IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS ONE TOO
Current NASCAR
Will be interesting to watch. Should we be concerned about NASCAR's most favorite driver becoming NASCAR's MOST favorite driver?
Forum Activity for @tim-leeming
Current NASCAR
September 27, 1981 - Waltrip Wins Old Dominion 500
Stock Car Racing History
Great post Chase. Love the pictures. Don't like the winner. You should have been in Hillsborough tonight for the Waltrip discussion. Also heard 5-hour Spinergeny is re-signing with MWR.
Racing History Minute - September 28, 1958
Stock Car Racing History
What a morning already! I walk out of my room in Hillsborough to grab some coffee and get ready to head to the track for The Celebration of the Automobile. I immediately run into Greg Fielden who wrote the books I use for the History Minute most mornings. We had a good talk and he is pleased that he is (although unknowingly) adding history to RacersReunion. The lobby here is full of NASCAR History and it was truly difficult to go back to the room to get ready to head to the track. There will be so many folks at the track I know my eyes are going to pop today. I never get complacent about what an honor it is to be around these folks, it is always a tremendous treat for me. Ok, folks, I'm off to be a part of another historic day!!! All of you not here, have a great day. For those of us here, I know it will be a great day!!!
Racing History Minute - September 28, 1958
Stock Car Racing History
I have spent the past several hours hanging with some of the true pioneers and heroes of early day NASCAR racing. The guys who built this sport. All of you anywhere near Hillsborough will have all day tomorrow, until 4:00 p.m. to join us at The Celebration of the Automobile. Check out our Events schedule here on RR or go to www.historicspeedwaygroup.org and check it out. Weather is absolutely outstanding.
Racing History Minute - September 28, 1958
Stock Car Racing History
This "Minute" is being posted a day early because when the sun comes up on September 28, 2013, I, along with thousands of others, will be at the track where the subject of today's reflection took place in 1958. The annual Celebration of the Automobile will be happening Saturday, September 28, 2013 at Orange Speedway in Hillsboro (or Hillsborough) NC. There will be many show cars there not to mention a huge selection of historic race cars which will actually take to the track Saturday afternoon The race cars on the track is supposed to be a "parade" event but having been there last year, it turned out to be more of an unscheduled racing event! Ok, back to 1958.
There were 33 entries in the 99 mile event on the one mile dirt track, including Joe Eubanks, a veteran of 132 previous Grand National races but who had "retired" after the 1957 season when he couldn't find a ride. Joe lived in Spartanburg, SC and was good friends with Cotton Owens. Cotton just happened to have a spare 1957 Pontiac on hand and he talked Joe into driving it in the race.
Tiny Lund put a Buck Baker Chevrolet on the pole at a speed of 87.308 mph with Cotton Owens in his new 1958 Pontiac starting on the outside. Gober Sosebee would start third in a Chevy, Shorty Rollins fourth in a Ford and Jimmy Massey in a Pontiac fifth. Joe Eubanks, in the borrowed Pontiac would start 6th. Joe was driving Pontiac number 6 while Cotton Owens wheeled the number 3 Pontiac.
Cotton took the lead on the green and was being chased hard by Tiny Lund. Finally, on lap 33 Tiny forced his way to the number one spot. Lund was pulling away when the suspenion on the Buck Baker owner Chevy broke forcing Lund out of the race. It was the second time in two consecutive races that Lund started on the pole and fell out with susupenion issues. Buck and Tiny were good friends but Buck's comment after the race may have caused Tiny some concern. Buck said, of Tiny "If I gave that man an anvile, he'd have it in about six pieces before you'd know it".
With Lund sidelined, hard charging Junior Johnson took over number one positiion. Johnson was solidly out front with 12 laps to go when he crashed the Paul Spaulding Ford. It was at that point that Joe Eubanks, who had been running a steady pace, took over the lead he would hold untilthe end although he had a heated battle with Doug Cox for a couple of those laps on the restart.
Top five finishers were:
1. Joe Eubanks, Cotton Owens Pontiac, winning $800.00
2. Doug Cox, Ford, winning $525.00
3. Buck Baker, Baker Chevrolet, winning $350.00 (1 lap down)
4. Tommy Irwin, Ford, winning $250.00 (1 lap down)
5. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Oldsmobile, winning $225.00 (2 laps down)
Sixth through tenth were Shorty Rollins, Roy Tyner, Gober Sosebee, R. L.Combs and Bob Walden. Bill Blair finished 11th, Junior Johnson 15th, Herman Beam 16th, and Brownie King 17th. Speedy Thompson would capture 19th, Cotton Owens 22nd and Fred Harb 23th. Gene White finished 24th, Tiny Lund 25th (without the anvil), Larry Frank 26th, Richard Petty 31st, Ken Rush 32nd and Whitey Norman is credited with 33rd although he never made a lap, having engine failure before the start of the race.
