Forum Activity for @tim-leeming

December 3, 1977: Al Holbert & James Hylton plan for 1978

Stock Car Racing History

Great post Chase. I had forgotten this about James.

Why NASCAR & Not ISC Purchasing Iowa Speedway?

Current NASCAR

NASCAR purchased? Now Another Speedway Can Anticipate Ruin.

Racing History Minute - December 2, 1956

Stock Car Racing History

The first race of the 1957 season was run November 11, 1956, on the 2.5 mile DIRT track known as Willow Springs Speedway in Lancaster, California. The track was actually an eleven turn road course on dirt. Amazing piece of information as I imagine what that must have been like to watch. Marvin Panch won that race for his second overall Grand National win.

The second race of the 1957 season was run on December 2, 1956, on the half-mile dirt track in Concord, NC, known as Concord Speedway. Concord was certainly a more familiar venue to the Grand National drivers than was the Willow Springs track. Curtis Turner won the pole at a speed of 62.586 mph. Joe Weatherly, in a team Pete DePaolo Ford would start second, Marvin Panch third in another DePaolo Ford, with Ralph Moody in a fourth DePaolo Ford starting in fourth place. Bill Amick was also in a Ford belonging to Oscar Maples and he would start fifth. Paul Goldsmith, in Smokey Yunick's Chevy was the first non Ford to start.

Curtis Turner led the first two laps before Marvin Panch forced his way into the lead. Panch would begin to pull away from the field. Turner would crash on lap 79 while in a heated battle for second place. On lap 122, Johnny Allen, driving a Plymouth, spun out of control and slammed into a telephone pole, splitting the pole as it fell into the grandstands. Fortunately, that portion of the grandstands was not crowded and there were no injuries in the stands and neither was Johnny injured.

Fireball Roberts, who was trying to make it to the race, missed a connecting flight and did not make it in time for the race. Ralph Earnhardt got the nod from DePaolo to fill in behind the wheel of the number 22 Ford. Ralph would start 22nd and be credited with a 12th place finish although he sailed over a dirt enbankment on lap 164 and damaged the car beyond immediate repair. Earnhardt was not hurt.

Marvin Panch would leave Concord with a 64 point lead in the standings over Jim Paschal. The 1957 season would play out through 53 races and Panch would end up second in the season ending standings.

Finishing order:

1. Marvin Panch, DePaolo Ford, winning $650.00

2. Paul Goldsmith, Yunick Chevrolet, winning $525.00

3. Bill Amick, Oscar Maples Ford, winning $400.00 (1 lap down)

4. Tiny Lund, Chevrolet, winning $320.00 (6 laps down)

5. Lee Petty, Petty Engineering Dodge, winning $290.00 (7 laps down)

6. Jim Paschal

7. Mel Larson

8. Joe Weatherly

9. Joe Eubanks

10. Bill Morton

11. Brownie King

12. Ralph Earnhardt

13. Ed Cole

14. Billy Myers

15. Billy Carden

16. Johnny Dodson

17. Dick Beaty

18. Ralph Moody

19. Johnny Allen

20. Jack Smith

21.Curtis Turner

22.Bill Champion

23. Bobby Waddell

24. Doug Cox

25.Bill Hall

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Racing History Minute News.

Stock Car Racing History

I spent sometime last night going through my source for these Minutes to see what I have left for December. I have reports on races for December 2nd, 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th. I will post the articles for those days and may post an occassion "editorialized" opinion on something from NASCAR History a couple other days. But I do plan to take time off from the Minutes after the December 12th post. My plan now, is to return to posting on January 1, 2014, and spend the month of January reliving some of the historic Riverside races where our season started once upon a time. I never went to Riverside, but I remember many a Sunday hovering over the radio as the A.M. station had to cut back its power at sundown and I was trying to hear the end of the race through awful static.

So, check out what will be posted on the five History Minutes for December.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future.

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/05/16 04:00:58PM

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

I am guessing you would be exactly right Dennis, although I don't have that concrete information. Thanks for the addition to the post.

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

Buddy, thanks so much for adding your personal memories to this post. I love it when someone posts a personal memory to one of these History Minutes.

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

Chase, as you point out, NASCAR scoring back in the day was, at best, guess work many times. Along with this incident with Wendell in Jacksonville, the debacle at Darlington that deprived Larry Frank of a Victory Lane celebration always sticks in my mind. Larry deserved much more than he ever got from that win. Now, even with the "scoring loops" all around the track, questions arise from time to time. Having scored some races myself, I can attest to the fact it is not easy but it is very important to the fans and the participants.

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

The right thing was finally done when that trophy went where it belonged!

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

Thanks, Dave. I never had any question that this race would be the post for December 1. I remember all the discussion in my circle of friends back when this happened. Even though we were only teenagers then, we knew exactly what happened. Never doubted NASCAR did that on purpose for the reason I stated in the Minute. Thanks for all your support.

