tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30434901604049165702024-03-12T22:10:07.192-05:00Bench Racing From the Volunteer StateRichard Petty or Dale Earnhardt? Predators or Red Wings? Shaken or Stirred? Grilled or Fried? East Tennessee or Middle? We are here to talk stock car racing (mostly).toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.comBlogger810125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-91444935459717281662021-06-09T18:06:00.014-05:002021-06-09T18:53:48.960-05:00June 9, 1966 - Maryville's East Tennessee 200NASCAR's 49-race 1966 Grand National season hit its halfway point with the East Tennessee 200 on the half-mile Smoky Mountain Raceway. The track was located in Maryville, TN - just south of Knoxville.<div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/b4VTOHl.png" width="400" /></div>
The 26-car field was missing a key, regular driver and included a local driver racing on his <i>home track</i>. The missing driver was The King, Richard Petty. Six days earlier, Petty's 43 Plymouth blew a tire and pounded the wall at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/06/june-3-1966-new-ashevilles-asheville-300.html" target="_blank">New Asheville Speedway</a>. The wreck damaged the car enough that Petty had to skip races in Spartanburg, SC and at Smoky Mountain as Ol' Blue was rebuilt.</div><div><br /></div><div>The local racer looking to make an impact was Jim Hunter. Many fans are familiar with the Jim Hunter who worked for Darlington Talladega, wrote as a journalist and publicist, served as a NASCAR executive, and was passionate about racing history. The Jim Hunter at Maryville; however, was a local late model sportsman racer at Smoky Mountain. The 1966 race was his second of five career Grand National starts. Four were on his home track, and the fifth one was just up the road at Bristol.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/loEW8Q6" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/loEW8Q6.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Knoxville News Sentinel</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
Tiger Tom Pistone won the pole in his independent Ford. He was flanked by another local racer, Paul Lewis. Rookie of the Year challenger, James Hylton qualified third, and David Pearson and Big John Sears rounded out the top five starters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pistone seized the lead at the start and began his domination of the race. Lap after lap, Tiger pulled the rest of the field around the half-mile, dirt track. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hunter's shot at running with the big dawgs was short-lived. Overheating issues after only eight laps sent his Ford to the trailer before he could even work up a good sweat. Two laps earlier, J.T. Putney - another driver from relatively close to the area in Arden, NC - parked his Ford with engine issues.</div><div><br /></div><div>The engine issues experienced by Hunter and Putney turned out to be a harbinger of things to come for a third driver - the lap bully Pistone! After leading 72 consecutive laps, Tiger's engine began overheating. He headed disappointingly to the garage, and Pearson assumed the lead.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Petty at home and Tiger on the trailer, Pearson went the rest of the way unchallenged. He led the remaining 128 laps and won his 21st career race by two laps over second place Buck Baker. Lewis had a great night with a P3 finish. He backed it up by winning Maryville's second 1966 race in late July.</div><div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/9hHTgWC.jpg" width="300" /></div>
After missing two races, Petty returned three days later. He wore 'em out in winning the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-12-this-day-in-petty-history_12.html" target="_blank">Fireball 300</a> from the pole at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.</div><div><br /></div><div>The track remains in operation today though it is now known as <a href="https://www.smokymountainspeedway.com" target="_blank">Smoky Mountain Speedway</a>. Hunter was inducted into the track's hall of fame in 2014.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/KzKFnOm" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KzKFnOm.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Knoxville News Sentinel</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<br />TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-63142823373310474272021-06-04T06:21:00.016-05:002021-06-04T07:43:06.468-05:00June 3, 1973 - Dover's Mason-Dixon 500As NASCAR's shortest season since 1950 near the halfway point, the Winston Cup circuit headed to Dover, Delaware for the 1973 Mason-Dixon 500.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TC9j3ch.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://progcovers.com/motor/dover.html" target="_blank">Motor Racing Progamme Covers</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
From mid-April through early-June, the Cup drivers raced on a variety of tracks yet with a familiar face up front at many of them:<div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-15-1973-rebel-400.html" target="_blank">egg-shaped Darlington</a> - winner: David Pearson</li><li><a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-29-1973-virginia-500.html" target="_blank">Martinsville's half-mile paperclip</a> - winner: David Pearson</li><li>the 2.66-mile Alabama International Motor Speedway <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/may-6-1973-talladegas-winston-500.html" target="_blank">aka Talladega</a> - winner: David Pearson</li><li>Nashville's fairgrounds speedway and its funky 1/4 mile pit arrangement - winner: Cale Yarborough (with Pearson at home)</li><li>the 600 mile test of man and machine at Charlotte - winner: Buddy Baker</li></ul>As the tour turned early laps on the one-mile, asphalt Dover Downs International Speedway, the Wood Brothers Purolator Mercury continued to be fast. Pearson captured the pole. In the five races in which Pearson and the Woods competed from Darlington through Dover, the car started on the front row in all of them including three poles.</div><div><br /></div><div>The top five starters are all now in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Cale Yarborough qualified second followed by Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, and Buddy Baker. Coincidentally, the next five starters have not made the HOF (as drivers). Independent racers Cecil Gordon and G.C. Spencer timed sixth and seventh. Richard Childress, Dave Marcis, and eventual 1973 Rookie of the Year Lennie Pond rounded out the top 10 starters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson seized the lead at the start and controlled about half of the race's first 150 laps. Allison and Yarborough split the other half. Yarborough was the lap bully over the next 100 laps as he paced the field for a stretch of 85 laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once the second half of the race began, however, it was Pearson all the way. Except for two brief times when Baker's and Yarborough's numbers were posted P1, Pearson's #21 Mercury showed the way by leading 241 of the final 250 laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson experienced a little bit of drama with about 100 laps to go. The car's handling went away a bit, and the team went to work trying to diagnose the problem as Pearson continued to hold a lead over Yarborough. </div><div><br /></div><div>In an era before in-car radios were common, Delano Wood used a pit board to first signal Pearson that his clutch may be the source of the problem. After Pearson apparently conveyed all was OK with it, the team changed the message to TIRES - perhaps an indication of worn out Goodyears or maybe a loose wheel. Again, Pearson (or perhaps the stopwatch) noted diagnosis #2 wasn't valid. </div><div><br /></div><div>The team finally deduced the 21's alternator had soured. Pearson began toggling switches to shut down as much power draw as he could. All hoped he could go the distance on the battery without any recharging efforts from the alternator, and that's precisely what happened.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/q267tNw.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Wilmington Morning News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Pearson's 72nd career win extended a jaw-dropping 1973 performance. In the seven races in which the 21 team competed from Rockingham in mid-March through Dover in June, Pearson and the Woods captured six wins. Their lone <i>blemish </i>was a *gasp* P2 to Baker in the World 600 at Charlotte. Pearson also won back-to-back races at Dover after having led 350 laps to win <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/09/september-17-1972-delaware-500.html" target="_blank">the Delaware 500</a> the previous September.</div><div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6qxKI76.jpg" width="350" /></div><div>A caution with 50 to go erased Pearson's lead over Yarborough. In a matter of laps, however, Yarborough watched helplessly as #21 pulled away yet again. Cale hung in there to go home with a P2 lead-lap finish. Allison finished third, three laps down; and Richard Petty left with P4, five laps in arrears. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/KBozWad" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KBozWad.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Philadelphia Daily News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-92008004677738207442021-06-03T06:06:00.109-05:002021-06-03T08:10:30.360-05:00June 3, 1966 - New Asheville's Asheville 300With the assistance of relief driver, Richard Petty, <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-22-1966-panch-wins-600-for-and-with.html" target="_blank">Marvin Panch won the World 600</a> in a Petty Plymouth at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 22, 1966. A week later, the Petty team and the rest of NASCAR's Grand National drivers struggled to keep pace with David Pearson at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/may-29-1966-dog-track-speedway.html" target="_blank">Dog Track Speedway</a> in Moyock, NC.<div><br /></div><div>Scheduled in the middle of the two races was a trip to New Asheville Speedway on Friday, May 27th. Rain postponed the Asheville 300 to Friday, June 3rd giving the drivers a welcomed two extra days between the 600 and the bullring at Moyock.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/WrU2e4i.png" width="250" /></div>
<div>Petty captured the pole when the teams returned a week later. The top starting spot was his third in a row in 1966 and his sixth in seven races. The King would eventually extend his streak to eight poles in nine races. </div><div><br /></div><div>David Pearson - winner at Moyock the previous weekend - qualified second and started alongside Petty's 43. The next three qualifiers were all a mild surprise. J.T. Putney timed third, Jack Ingram started fourth, and Elmo Langley rounded out the top five starters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ingram's quick lap may have been the least surprising - at least to local fans. Though he'd made only one prior GN start, Ingram knew his way around New Asheville. He stomped around the track for a couple of decades and won more than his fair share of races. Ingram's qualifying effort turned out to be the highlight of his day. He developed fuel line issues early in the race and finished 19th in the 22-car field.</div>
<br /><div>Petty seized the lead at the start; however, Pearson took over the top spot on lap 10. The King attempted to keep pace, but he blew a tire and pounded the wall on lap 90. The DNF sent him back to Level Cross with a P17 - only two spots better than Ingram.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once Pearson took the lead, the day was over for everyone else. Petty hung around until his tire failure and DNF. Putney put up a reasonable fight and notched a career best second-place finish, albeit one lap down to the winner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though Pearson led 291 of the race's 300 laps, the effort wasn't easy. With a bit over 100 laps to go on the 1/3-mile oval, the throttle hung on his Cotton Owens' Dodge. For the remainder of the race, he toggled the ignition switch while rolling through the corners to help avoid launching the car into the fence. The effort was successful, and Pearson captured his 20th career win.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/g3haeMx" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/g3haeMx.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div><br /></div><div>TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-38884045265753565762021-06-02T06:17:00.170-05:002021-06-02T08:05:05.669-05:00June 2, 1968 - Middle Georgia's Macon 300After racing on a Friday night at New Asheville Speedway in North Carolina, NASCAR's Grand National teams rolled into Byron, Georgia's Middle Georgia Raceway for the Macon 300 on a Sunday afternoon.<div><div><br /></div>
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/107650272" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 66.6667% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="267" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/107650272?et=48Rp_uEtQj5OdtJnU0UDfA&tld=com&sig=SncDtu1AObvsAGbrtaPhJZChhTYvG1LUWfpRyHGfIz8=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="400"></iframe></div></div>
<div><br /></div>Though the race was Middle Georgia's first Grand National race of the year, the track had already offered local racing action to fans earlier in the spring. Beyond action on the track, Middle Georgia experienced plenty of action <i>under </i>the track the previous fall.</div><div><br /></div><div>On Saturday, September 23, 1967, the county sheriff and Federal agents discovered a remarkably well-concealed moonshine still under the track and confiscated 3,000 gallons of <i>white lightning</i>. Track owner Lamar Brown was arrested and charged two days later. Authorities opted to destroy the still by cutting it apart with torches rather than the traditional, more expedient method of using TNT. Had they chosen to blow up the still, the track above it would have been destroyed.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/jKkxpPA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/jKkxpPA.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Atlanta Constitution</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>With the track in tact and Brown out on bond as he awaited trial, racing continued as scheduled - including June's Macon 300. David Pearson recovered from an early DNF and <i>a fracas</i> between him, journeyman racer Stan Meserve, and their crews on Friday night in Asheville to capture the pole at Middle Georgia. Dodge driver and Pearson friend, Bobby Isaac, qualified second. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tiny Lund qualified third in Bud Moore's Mercury. The day before the Macon 300 GN race, Lund won the Cracker 100 Grand Touring preliminary race in Moore's Mercury Cougar.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/NAyC8Lt.jpg" width="400" /></div><div>Richard Petty had won the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/06/june-6-this-day-in-petty-history-part-1.html" target="_blank">previous year's Macon 300</a> and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-31-this-day-in-petty-history.html" target="_blank">captured the win in Asheville</a> two days earlier. The 43 team obviously planned to keep their mojo rolling, and The King led 54 laps. His opportunity at a Middle Georgia Threepeat (he also won the track's <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-10-this-day-in-petty-history-part-1.html" target="_blank">1966 spring race</a>) ended, however, when he had to make two unscheduled stops. Twice, sharp edges from broken asphalt punctured his Plymouth's tires.</div><div><br /></div>Isaac paced the field for 11 laps in addition to the 54 led by Petty. The remaining 235 laps (including the final 92), however, belonged to Pearson. His #17 Holman Moody Ford rebounded nicely from a dismal Friday night. Pearson captured his 38th career win, his eighth of the season, and his lone victory at Middle Georgia.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lamar Brown posted a win of his own. His trial began in December 1968, and quick proceedings resulted in his acquittal. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/7TPWvrD" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/7TPWvrD.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Atlanta Constitution</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GGdoYs5938M" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>
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TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-20506324060309267472021-05-29T06:06:00.008-05:002021-05-29T06:50:37.487-05:00May 29, 1966 - Dog Track Speedway<div>In the early part of the twentieth century, greyhound dog racing was all the rage in southeastern Virginia - especially for the Navy fellers in nearby Norfolk when they were in port with extra coin in their pockets. </div><div><br /></div><div>When the local track's <i>sport</i> was shut down by state authorities, the money folk moved about a half-mile south across the state line to the small town of Moyock, North Carolina. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/EL9Sdyi.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Trainers continue to run the dogs at the quarter-mile track known as Dog Track Speedway for several years, and the bettors followed. In the mid 1950s, however, North Carolina joined Virginia in doing away with dog racing which put the track out of business.</div><div><br /></div><div>The facility was resurrected to host auto racing instead of the helpless dogs. The local promoter landed NASCAR in 1962 to begin a five-year streak of Grand National races. Putting their dog days behind them and positioning the track for the future, Dog Track Speedway was converted from a quarter-mile, dirt track to a third-mile, paved surface in time for the August 1964 GN race.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/zon0Cks.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>NASCAR's circuit raced once on the rebuilt oval in 1964, twice in 1965, and returned in 1966 for what turned out to be the locale's final big time event - a 300-lap, 100-mile swan song.</div><div><br /></div><div>The King, Richard Petty, plunked his Plymouth on the pole. Petty raced the same team Plymouth <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/05/may-22-1966-panch-wins-600-for-and-with.html" target="_blank">Marvin Panch raced to the win in the World 600</a> a week earlier. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/M82P3EU.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Though available resources note Petty raced #43 at Moyock, it's quite likely he raced #42 as still painted on Panch's Plymouth from a few days earlier. </div><div><br /></div><div>David Pearson qualified second. Independents Tiger Tom Pistone, James Hylton, and Elmo Langley rounded out the top five starters.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the green dropped, the King set sail in pursuit of his first Moyock victory. As he'd done frequently the previous few years, Ol' Blue found an early groove and intended to go wire to wire for the win. With the race a bit shy of the one-third mark, however, the 43's ignition began misfiring. Petty came to the attention of his Dale Inman-led crew, but nothing could be done in the moment to rescue the day. The car was loaded for the five-plus hour tow back to central North Carolina.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Petty loaded and ready to head home, Pearson took over and went the distance unchallenged. He led the remaining 200+ laps to score his 19th career win. Despite the improvements made to the track, Dog Track Speedway no longer had healthy support and ceased operations later in 1966.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Bu5JeSu.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-28854163145859381232021-05-28T06:03:00.264-05:002021-05-31T16:10:24.599-05:00May 28, 1961 - Charlotte's World 600<div>When the famed Daytona International Speedway opened in 1959, a smaller track sat right off to its edge - the Daytona Beach Kennel Club. The track was a greyhound racing facility owned by John Masoni. </div><div><br /></div><div>As an effort to promote the track and bolster betting... errr, <i>races</i>, Masoni lauched a race team in 1960 and hired mechanic Ray Fox to lead his efforts. He hired Junior Johnson as his driver, and <b><i>*BOOM*</i></b> just like that Fox and Johnson won the second annual Daytona 500. Johnson won twice more in 1960 before moving on to Rex Lovette's Holly Farms Chicken Pontiac team in 1961. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though not at the same level as in 1960, Masoni returned in 1961 and ended up fielding cars for a handful of drivers. After putting established drivers such as Jim Paschal and Marvin Panch in his cars, Masoni gave young South Carolina driver Davie Pearson a shot in the World 600 - though late in the game.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/aTiP5un.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://progcovers.com/motor/charlotte.html" target="_blank">Motor Racing Programme Covers</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>A week before the 600, Richard Petty and Joe Weatherly won twin qualifying races. Their wins set them up for a front row start in the following Sunday's 600 and eased any anxiety they may have had about qualifying. Of course, neither driver ever showed much outward anxiety about their racing efforts anyway.<div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qNxdVNm.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>NASCAR sanctioned two Grand National points races in California as the regulars were in North Carolina. Lloyd Dane won at Riverside's road course the same day the good ol' boys ran the qualifying races in Charlotte. Eddie Gray then won a 100-mile race at the famed Ascot Stadium the day before the 600. No one in either race was a regular on NASCAR's GN circuit, so it's not as if anyone paid a points price for going coast to coast to coast in a matter of a few days.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ralph Earnhardt finished second to Petty in the first qualifying race, and Johnson was runner-up to Weatherly in the second qualifying race. Unlike Daytona, however, where the qualifying races help set the odd and even starters, Charlotte's heats set only the front row. The remainder of the cars had to re-qualify for position in the days leading up to the 600.</div><div><br /></div><div>Between Sunday and midweek, Johnson bailed from Masoni's car and latched on with the Holly Farms ride. Needing a driver, Masoni reached out to Pearson who hadn't even raced in the twin qualifying heats. The 1960 Rookie of the Year had made a handful of starts in 1961 with results that were all over the board. He jumped at the chance to get in Masoni's car and promptly put down the quickest lap during Wednesday's session to lock in the third starting position. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite finishing second in his qualifying race, Earnhardt ended up starting sixth in the 600 in Cotton Owens' Pontiac - the team Pearson joined in 1963.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>The Petty team entered a second car for the 600. Family patriarch and the all-time winningest NASCAR driver (at the time), Lee Petty, continued his recovery from injuries suffered in a savage, over-the-wall accident at Daytona in February. Yet the team soldiered forward. </div><div><br /></div><div>Richard raced his yet-to-be-famous #43 1961 Plymouth, and California's Marvin Porter was hired to pilot the team's #44 year-old Plymouth. Porter finished fifth in his qualifying race yet didn't fare so well when he re-qualified 31st. Things turned worse in the 600 when an engine failure doomed the effort to 45th place finish in the 55-car field.<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/5PbTYEI.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Little Joe got the jump on Ol' Blue at the start. Weatherly led the first lap before Pearson jumped from his third starting spot to lead the next lap.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/R5PItIQ.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>Weatherly rallied back to lead the next few laps before Earnhardt put Cotton's Pontiac in the wind to lead 75 of the next 120 laps or so. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the race neared halfway, Earnhardt faded a bit as Petty, Pearson, and Fireball Roberts hogged the top three spots. The trio exchanged the lead after each led a chunk of laps and set themselves up for the final quarter of the race. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Several laps shy of lap 300; however, the caution waved for a vicious accident. Reds Kagle tore through the guardrail between turns three and four. His car came to a sudden stop as the guardrail pierced through the car mangling Kagle's left leg. Remarkably, Kagle survived though he did lose his leg to the accident. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FQDjMSK.jpg" width="400" /></div></div>
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<div>When the race returned to green after about 25 caution laps to tend to Kagle, Pearson seized the lead. While running second with about 70 laps to go, Petty's engine met the fate of his teammate. The pole winner, who had already endured engine failures in a few other races earlier in the season, cruised helplessly to the garage and had to wait another day for his third win of the season.</div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>With his toughest competitor sidelined, Pearson built a three-lap lead over Fireball. Fox was in position to lead his team to another big win - when racing luck turned against him and Pearson.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>As Pearson headed down the back stretch on lap 398 and looking for the white flag, his right rear tire blew. Being on the backstretch helped him a bit as he didn't spin. In the era before safety inner liners, Pearson's tire went <i>kablooey </i>and collapsed to the rim. He dropped to the apron and slowed his speed to a crawl in an attempt just to keep the car going straight for the next one and a half laps. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fireball stayed in the gas to make up as much lost time as possible. Though he made up a lap and then some on the leader, Pearson coaxed his car around the final four corners to score his first career NASCAR Grand National victory.</div><div><br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H-kjdusOGRs" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/enpWr4T" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/enpWr4T.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-64298209674525998512021-05-21T06:21:00.175-05:002021-05-21T13:19:15.795-05:00May 21, 1978 - Dover's Mason-Dixon 500The middle third of the 30-race, NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1978 schedule opened with the Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover.<div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/TwBNUmBl.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Buddy Baker captured the pole in M.C. Anderson's Chevy. Baker always had a reputation for running fast in small bursts - such as in qualifying. Yet his top spot at Dover was his first pole since the next-to-last race of the 1976 season at Atlanta. Baker's run also made him eligible for the inaugural Busch Clash scheduled for the following February.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wfawEQZ.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://repository.uncc.edu/islandora/object/motorsports%3A9850" target="_blank">Bryant McMurray / UNCC</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Benny Parsons timed second in L.G. DeWitt's Chevy. Coincidentally, Parsons would move to Anderson's team in 1979 as Baker moved to Harry Ranier's team. David Pearson qualified third followed by Lennie Pond in the Ranier ride that would soon belong to Baker.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>In an interesting twist on qualifying, drivers participated in some sort of drawing. Only the top 16 numbers were eligible to qualify on the first day. Richard Petty didn't draw high enough to lay down a first day lap. Pearson and his Wood Brothers team also missed the drawing as they were addressing an engine issue before their expected qualifying session. Yet the top 16 first-day qualifiers weren't locked in to their spots. Pearson returned on the second day, posted the third quickest lap over the two days, and knocked down the starters behind him by one spot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Baker took off at the start to lead the first 24 laps before being passed by Pearson who led 10 of his own. Seventh place starter Darrell Waltrip then got around both of them and set sail out front for a stretch of nearly 50 laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>Waltrip's career finishes at Dover had been nothing to boast about. He'd averaged around a P30 result for the first few years of his career. In 1977, however, the #88 Gatorade DiGard team found a little sump'n sump'n. DW finished fifth and sixth in Dover's two 1977 races, and the team looked to improve even more in 1978. </div><div><br /></div><div>Through a couple of cautions and cycling of pit stops, Baker, Pond, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Dave Marcis all took turns leading a lap or two. Waltrip, however, rallied back each time to lead sizable chunks of laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>After leading a stretch of nearly 100 laps, Waltrip pitted during a caution on lap 333. By that point, he'd lapped most of the field and was on his way to going +1 on <i>all </i>of the field. </div><div><br /></div><div>He hit pit road for routine service. A stop that should have been a quick tire change and fresh supply of fuel instead turned disastrous. A wheel stud snapped during a left front tire change. The crew hastily replaced the stud and sent Waltrip back on track. In making the change, however, a brake line was not reconnected. After Waltrip nearly ran through another car, he eased his way back to the pits for the additional repair. After leading about 300 laps and gaining a one-lap advantage on just about everyone, Waltrip lost three laps and eventually settled for a bitter tasting P6. He had to wait two more seasons before capturing his first of two career wins at the Monster Mile.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/Loasrh6" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Loasrh6.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: The Tennessean</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Shortly after Waltrip had his woes, Baker had even greater ones. His engine failed, and he returned home with a P23. With the fastest car three laps down and the pole-winner loaded on the trailer, Pearson found his groove and led 137 of the final 150 laps.</div><div>
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Pearson's 101st career Cup win was his first of the 1978 season. It was also his fifth and final Dover win - all earned in the Woods' Purolator Mercury. The 21 team notched two more Dover wins with Neil Bonnett in 1979 and 1981. <br /><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/88iY6Pu" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/88iY6Pu.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Philadelphia Daily News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>TMC</div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-49296360588566806442021-05-19T06:21:00.038-05:002021-05-19T12:28:59.739-05:00May 19, 1975 - Dover's Mason-Dixon 500<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div>The 12th race of the 30-race, NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1975 schedule was the Mason-Dixon 500 slated for Sunday, May 18th at Dover Downs International Speedway.</div><div><br /></div>
<div><div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img div="" src="https://i.imgur.com/GAxgmZk.jpg" width="350" /></div>Coming off his fifth championship season in 1974 and third title in four seasons, Richard Petty kept the mojo rolling in '75. He'd already won five of the season's eleven races. And despite some engine hiccups in the Daytona 500, his STP Dodge had the strength to draft with Benny Parsons and help BP win it. Having won four times at Dover - including three of the track's first four Cup races between 1969 and 1971 - the King certainly ranked among the favorites to win once more.</div><div><br /></div><div>David Pearson was also a previous Dover winner with three consecutive victories from 1972-1973. After three stellar seasons with the Wood Brothers from 1972-1974; however, Pearson had gone winless through the first third of the 1975 season. Though many believed he and the 21 team <i>could</i> contend for the win at Dover, it was anyone's guess if he <i>would </i>do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>Having said that - and to the surprise of no one, Pearson plopped his Purolator Mercury on the pole. In seven previous Dover starts, Pearson had four poles and started no worse than fifth. Buddy Baker qualified second in Bud Moore's Ford. The King, Cale Yarborough, and Dick Brooks rounded out the top five starters. </div><div><br /></div><div>Darrell Waltrip laid down the eighth quickest time - and was perhaps aided by full flowing adrenalin. Ol' DW was a week removed from his first career Cup win at his home track, Nashville's fairgrounds speedway.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the race got underway, Pearson seized the hole shot and led the first ten laps. Once Baker got Bud's Ford wound up though, he roared past Pearson and led the next eleven laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the first caution flew around lap 20, the leaders hit pit road for an early stop. Good ol' Coo Coo Marlin stayed on the track and found himself scored as the leader for a handful of laps. After he surrendered the lead to pit and the race returned the green, Baker went back to the point - but only for a lap. </div><div><br /></div><div>Fourth place starter Yarborough in his white, Junior Johnson Monte Carlo - recently adorned with Holly Farms Chicken as a sponsor - shot past Baker to grab the top spot. Yarborough had won the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2015/05/may-19-1974-three-laps-short-in-dover.html" target="_blank">previous year's Mason-Dixon 500</a> after leading 200+ laps but winning only because the King inexplicably ruptured an engine while leading with three laps to go. </div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/r1QDD54.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: Lee Greenawalt</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Once out front, Cale found his groove and intended to make short work of the the 500-mile marathon. He led a stretch of 70+ laps before making an emergency stop for a cut tire. As he pitted, Pearson took over for a couple of laps before the handling suddenly soured forcing him to pit road as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Benny Parsons, who'd started way back in 23rd spot, had worked his way into the top 10 during the first 100 laps and found himself out front as Cale and Pearson made their stops. Ten laps later, rain arrived.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cale returned to the attention of his crew as did Pearson, Petty, and pretty much everyone else. Parsons, however, stayed on track. Light rain persisted, the field continued under caution, and BP remained in the lead lap after lap after slow lap.</div><div><br /></div><div>NASCAR wasn't quite ready to stop the race and instead allowed the field to continue circling the track. As the average race pace fell precipitously, the Wood Brothers crew had plenty of time to diagnose their handling woes. As it turns out, the 21 had a broken shock mount. Over the next 30 laps, Pearson pitted <i>eleven times </i>to make the needed repair.</div><div><br /></div><div>After those 30 laps when the rain wouldn't relent <i>and </i>Parsons wouldn't pit, NASCAR threw in the towel for the day. When the red flag was displayed, soggy fans headed for the parking lots as the cars headed for the garage at lap 140 - well short of halfway and an official race.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RsDo3hq.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Wilmington Morning News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Drivers, crews, and much of the crowd returned on Monday to give it another go. Parsons picked up where he left off on Sunday afternoon by leading the opening five laps of chapter two - albeit under caution before the race returned to green. Pearson had new life after believing his handling issues were resolved by replacing the broken shock mount. And Cale looked to remind the field that despite the overnight delay <i>he </i>still had the the car to beat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Instead of returning to his dominating way, Yarborough struggled throughout the new day. He didn't lead another lap and puked a motor just before lap 300. Shortly before Cale's exit, Petty had his own issues - though they didn't result in a DNF as happened to Yarborough.</div><div><br /></div><div>Independent Dean Dalton blew a right front tire and spun into the fence between turns one and two. Rather than go low, Petty guessed Dalton may slide down the track and took the high line. The King then whipped his wheel hard left but nonetheless clipped Dalton and slid himself to the muddy apron. Safety crews pushed the 43 from the mud but not before Petty had lost valuable track position. He fell further behind as the Petty Enterprises crew made a few battlefield repairs. Though he soldiered on, the four time Dover winner could only muster a third place finish, ten laps down to the winner.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the race made its way into the second half on the second day, Parsons' #72 Monte Carlo continued to hang with Pearson's Mercury. Pearson led big chunks of laps, but Parsons occasionally made his way back out front.</div>
<div><br /></div><div>With 140 to go, however, Parsons suffered the same fate as Yarborough: engine failure. Buddy Baker inherited P2 with Parsons out of the picture. Yet he too lost an engine - but in more spectacular fashion than Parsons or Yarborough. With about 30 laps to go, Baker's engine let go as he sailed through turn one. His Ford swapped ends, it side slapped the wall, and flames erupted from underneath the car as Baker rolled down the banking to a stop.</div><div><br /></div><div>With virtually every other name driver out of the race, Pearson led the final 140 laps and won by seven laps over second place Cecil Gordon. The P2 was a career best for the independent race who later worked for Richard Childress Racing during Dale Earnhardt's Goodwrench era.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Pearson celebrated his 85th career Cup win, fourth Dover victory, and first of 1975, a reporter asked him how his motor lasted the full 500 miles when much of his competition broke one engine after another. The Silver Fox replied "I guess they didn't have the right oil filter."</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Nuuqxbn.jpg" width="300" /></div></div><div>Audio of Universal Racing Network's radio broadcast of the race is available on <a href="https://guides.library.appstate.edu/c.php?g=314952&p=2111684" target="_blank">Appalachian State's library website</a>. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KbeTBKJ.jpg" width="400" /></div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/RjcvNSN" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RjcvNSN.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Philadelphia Inquirer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC<br /></div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-82194789687357040882021-05-18T06:21:00.255-05:002021-05-18T09:47:13.697-05:00May 18, 1968 - Langley's Tidewater 250NASCAR completed the first third of its 49-race, 1968 Grand National division schedule with the Tidewater 250 at Langley Field Speedway in Hampton, Virginia. <div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vlI3iJD.png" width="300" /></div>
<div>Track promoter Henry Klich noted how NASCAR was evolving. New speedways had opened or were on the drawing board. Several dirt tracks had begun a conversion to a paved surface. So after years of operating as a dirt track, Klich replaced the red clay with asphalt. The project was completed in time for the GN regulars to roll into town.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FJTHqBL.png" width="200" /></div>
<div>Despite Langley Field's switch from dirt to asphalt, Richard Petty captured his third consecutive pole at the track. He was also the two-time defending winner of the race after going back-to-back in <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-7-this-day-in-petty-history.html" target="_blank">1966</a> and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/05/may-20-this-day-in-petty-history-part-1.html" target="_blank">1967</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>To the surprise of no one, David Pearson joined Petty on the front row. What <i>was </i>a bit of a surprise, however, was Pearson's appearance at all. Just three weeks earlier, Ford Motor Company announced Pearson and his Holman Moody car would stop running the short tracks and focus on speedway races. The announcement was made despite Pearson's three short-track wins to that point of the season. In doing so, Pearson would also forfeit his shot at winning a second Grand National points title. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/tlavLlB.png" width="250" /></div>
<div>In the days after the announcement, Pearson won his <i>fourth </i>short-track race of the year at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-5-1968-weavervilles-fireball-300.html" target="_blank">Asheville-Weaverville</a> followed by a win at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-11-1968-darlingtons-rebel-400.html" target="_blank">Darlington</a>. Ford reversed its decision, and Pearson continued to enter all races. He notched his fifth short-track race of the year at Beltsville Speedway in Maryland the night before Langley Field, and was looking to extend his winning streak to four on the newly paved Virginia track. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though it's not clear who or what led Ford to backpedal on their position, one person quite happy with moving forward was Pearson's crew chief, Dick Hutcherson. <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/03/march-28-1964.html" target="_blank">Just four years earlier</a>, Hutch relo'd from the midwest and a successful IMCA stock car career to try his hand at NASCAR. </div><div><br /></div><div>After earning an impressive 14 wins in 104 starts, Hutch left the driver's seat after the 1967 season to become a crew chief for Holman Moody. Paired with Pearson, the duo began racking up wins on a regular basis. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/Z290r32" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Z290r32.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Pearson got the jump on Petty as the race began. He led the first 55 laps around the tight track before Petty went to the top spot. </div></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KDY461J.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>After a few laps, Pearson got back by Petty's 43. His return, however, was short-lived as Petty once again put his Plymouth in the wind with no intentions of surrendering the lead again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Petty led about 100 of the next 120 laps. Buddy Baker led a stretch of about 20 laps during a cycling of pit stops. Eventually, however, Petty returned to the top and seemed to be on his way to a Langley Field threepeat.</div><div><br /></div><div>Things tightened up though with about 80 laps to go. Pearson's Ford closed on Petty's Plymouth, he got alongside him, and the two battled side by side for about 20 laps. The 43 then twitched a bit and doored Pearson's #17. As Petty cracked the throttle to straighten his car, Tiger Tom Pistone doinked him to send the King spinning. </div><div><br /></div><div>After popping the fence, Petty headed for the pits but lost three laps as his Dale Inman-led crew thrashed to make sure the car was okay to return to the track. Petty roared back into action and made up one of his lost laps. </div><div><br /></div><div>The damage and Petty's urgency to make up the lost distance were too much for the car's engine. The Hemi started bellowing smoke with about 10 laps to go, and Petty finally had to park it with four to go. The DNF was his second in as many nights and his fifth in seven races.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Petty's late race issues, Pearson rolled on with no pressure. He led the last 60+ laps to capture his 37th career win. The victory was also his sixth short-track win of the year and his fourth consecutive victory. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though Petty missed out on his threepeat, Pearson began one. The Silver Fox went back-to-back with a second victory in August and then <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-17-1969-langleys-tidewater-375.html" target="_blank">completed the triad</a> in May 1969. </div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/op1tUjT" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/op1tUjT.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-90118173993263823852021-05-17T06:21:00.013-05:002021-05-17T17:54:30.920-05:00May 17, 1969 - Langley's Tidewater 375<div>NASCAR's Grand National drivers battled in mid-May 1969 for the third time in a week and on back-to-back nights. After racing at Beltsville Speedway in Maryland on Friday night, the teams made the short trek to Langley Field Speedway in Hampton, Virginia for the Tidewater 375.</div><div> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qyztBIM.png" width="300" /></div>
<div>The six previous GN races at Langley Field had been 250-lap, 100-mile events around the 4/10-mile, paved oval. The distance was extended for the first time in 1969 to 375 laps for 150 miles. </div><div><br /></div><div>David Pearson captured the pole for the race and was flanked by Bobby Isaac. Pearson had already won four races during the season-to-date, and Isaac had claimed six victories - including at Beltsville the night before the race at Langley Field.</div><div><br /></div><div>Independent, lower-funded drivers comprised much of the rest of the 24-car field. Virginia racing legend, Ray Hendrick, had planned to run the race. Hendrick knew the track like the back of his hand and won often at Langley Field in the track's modified and late model sportsman divisions.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/ecpJYC4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ecpJYC4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Hendrick raced in a handful of GN events - including a month earlier at Richmond. Though it's not clear if Hendrick failed to make the race during qualifying or if his expected ride didn't materialize, he wasn't on the track when the field took the green that Saturday night.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another driver who wasn't in the field was Richard Petty. Two weeks earlier, Petty suffered what he says was the toughest hit of his career. He blew a tire coming out of turn four during the Fireball 300 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, and stuck it in the wall. Long before SAFER barriers and unlike many other tracks who used wooden or steel guardrails in that era, Petty's 43 Ford drilled the concrete wall and stopped suddenly.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WVcDdAO6tvA?start=220" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>
<div>The King rallied his sore body to qualify second and finish 11th the next weekend in the Rebel 400 at Darlington. The Petty Enterprises team, however, skipped the next two races at Beltsville and Langley Field. </div><div><br /></div><div>Physically, Petty may have been able to make the starts. The Weaverville wreck destroyed their short-track car; however, and it wasn't rebuilt in time to run the back-to-back races. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of calls were placed to other Ford teams to see if a spare car could be rallied for Petty to run the two races. When nothing surfaced, the team focused on readying Ol' Blue for the upcoming World 600 at Charlotte and getting the short-track car back in form for races beginning in June. </div><div><br /></div><div>With almost no other top team cars in the field, the race was a battle between rivals and friends Pearson and Isaac. Pearson leveraged his top starting spot to grab the lead at the start and hold it for the first 40 laps. Isaac then passed Pearson and paced the pack for about the next 30 laps when the race's first caution flew. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/UEbjeO3.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Dick Hutcherson, Pearson's crew chief, called the #17 Ford to pit road. Isaac's crew chief Harry Hyde, however, made the call for Isaac to stay on the track. His plan was to have Isaac build a big lead over Pearson after the race returned to green and then pit under a subsequent caution.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>With the race back under green, Isaac extended his lead over Pearson who was navigating traffic behind Isaac's #71 Dodge. Isaac remained out front for over 125 laps. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the race neared halfway, Hyde realized his pit strategy had backfired. The <i>subsequent caution</i> never occurred, and Isaac was forced to pit under green and surrender the lead back to Pearson. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though Pearson returned to the lead, Isaac tracked him down after 60 laps and motored by him with about 150 laps to go as he sought his seventh win of the year. </div><div><br /></div><div>About 25 laps later, Pearson made a second stop to ensure he had enough fuel to go the distance. Though the second stop put him well behind Isaac, Hutcherson firmly believe Pearson still had a shot at the win. </div><div><br /></div><div>Isaac continued to churn lap after lap as the race neared its conclusion. But then with about 15 laps to go, his Dodge's Hemi burped as the tank ran dry. As he coasted to the pits, Pearson flashed by to take the lead. Isaac's stop was agonizingly slow as the crew scrambled to get the car to re-fire. In the blink of an eye, Isaac went from a dominating day and a possible win to a P4 finish seven laps down to the winner.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson led the rest of the way. He banked his 51st career victory, his fifth of the season, and his third consecutive win at Langley Field.</div><div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/vuZWIiV" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vuZWIiV.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Newport News Daily Press</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-26556060204188108052021-05-17T06:17:00.083-05:002021-05-17T14:06:57.995-05:00May 17, 1968 - Beltsville 300<div>NASCAR's Grand National fleet rolled in to the small state of Maryland on a Friday night in mid-May 1968. The teams hastily prepared for a one-day show to qualify and race 300 laps around the paved, half-mile Beltsville Speedway.</div>
