Nashville's 1975 Winston 200

Nashville Speedway opened its 1975 season with the 200-lap Winston Salute To America 200 for NASCAR's national Late Model Sportsman division.

Track promoter, Bill Donoho, landed a field of NASCAR's top national LMS drivers including Neil Bonnett, Jack Ingram, Butch Lindley, Tiny Lund, L.D. Ottinger, and Morgan Shepherd.

Several local and area racers entered as well including 1974 Nashville LMS champ Jimmy Means, James Climer, Alton Jones, Rod Stillings, Dorris Vaughn, Paddlefoot Wales, and promising rookie P.B. Crowell III. Fans also enjoyed the return of old school, Nashville veterans Bob Burcham, Freddy Fryar, Coo Coo Marlin.

Donoho made a promotional effort to move the needle even further in his favor by recruiting Cup drivers Buddy Baker, Cale Yarborough, and Darrell Waltrip. The Cup schedule provided a break between Darlington and Martinsville, and the trio came to middle Tennessee with the promise of a little extra pocket change.

Source: The Tennessean

Butch Lindley set a track record and won the pole - but was then disqualified. In response to noise concerns (an issue the track still faces today with loads of new neighbors), the track implemented a rule requiring mufflers on the car. Lindley's car did not have one nor did Ingram, Ottinger, or Waltrip. All were allowed to add a muffler and re-qualify.

After the round of do-overs, Jones won the right to start first. Waltrip lined up alongside him in R.C. Alexander's #84 Ford.

Donoho's promotional efforts were rewarded as the grandstands were packed for the season opener. Unfortunately, however, the race did not live up to the pre-race hype based on the heavy hitters in the line-up.

First, three-time defending national LMS champion Ingram, failed to make the race because of a faulty distributor. Following the start of the race, Baker wrecked just a half-lap into the event. On the subsequent restart, Waltrip and Jones crashed while battling for the lead off turn four, and Yarborough piled into them. The Cup trio and Jones rejoined the race, but all had loaded their cars on the trailers by lap 20. The casualties continued including:

• Bonnett - quarter-mark
• Coo Coo - halfway
• Shepherd - competitive, but not behind and wrecked while pushing to make up lost distance

Ottinger remained well away from everyone else's trouble and built a comfortable lead. Other than a caution with about 60 laps to go to close the field, the remaining racers presented little challenge to Ottinger. He walked the dawg on 'em and won easily over second place Lund.

Lindley recovered from his rules-snafu to finish fourth, and Crowell notched a solid sixth in his racing debut. After earning rookie of the year honors in 1975, he joined rookies Mike Alexander, Sterling Marlin, and Dennis Wiser in 1976 as a quartet of hot shoes branded the Kiddie Corps.

Speaking of Alexander, he enjoyed the spoils of victory the same night as Ottinger. Driving for his father and Waltrip's LMS car owner that night, R.C. Alexander, Mike pocketed his first career victory by winning the 50-lap limited sportsman division preliminary race on Nashville's quarter-mile track.

Courtesy of Mike Alexander

Source: The Tennessean

Waltrip returned to Nashville the Cup race three weeks after the season opener. He captured his first career Cup win in the Music City 420 in his own #17 Chevrolet with crew chief Jake Elder.

Lund made his first start at the fairgrounds since the May 1972 Mr. D's 200 Grand National East race. After two decades of part-time seasons in NASCAR's Cup, Convertible, Grand Touring / Grand American, and Grand National East divisions, Tiny planned to race as many national LMS races as possible in an effort to win the title. Sadly, Lund died in a savage accident during the Talladega 500 in August 1975.

Ottinger won Nashville's 1975 season-opener and captured another signature track victory by winning the Permatex Southern 400 in September with an assist from Waltrip. 

Alexander advanced to Nashville's LMS ranks in 1976. With multiple wins at his home track and others across many southern states, Alexander got several Cup opportunities. His greatest break came as the replacement in the Miller High Life Buick in mid-1988 following Bobby Allison's accident and head injuries at Pocono. Unfortunately, Alexander suffered head injuries of his own at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola in December 1988. Though he returned for a handful of Cup races over the next couple of years, he officially retired in 1992.

TMC