Stock Car Racing in the '50s
Stock Car Racing History
This book is terrific. I enjoyed every page and every photo. Ford paints vivid pictures of weekly stock car racing in its early post war days.
Forum Activity for @dave-fulton
Stock Car Racing History
AN INTRODUCTION TO THOSE WHO DARE
Current NASCAR
I have spent the day watching the Panthers from Charlotte beat that team from the city that used to produce "Detroit Iron" - then watching the first of the 7-installment, 14 hour PBS Ken Burns documentary, "The Roosevelts." I have to leave the Mikey watching to my trusted buddies like Johnny. What does he call that move anyway, Mr. Mallonee? Looks like he's holding out his arm for pigeons to land!
I just love the Janssen Pharmeceuticals sponsor on the Michael Waltrip car. They are the makers of ant-psychotic drug, RISPERDAL, whose side effect of growing breasts on men and boys has resulted in hundred of millions of dollars in lawsuit payments. Interesting that they paired with the prancing Waltrip. Wonder what they know?
AN INTRODUCTION TO THOSE WHO DARE
Current NASCAR
LOL, Johnny! I'm afraid to think what LEGEND would do with the plastic bag!
September 8, 1963 - Ned Jarrett Takes Richmond's Capital City 300 on the Dirt for Burton & Robinson Team
Stock Car Racing History
On this date in 1963 - September 8th - Ned Jarrett of Conover, NC drove the Burton & Robinson Concrete Construction Ford to the win over Rex White's Mercury before 15,000 fans at the half-mile dirt Virginia State Fairgrounds layout in Richmond, Virginia. Jarrett's pale blue #11 car was owned out of Fairfax, Virginia with the car owner generally listed as Red Robinson of Burton & Robinson.
26 drivers started the Richmond fray. Pole sitter and leader Joe Weatherly in Bud Moore's Pontiac blew on lap 165.
Jarrett set a new track race record of 66.339 mph, topping Weatherly's former mark.
Weatherly started on the pole beside 2nd place starter jack Smith's 1963 Plymouth.
Finishing behind Jarrett and White in third was Larry Frank, driving a Ford for Bondy Long who'd field cars for Jarrett in 1964.
Bluff City, Tennessee's G.C. Spencer held down the 4th finishing position, one ahead of the Elmhurst Express, Fearless Freddie Lorenzen, making a rare dirt track start.
Finishing sixth was Richard Petty, one spot ahead of Richmond favorite Ray Hendrick in 7th. 8th-10th positions were claimed by Virginia ABC agent Worth McMillion, Tiny Lund and Larry Thomas, respectively.
Member, Bill McPeek will note his friend, Jack Anderson posting a 16th place finish for Richmond car builder and former driver, Emanuel Zervakis, the Golden Greek, after differential failure.
Petty wheeled Plymouth #41 that day, not the familiar #43.
It was a big year in Richmond for Jarrett and the Burton & Robinson team. They won Grand National races at both of the city's Grand National venues, the half-mile dirt Fairgrounds and the third-mile asphalt Southside Speedway.
Virginia was a busy place for racers that weekend. Both Ray Hendrick and Jack Anderson car owner, Emanuel Zervakis had driven in the Saturday night 300-lap Modified-Sportsman race at Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia won by Runt Harris before Sunday afternoon's Richmond go. And Junior Johnson had already claimed victory on Friday night in the Hickory, NC Grand National outing.
I had a difficult time finding a news clip for this race (I'm holding out for TMC-Chase), but did find a brief Associated Press clip in the Fredericksburg, Virginia paper and a UPI write-up in the Hendersonville (NC) Times. Please note the UPI clip has numerous typos and errors.
Ned Jarrett won 8 times in 1963 for the Fairfax, Virginia Burton & Robinson team.
RR member, Buddy Burton is the caretaker of his father's Burton & Robinson team jacket.