IF YOU ARE ANYWHERE NEAR THE HILLSBOROUGH AREA, YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, TO COME OUT TO THIS HISTORIC FACILITY AND TALK TO SOME OF THE ACTUAL COMPETITORS IN THIS EVENT. YOU CAN CHECK OUT www.historicspeedwaygroup.org for more information or check the Events section of RacersReunion. Will be an awesome time for sure and there is NO CHARGE to see everything.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM
Barrett-Jackson Las Vegas Auction Lot 3003 - 2012 DODGE NASCAR RACE CAR No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge driven by Brad Keselowski WILL BE SOLD ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013.
Stock Car Racing History
Ok, Jeff Gilder, my birthday is just amonth away and YOU know how much I like Dodges!
Racing History Minute - September 27, 1959
Stock Car Racing History
I am guessing it is the same Gene White although I can't guarantee that. Just something floating around in the back of my mind says so. Chase may have that answer for sure.
Racing History Minute - September 27, 1959
Stock Car Racing History
Oh, and just so you know, I will be posting the Minute for September 28th tomorrow morning (Friday the 27th) because I'll be in Hillsborough, NC for the Celebration of the Automobile. Coincidentally, the Minute for the 28th involves Occoneechee. If you are anywhere in the area, come out to the event Saturday. It is free admission and the entire spectacular is amazingly awesome.
Racing History Minute - September 27, 1959
Stock Car Racing History
As I have already mentioned once this past week, it is almost impossible to find a date anywhere near this period of September in which the event was NOT run in Martinsville, VA. So, today we return to the half-mile paved track know as Martinsville Speedway for the 1959 "Virginia Sweepstakes 500". This is another of the "sweepstakes" races where Convertibles competed against the hardtops for the win. The only real difference is the convertibles were missing a top. For the purposes of brevity, I'll designate the convertibles as "C" and the Grand Nationals as "GN".
Glen Wood started a Ford "C" on the pole with a speed of 69.471. mph. Tommy Irwin in a T-Bird "GN" would start second, Richard Petty ina Plymouth "C" third, Tiger Tom Pistone in a T-Bird "GN" fourth and Joe Lee Johnson in a Chevrolet "C" fifth.
Glen Wood would lead the first 85 laps before Lee Petty, who had started sixth in a Plymouth "GN" took over. Lee held the point until lap 164 before Rex White moved his Chevy out front. It was Lee again on lap 172 but he only stayed there until lap 179 before Jim Reed, driving a Chevrolet "GN" took over. Reed stayed out front until lap 266 when Larry Frank, driving a Chevy "C" went to the front where he would stay until lap 305. On lap 306, Rex White put that Grand National Chevrolet in the lead and he would stay there until the checkered flag waved on lap 500. This was Rex's seventh career win in the Grand National Division which was recorded before 13,500 fans at an average speed of 60.500 mph. The pace was slowed by 7 caution flags but my source does not provide the number of laps run under caution.
It was at this race that Lee Petty clinched his third National Championship by finishing 10th. He left the evet with a lead of 1,380 points with only three races left in the 1959 season. As it worked out, Lee would win two of those events (Asheville-Weaverville, NC and N. Wilkesboro, NC) and finish second in the final race of the season at Concord, NC.
Top five finishers were:
1. Rex White, White Chevrolet GN, winning $3,250.00
2. Glen Wood, Wood Brothers Ford C, winning $1,975.00
3. Jim Reed , Reed Chevrolet GN, winning $1,425.00 (3 laps down)
4. Tommy Irwin, Irwin T-Bird GN, winning $1,175.00 (3 laps down)
5. Speedy Thompson, Ogden-Ridgeway Chevy GN,winning $900.00 (3 laps down)
Sixth through tenth were Larry Frank, Tiger Tom Pistone, Joe Lee Johnson, Roy Tyner and Lee Petty. Ned Jarrett would finish 12th, Buck Baker 14th, Richard Petty 15th, Tiny Lund 19th, and Herman Beam 21st. Twenty-third went to Brownie King, Bobby Johns was 24th, Jimmy Thompson 28th, Jack Smith 29th, Fireball Roberts 30th and E.J. Trivette 32nd. Cotton Owens had the Thunder Chicken T-Bird in 33rd, G. C. Spencer 34th and Marvin Panch 38th. Banjo Matthews nailed 39th, Elmo Langley 40th, Fred Harb 44th, Johnny Beauchamp 45th, Bob Welborn 46th and Jimmie Lewallen received $25.00 after crashing out of the race on lap 2.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future
updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM