks 69 Camaro 260 Running

2 2 16 Bobby Isaac 70 Javelin 260 Running

3 6 15 Wayne Andrews 71 Mustang 260 Running

4 1 55 Tiny Lund 69 Camaro 258 Running

5 13 7 Jimmy Vaughn 69 Camaro 255 Running

6 4 76 Bob Williams 70 Mustang 254 Running

7 19 11 Dave Marcus 69 Camaro 253 Running

8 15 88 David Boggs 68 Camaro 252 Running

9 21 54 Bobby Fleming 69 Camaro 251 Running

10 16 3 Baxter Price 69 Camaro 249 Running

11 9 21 Tommy Andrews 70 Mustang 246 Running

12 14 98 Coy Blue 69 Mustang 245 Running

13 7 19 Bobby Brewer 69 Camaro 241 Running

14 22 9 Stan Star Sr. 68 Camaro 228 Running

15 24 1 Ernie Shaw 68 Camaro 219 Running

16 18 29 Randy Bannister 68 Cougar 200 Fuel Pump

17 17 74 Al Straub 71 Mustang 123 Overheat

18 23 4 Jim Haley 71 Camaro 115 Driveshaft

19 8 87 Buck Baker 71 Firebird 87 Oil Pressure

20 11 41 Gary Myers 70 Mustang 76 Wreck

21 10 61 Tommy LeChlider 69 Camaro 51 Wreck

22 3 14 Jim Paschal 70 Javelin 17 Valve Spring

23 20 53 Terry Flynn 68 Mustang 3 Distributer

24 12 2 Randy Hutchison 69 Camaro 0 Fuel Pump

updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Racing History Minute - June 17, 1972

Stock Car Racing History

Chase, Dad actually drove Jack St. Clair's '70 Mustang that day. Picture below was taken at Myrtle Beach.

Earnhardt Trivia

Trivia

Chase, I was watching a Back in the Day program on the 1979 Daytona 500 the other night and that is what they said on the broadcast. They also talked about all the cameras (12) that were bringing us the broadcast in addition to the in-car cameras. Several shots stand out but the ones showing the nose of a car coming up behind a camera car caught my eye. First was the use of stock body pieces on the front ends and then the cars rotating on their roll axis with plenty of clearance under the front bumpers. Not like today with the splitter sucked down on the pavement and almost no body roll.

Earnhardt Trivia

Trivia

Something caught my attention on TV the other day. Let's see if it was right.

When and where did Dale Earnhardt lead his first laps in Grand National competition?

updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:10:12PM

Bowman-Gray 250 June 5, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

Bowman-Gray 250

Bowman-Gray Stadium

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Saturday, June 5, 1971

Race #8 of 1971 for the Grand American Challenge Series was originally scheduled for June 27^th but was moved to the 5^th when the June 6^th event at Maryville, Tenn. was cancelled. A race at Summit Point was scheduled for May 3^rd but never happened and the May 30^th event at Ona, West Virginia was postponed reportedly because of low car counts due to crashes at Dover and Springfield. Reports at the time were slanted that the GA series was in trouble and that would prove to be true but it was also true that all was not well for the Grand National division either. A June 2^nd race at Greenville was canceled because the short tracks were not drawing big enough crowds for promoters to make it and a 400 mile race at Byran, Tx. was also cancelled.

Point standings going into Bowman-Gray looked like this.

1. Jimmy Capps
2. Tiny Lund
3. Buck Baker
4. Bobby Fleming
5. Wayne Andrews
6. Jimmy Vaughn
7. Al Straub
8. Ernie Shaw
9. David Boggs
10. James Raimey

By now all Grand American cars were required to be equipped with a window net over the drivers side door. Approved suppliers were Holman Moody, Nichols Engineering and Petty Enterprises and were mandated for use on all Grand National, Western Grand National, Grand American, late model Sportsman, Modified and Hobby cars.

Tiny Lund took the pole with a lap of 16.63 seconds in a Camaro and went on to record his 4^th win of the year before a crowd of 10,000.

Fin Srt Car # Driver Car Laps Reason out

1 1 55 Tiny Lund 69 Camaro 250 Running

2 88 T.C. Hunt 69 Camaro Running

3 87 Buck Baker 71 Firebird Running

4 21 Tommy Andrews 70 Mustang Running

5 74 Al Straub 71 Mustang Running

6 26 Randy Hutchison 69 Camaro

7 86 David Boggs 71 Firebird

8 27 Steve McWhite 69 Camaro

9 19 Bobby Brewer 69 Camaro

10 15 Wayne Andrews 71 Mustang

The win in combination with Jimmy Capps missing the show gave Lund the point lead.

1. Tiny Lund
2. Buck Baker
3. Bobby Fleming
4. Bob Williams
5. Wayne Andrews
6. Jimmy Capps
7. Jimmy Vaughn
8. Al Straub
9. David Boggs
10. Ernie Shaw
11. Bobby Brewer
12. Tommy Andrews
13. James Raimey
14. Baxter Price
15. Tommy Lechlider
16. Steve McWhite
17. Glen Brewer
18. Stan Starr
19. H.B. Bailey
20. C.B. Gwyn

Personal note:

It was a very hot night at the Stadium with little to no breeze and the track was even more open then than it is now as the new scoreboard and field house now fill the open end of the stadium. I do not remember much about the race except that dad went out before the checkered flag. The report I had says he finished 10^th but his records do not confirm that as they only state I got too hot!. I remember there being a wreck in turns 1 and 2 that blocked the track. When dad arrived at the scene he stopped next to the outside wall between 1 and 2 until the track was cleared. He then drove slowly down the back stretch and straight into the pits. The whole family was in the grandstands so we gathered at the fence where we could see down into pit road. The car had stopped in one of the first few stalls and several people were gathered around it when someone went in thru the passenger side window. It was a scary sight to see dad pulled from the car limp as a dish rag. Once out, we could not see dad because of the crowd that was around him and we grew concerned but we soon got the report that he was conscious and being taken to the hospital. I dont recall the status of the race when we went to the hospital where he received fluids and was released. With the level of concentration required at a place like Bowman-Gray dad had not realized he was getting dehydrated until the caution forced him to stop. He had passed out and did not remember driving into the pit. The next year I would get to spend more time in the pits and made it my job to make sure the water bottle was clean and filled before each race.

updated by @dennis-andrews: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

NASCAR All Star race was a trainwreck

Current NASCAR

Sadly Billy, I don't think the suits at Daytona are even trying to bring it back to what it once was. Instead of promoting what makes it unique they are trying to force it to be like all other sports.

Lanier 250 May 23, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

Thanks Jack

Lanier 250 May 23, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

I don't know how to link it but Dave Fulton did a discussion on this race. Go to all discussions and search race title and you can find it.

Lanier 250 May 23, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

Note the Barracuda was Petty Blue

Lanier 250 May 23, 1971

Stock Car Racing History

Gene Felton in the Trivette Camaro still in primer from repairs from Dover crash.