A couple of modelers takes on the Ned Jarrett #11 Burton & Robinson 1963 Ford
1963 Capital City 300
NASCAR Grand National race number 47 of 55
Sunday, September 8, 1963 at Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds, Richmond, VA
300 laps on a .500 mile dirt track (150.0 miles)
Time of race: 2:15:04
Average Speed: 66.339 mph
Pole Speed: 68.104 mph
Margin of Victory: 2 lp 2 sec
Attendance: 15,000
Lead changes: 4
Fin St # Driver Sponsor / Owner Car Laps Money Status Led
1 7 11 Ned Jarrett Burton-Robinson (Charles Robinson) '63 Ford 300 2,200 running 57
2 5 4 Rex White Louis Clements (Rex White) '63 Mercury 298 1,475 running 98
3 12 99 Larry Frank Bondy Long '63 Ford 293 1,050 running 0
4 9 03 G.C. Spencer G.C. Spencer '62 Chevrolet 291 775 running 0
5 8 28 Fred Lorenzen LaFayette (Holman-Moody) '63 Ford 289 560 running 0
6 3 41 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises '63 Plymouth 286 425 distributor 0
7 18 35 Ray Hendrick Rebel Racing '61 Pontiac 285 350 running 0
8 15 83 Worth McMillion Worth McMillion '62 Pontiac 275 300 running 0
9 16 32 Tiny Lund Dave Kent '63 Ford 275 250 running 0
10 19 36 Larry Thomas Wade Younts '62 Dodge 273 250 running 0
11 14 19 Cale Yarborough Herman Beam '62 Ford 270 225 running 0
12 2 47 Jack Smith Jack Smith '63 Plymouth 266 225 differential 0
13 23 96 Jimmy Massey Hubert Westmoreland '62 Chevrolet 266 225 wheel 0
14 11 34 Wendell Scott Wendell Scott '62 Chevrolet 262 200 running 0
15 4 6 David Pearson Cotton Owens '63 Dodge 254 200 running 0
16 21 20 Jack Anderson Emanuel Zervakis '63 Ford 242 175 differential 0
17 24 33 Roy Mayne C.L. Kilpatrick '62 Chevrolet 240 175 running 0
18 17 62 Curtis Crider Curtis Crider '63 Mercury 237 175 clutch 0
19 22 17 Bob Welborn Fred Harb '62 Pontiac 233 175 running 0
20 20 54 Jimmy Pardue Pete Stewart '63 Ford 175 175 overheating 0
21 1 8 Joe Weatherly Bud Moore '63 Mercury 165 350 engine 145
22 6 87 Buck Baker Buck Baker '63 Pontiac 124 150 overheating 0
23 10 09 Larry Manning Bob Adams '62 Chevrolet 98 150 overheating 0
24 25 86 Neil Castles Buck Baker '62 Chrysler 90 150 crash 0
25 13 3 Junior Johnson Holly Farms (Ray Fox) '63 Chevrolet 62 100 wheel cylinder 0
26 26 66 Elmo Langley Ratus Walters '63 Ford 8 100 head gasket 0
Lap leader breakdown:
Leader From
Lap To
Lap # Of
Laps
Joe Weatherly 1 98 98
Ned Jarrett 99 118 20
Joe Weatherly 119 165 47
Rex White 166 263 98
Ned Jarrett 264 300 37
From Racing Reference
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
another great driver passes
Stock Car Racing History
Thoughts to Stub Weigartz's family, friends & fans.
Photo of Stub furnished to Allegheny Historical Society by his daughter .Jennifer McConnell.
IRONMAN WENT TO RUBBER AFTER RICHMOND RACE
Current NASCAR
Darned, Johnny... I opened this expecting to see that Jack Ingram had returned at Richmond!
On the Fence
Current NASCAR
He must have been from Knightdale, NC. We used to pass by his street every time we drove from Wilson, NC to Raleigh.
On the Fence
Current NASCAR
I spent more time Saturday night watching Virginia Tech beat Ohio State on the gridiron in Columbus than I did watching the Brad Keselowski runaway at Richmond. Thus, I missed the caution for the fan who climbed the catch fence in turn four during the race's late stages.
Ever since ISC purchased the Richmond facility from the Sawyer family, I've noted the Raceway paid officers from the Henrico County Police Department providing track security has shrunk drastically. No way that fan could have climbed the fence back when the Sawyers had officers spaced about ten feet apart around the entire track when cars were running.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:04:08PM
For Eric Cardona... Here's How NASCAR Now Measures Track Length
Stock Car Racing History
Eric, you've questioned several times how NASCAR measures track length and I've responded that oval tracks used to be measured 15 feet in from the outside retaining wall, but with the advent of SAFER Barriers, I didn't know what they were doing.
Looking at info for tonight's Richmond race, the Richmond newspaper track facts chart showed the RIR track length being measured 13 1/2 feet in from the SAFER Barrier and remaining outside retaining wall.
When I plugged "13 1/2 feet NASCAR track measurement" into a Google search, I was directed to this question and answer at the JAYSKI site:
How does NASCAR measure the length of a race track?
NASCAR measures its race tracks with SAFER at a point 13 1/2 feet inside the outside wall.
Without SAFER NASCAR used to measure its race tracks at a point 15 feet inside the outside wall.
I am glad to see that my memory of the "old" standard of 15 feet in from the outside wall that I have repeated here on this site many, many times was indeed correct.
updated by @dave-fulton: 12/16/16 07:54:05AM