My memory is a little bit fuzzy on this.
Back in the middle to late 50s Big Bill tried to start another Stock Car Racing Division. The Stock Engined Speedway Cars had failed, so he brought in a Convertible Racing Association out of the Midwest. At first he tried to race them separately, but there were not enough cars so later he ran them along with the Grand Nationals (today's Cup Cars). I think this is how Tiny Lund came South.Later Bill started a Short Track Division (less than 1/2 mile) and many of the Convertibles had Hard Tops Welded on them so they could compete in Short Track.This is about all I remember on this subject.
I was talking with Brownie King a while back about this convertable/hard top configuration thing. Gary Potter has refurbished the 1958 chevy that Brownie drove in the first Daytona 500. (I think Paul Lewis also drove the car when it was owned by the late Jess Potter) This car was set up so they could run it either way. When they ran the two classes together I think France called it a "Sweepstakes" race or something like that...didn't he?
Jeff,From what I remember the 58 Chevy Convertible frame was extra strong and handled well on Short Tracks.
Jeff, you're right about the "sweepstakes" thing, convertibles and hard-tops in the same race. The inaugural Daytona 500 was a sweepstakes event, that's the origin of the twin qualifying races: one heat for hard-tops and the other for rags. The convertible drivers at that Daytona 500 all noticed a definite "suction effect", the aerodynamic forces were attempting to "lift" the driver out of the cockpit! The resulting turbulence was such that rag-tops at Daytona were considerably slower than the hard-tops. After 1959, the convertibles never returned to Daytona, but the twin qualifying events became a staple.
Here's my model of Curtis Turner's '56 Convertible Division car with a little airbrushed trickery to make it look more "real". That convertible division from the midwest was called SAFE- Society of Automotive Fellowship and Engineering, as near as I can remember.
And, of course, on July 19, 1959, Richard Petty drove to his first ever win in a covertible race at Columbia Speedway. Jack Smith was flagged home in first but a re-check of the scorecards showed Petty had won...one of many firsts at that track.I recall watching Joe Weatherly steering his car with his knees during the catuion flag in one of the Rebel 300 converible race, leaning over the windshield and cleaning it with a towel.Jim Seay