Certainly my thoughts and prayers are to the family and friends of Big "E". He was hard to miss in the pits but I don't recall ever personally talking with him. Always a sadness when our racing family loses someone, especially someone who apparently had such a profound impact for good.
I didn't get to see this ARCA race but the one I watched a couple of weeks ago where Corey won shows he is going to be pretty awesome it would seem. And he is a Richard Petty Motorsports Development Driver? Wow!!! Maybe there is hope that the 43 will return to its glory days.
As for Ryan Blaney, I like what I saw in him the first time I saw him drive. He really put it on the guys Saturday. Oh, I know, the car he was driving has won with now four different drivers, but for a 19 year old to have to fend off so many challenges on late race restarts and do it with such ease was amazing. I can see him as a Cup star soon.
I'm pleased you enjoyed this post Sandeep.
One of the original NASCAR tracks is still around and still providing, for the most part, exciting racing. Still one-half mile, Martinsville Speedway continues to stay on the schedules with two races a year in spite of its limited seating capacity compared to most other venues. But, then again, with the falling attendance at NASCAR events, the seating is more than adequate. In 1963, some 50 years ago today, 20,000 folks flocked to the track for the "Old Dominion 500".
Junior Johnson would qualify his Holly Farms Chevrolet on the pole at a speed of 73.379 mph. Fred Lorenzen in a Holman-Moody Ford would start second, Fireball Roberts in another Holman-Moody Ford, winner of the Southern 500 less than 3 weeks before, would start third. Rex White in the Loius Clements Chevrolet would start fourth and Marvin Panch would roll off fifth in the Wood Brothers Ford.
Junior would lead the first 51 laps before yeilding to Fred Lorenzen on lap 52, only to recover the lead the next lap and stay there to lap 80 before Lorenzen muscled his way back in front where he would stay until the checkered flag. But there is more to this story.
On lap 40, Lorenzen started his bumper-tagging tricks with Junior, much like what Freddie had done to Fireball Roberts earlier in the year. When he tried it with Fireball, Roberts had enough and jammed on his brakes which took Lorenzen out with a busted radiator. This time Junior took it for 11 laps and then he tried the same trick but Lorenzen, once burned with the brake-check move, shoved his Ford to the inside of Junior and took the lead for one lap. Apparently fearing retribution from the man in the white Chevy, Lorenzen backed off and let Junior go back in front. Lorenzen had made a habit of following the swift Chevy most of the season until the Chevy "broker" which almost always happened but had decided to show his fans that he could outrun the Chevy when needed. Lorenzen was actually quoted after the race as saying "I wanted to prove I could outrun Junior".
Lorenzen had other issues during the race. Reb Wickersham was stalled on the track and Lorenzen ran up on the stalled car and actually careened off Wickersham but continued. He later hooked bumpers with a teammate, Nelson Stacy and Stacy was furious. Stacy told Herb Nab, crew chief for Fred, that "I'm sick and tired of being roughed up by Lorenzen. This is my last warning". Junior crashed on lap 296 while trying to run down the fleet Ford of Lorenzen. This was the 11th career win for Lorenzen who averaged 67.486 mph for the 250 miles after 5 caution flags waved for a total of 18 laps.
Top five finishers:
1. Fred Lorenzen, Holman-Moody Ford, winning $3,800.00
2. Marvin Panch, Wood Brothers Ford, winning $1,675.00 (1 lap down)
3. Joe Weatherly, Bud Moore Mercury, winning $1,475.00 (3 laps down)
4. David Pearson, Cotton Owens Dodge, winning $875.00 (4 laps down)
5. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $775.00 (4 laps down)
Sixth through tenth were Billy Wade, Fireball Roberts, Nelson Stacy, Jack Smith and Buck Baker. Cale Yarborough would finish 12th, Curtis Crider 13th, Worth McMillian 16th, Reb Wickersham 17th, Wendell Scott 18th, Ned Jarrett 19th, Larry Frank 20th, Junior Johnson 21st, Darel Dieringer 22nd and G. C. Spencer 23rd. Rex White, involved in a crash on lap 163 would be credited with 25th, Roy Tyner 26th, J. D. McDuffie 29th, Fred Harb 30th, and Perk Brown would come in 32nd. Jimmy Pardue was 35th crashing with Jim Massey before the first lap was complete so he was not credited with completing even one lap.