Racing History Minute - December 1, 1963

Stock Car Racing History

The third race of the 1964 season would take place on December 1, 1963, on the half-mile dirt track known as Jacksonville Speedway Park located in Jacksonville, Fla. Ned Jarrett had won the firstrace of the 1964 season on the half-mile dirt track in Concord, NC, and Fireball Roberts won on road course in Augusta, Georgia in the second outing of the season.

Jack Smith put his Plymouth on the pole for this race, and Richard Petty in a Petty Engineering Plymouth would start second. Third place starter Jimmy Lee Capps was also driving a Plymouth. Billy Wade in a Cotton Owens Dodge would start fourth and Ned Jarrett would start his Burton-Robinson Ford in fifth place. Jack's pole winning speed was 70.921 mph. Maurice Petty attempted to qualify a second Petty Plymouth but crashed on his qualifying attempt and did not start the race.

Jack Smith led the first lap and held onto that lead until lap 21 when Ned Jarrett took over. Somewhere between lad 21 and lap 176, Richard Petty took the lead from Jarrett. While that may seem an avoidance of the leader issue, what comes next is even more suspicious.

Buck Baker, driving his own Pontiac was flagged the winner of the race having completed the scheduled 200 laps. Immediately upon dismounting from his car in the pits, Wendell Scott, the independant driver from Danville, Va, filed a protestclaiming that he had won the race because he had actually passed Buck Baker 3 times during the race. Counter protests were filed and NASCAR officials began attempts to sort this all out.

The 5,000 fans who attended the race, watched Buck get the trophy and kiss the beauty queen and were, for the most part, gone some four hours later when Johnny Bruner, Sr.. NASCAR's Chief Scorer confirmed that Wendell's scorer had actually missed two laps when the number 34 Chevrolet went by so, in fact, Wendell had completed 202 laps compared to Buck's 200 and Wendell was declared the winner although few were around to see his victory. By the time NASCAR made their decision, the fans were gone, most of the competitors were gone, and the beauty queen was gone. The worst of it, according to Wendell, was HIS trophy was gone.

There were 5 caution flags for a total of 24 laps which slowed the average winning speed to 58.242 mph. The most spectacular of the caution incidents was when Larry Thomas took a wild ride in his Dodge, actually tumbling into the catch fence above the guard rail.

Finishing order:

1. Wendell Scott, Scott Chevrolet, winning $1,000.00

2. Buck Baker, Baker Pontiac, winning $600.00 (2 laps down)

3. Jack Smith, Smith Plymouth, winning $400.00 (3 laps down)

4. Ed Livingston, Livingston Ford, winning $300.00 (7 laps down)

5. Richard Petty, Petty Engineering Plymouth, winning $275.00 (8 laps down)

6. Neil Castles

7. Ned Jarrett

8. Buddy Arrington

9. Johnny Allen

10. Billy Wade

11. Possum Jones

12. Tiny Lund

13. Jack Anderson

14. Joe Weatherly

15. Roy Tyner

16. David Pearson

17. G. C. Spencer

18. Larry Thomas

19. Jimmy Lee Capps

20. LeeRoy Yarbrough

21. Curtis Crider

22. Jimmy Pardue

PERSONAL NOTES: There is no doubt in my mind, or the minds of many around back in those days, that the "scoring mix up" was a contrived effort by NASCAR to avoid placing a black driver in Victory Lane with a white beauty queen, especially in a place like Jacksonville, Fla. I was not at that race but I have talked to a fan or two who happened to be there and it was clear to them that Wendell took the lead for good with about 25 to go but some think it was even earlier than that.

There may be some of you reading this who do not know that Wendell was barred from runnin at Darlington for a couple of years because of the color of his skin. Of course we all know that NASCAR is now proud, and rightly so, of its "Drive for Diversity", but they have a lot of making up to do for the injustices done to Wendell Scott.

I have relayed Wendell Scott stories before in some of the posts I have made here. Wendell was always very nice to me and always seemed to find something to laugh about when I would hang around. You see, it was easy to hang around Wendell and his crew (his sons) and learn from what he was doing. At first I was too young to realize what, in fact, was being accomplished by Wendell Scott. That man was a determined competitor, as determined as anyone out there. He ran what he could afford and as he seemed to be slapped in the face every direction he turned, he accomplished great things. Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Smokey Yunick and others helped Wendell out with parts and pieces and sometimes whole cars, but what Wendell accomplished he accomplished through his hard work and dedication to the sport.

I watch Darrell Wallace, Jr. running these days with all the advantages the Diversity Program has to offer and watch his success at such an early age. I can't help but think of where Wendell Scott would go with such backing.

As I look back on those days of hanging out with Wendell, sometimes when he had fallen out of a race early, my biggest memory is that I never thought of Wendell as a "black man" an "African-American". I thought of him as a race driver and a very fine one. Somehow I think that's how Wendell would like it.

Honor the past, embrace the present, dream for the future

updated by @tim-leeming: 12/02/20 04:51:06PM