At least three of the drivers from this race, Rex White, Reb Wickersham and Marvin Panch, will be a part of the Celebration of The Automobile in Hillsborough, NC this Saturday, September 28th. You can check the "Events" column here on RacersReunion for more information about that but if you're anywhere in the area, I hope you will plan to attend. Will be an absolutely awesome event, guaranteed, and personally endorsed by The Legend.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
You are right, of course William. Jeff is always telling me how much I get on his nerves. He even deleted my account once!
Tommie, I have admired and respected you from the day I met you. Although I disagree with you completely on the Waltrips, I still admire and respect you. Friends can disagree graciously and that is the way life should be. So, my friend, thanks for the expression of your feelings and you and I will continue our friendship!
James, a nice addition to Forum Posts. Always great to have someone who doesn't post often make a statement. I have empathy for Truex and for Brian Vickers because both of them were totally innocent in what happened. I am also aware that a race driver will take any deal to drive,no matter the owner. My contempt for BOTH Waltrips is deep rooted and not likely to change. Mikey is NO driver. He is a joke behind the wheel, two Daytona 500s notwithstanding. In fact, both Waltrips are an embarrassment to the sport. Talk about "actions detrimental to the sport"? Both of those guys being allowed inside a track is detrimental to the sport. That's why I listen to the radio broadcasts of the races when D.W. is announcing. I watch the truck races without sound because that screeching Mikey is babbling on with inane comments. Ok, enough from me. Thanks for posting your comment James.
The half-mile dirt track in Shelby, NC known as Cleveland County Fairgrounds will be the venue for out 100 mile/200 lap race for this date. Two days before the Shelby race, Buck Baker won the pole and the race at Columbia Speedway and he would once again put his Chevrolet on the pole at Shelby. Bill Benson would qualify his Mercury second, Gwyn Staley in a Julian Petty Chevrolet third, Speedy Thompson in a Dick Beaty Ford would start fourth and Lee Petty in his Oldsmobile would round out the top five qaulifiers.
Buck led the first 65 laps before Lee Petty took over for 16 laps. Baker went back in front on lap 83 and would stay there until Fireball Roberts moved out front on lap 116. On lap 150 it was Baker again and then Marvin Panch took over on lap 165. On lap 188 Panch had no choice but to stop for a quick refuel and gave the lead back to Baker who would hold it til the end. Baker would leave the race with a 768 point lead over second place Panch.
There were four caution flags for a total of 19 laps which dropped the average race speed to 53.699 mph. Only 11 of the 21 starters were running at the finish.
Fireball Roberts had been having an awful season since the factory had pulled out but he was able to lead this race. However, with 51 laps to go, he blew a tire and hit the fence and was out of the race.
Herb Thomas, who did not compete in this race, was at the track where he announced his retirement from the sport. It had been just the year before when Herb was critically injured in a multi-car crash at the Shelby track. He had driven in only two races in the 1957 season so the two time national champion called it quits that night.
Top five finishers were:
1. Buck Baker, Baker Chevrolet, winning $900.00
2. Marvin Panch, Panch Ford, winning $575.00
3. Bill Amick, Amick Ford, winning $375.00 (2 laps down)
4. Gwyn Staley, Julian Petty Chevrolet, winning $280.00 (2 laps down)
5. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Oldsmobile, winning $245.00 (5 laps down)
Sixth through tenth were Johnny Allen, Paul Goldsmith, Bobby Keck, Roy Tyner and Brownie King. L.D. Austin would finish 11th, Joe Weatherly 12th, Whitey Norman 13th, Fireball Roberts 14th, Speedy Thompson 15th. Jim Paschal would get credit for 21st place. having fallen out on lap 58 with mechanical issues.
Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.
Great stuff guys!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dave, per Greg Fielden's "Forty Years of Stock Car Racing" states that Junior got to the track late and had to start in 22nd and last place. Says the crowd was going crazy as Junior motored through the field, up to 7th place by the fourth lap.He was third on the 22nd lap and going after the lead when George Green spun on the 28th lap and Johnson hit the spinning car. Goes on to say that Johnson continued in the damaged car and ended up third, much to the delight of the crowd. After the race, NASCAR found an "illegal differential" and disqualified Junior and he received no money.