<div><br /></div><div>Richard Petty won the pole for Beltsville's 1967 200-lap spring race and led 151 laps en route to a second place finish. He returned in September to again win the pole for the track's first 300-lap race. The King also finished one spot better than he had in the spring by leading 171 laps and capturing his first win at Beltsville and eighth in a row - a streak that ultimately grew to ten.</div><div><br /></div><div>Petty picked up where he'd left off eight months earlier. He set a track record and captured his third Beltsville pole in a row. David Pearson, winner of the circuit's two previous races at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-5-1968-weavervilles-fireball-300.html" target="_blank">Asheville-Weaverville</a> and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/05/may-11-1968-darlingtons-rebel-400.html" target="_blank">Darlington</a>, timed second. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/search/label/pete%20hamilton" target="_blank">Pete Hamilton</a> qualified third. Hamilton captured NASCAR's GN rookie of the year title in 1968 and later drove a second Plymouth Superbird for Petty Enterprises in 1970. Virginia's Bill Champion and James Hylton rounded out the top five starters.</div><div> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/UfnugAI.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>Petty wasted no time in regaining his groove from the previous September. He launched at the green and led 158 consecutive laps. Then as the 43 headed down the frontstretch with a 10-seconds lead over second running Pearson, POOF - the King's Hemi went up in smoke. </div><div><br /></div><div>In 1967, the Petty Plymouth was seemingly untouchable with 27 victories including 10 in a row. The 1968 season, however, brought new challenges. The 43 team suffered its fourth engine failure of the season at Beltsville and fourth DNF in six races. Over the next two races, the lousy streak would grow to six DNFs in eight races. </div><div><br /></div><div>As Petty coasted to the garage to try again another day, Pearson went to the point. The Holman Moody #17 Ford led all but twelve of the remaining laps. Bobby Isaac led the other twelve laps and finished second to Pearson.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson claimed his 36th career win - and this third one in a row in the '68 season. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/AHHRKhr" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/AHHRKhr.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Baltimore Evening Sun</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
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<div>TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-76886488012194528552021-05-11T06:17:00.260-05:002021-05-11T10:20:19.428-05:00May 9, 1970 - Darlington's Rebel 400<div>NASCAR began the second quarter of its 1970 Grand National division season with the Rebel 400 at Darlington on Saturday, May 9th. Because of state blue laws, Darlington's races were held for years on Saturday in the spring and Labor Day Monday in September for the Southern 500. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ALkTnIY.jpg" width="300" /></div>
<div>The 1970 Rebel edition was the final one held on Saturday. A change in law or some sort of lobbying resulted in the 1971 race being scheduled for a Sunday. Darlington didn't host another Saturday Cup race until 2005 when their relocated Southern 500 was booked the day before Mother's Day for the better part of eight years.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Chargin' Charlie Glotzbach set a track record in winning the pole in his purple, winged Dodge Daytona. Bobby Allison timed second in another winged Daytona prepared by Mario Rossi. </div><div><br /></div><div>Defending and three-time NASCAR Grand National champion, David Pearson, qualified third. During practice prior to qualifying, Pearson clipped the wall four times. Crew chief Dick Hutcherson made several spring adjustments, and the changes helped as Pearson logged the third quickest lap without any additional misadventures with the fence. Nonetheless, the track's PA announcer had a bit of fun at Pearson's expense by introducing him to the crowd as David "Wall" Pearson.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson was flanked by Pete Hamilton who was driving a second Plymouth entry for Petty Enterprises. After Hamilton's qualifying run, he commented candidly to reporter Bob Myers:</div></div><div><blockquote>I honestly believe we are running too fast for this race track. In the fourth turn, we are headed straight for the wall coming out. There it is near impossible to avoid hitting the wall. - Charlotte News</blockquote></div><div>Though Hamilton was in a second Petty team car, he had the only Petty Superbird in the race. His teammate, the King, qualified his Superbird seventh on the first day of time trials. After logging his lap, Petty returned to the track during a follow-up practice session. Just as Hamilton had observed, Petty lost the handle coming off turn four, popped the wall, sailed back across the track, and pounded the pit wall.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/J1M7cWq.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Greenville News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qPXN4do.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>The crew loaded the trashed Superbird, forfeited their starting spot, returned home to Level Cross, and readied the team's Plymouth Roadrunner short track car to qualify again the next day. After a quick night's work - likely with limited, if any, sleep - the team returned with its backup. The Roadrunner was plenty quick, and the King timed 12th - only five spots lower than his forfeited day one slot. Yet his weekend problems were far from over.</div><div><div><br /></div></div><div>Glotzbach grabbed the lead at the drop of the green. After a few laps, Allison roared back by him to lead for over 50 laps. </div><div><br /></div>
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/109185592" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 66.6667% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="396" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/109185592?et=07ghTJQVQ6VyRu59B86A-Q&tld=ca&sig=AYXUq5K8dNBFBTeKBflGoOx5Cv1mkNqg7DjBY1oPdWc=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="594"></iframe></div></div>
<div><br /></div><div>After the two Dodges led the first 60 laps, its factory cousin let it be known it wanted some prime time exposure. Hamilton's Superbird seized the lead for a couple of laps before teammate Petty put the Roadrunner out front. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><div>Allison, however, wasn't done. His red and gold Daytona returned to the point to lead a couple of stretches for another 30 laps or so. Near halfway though, the Dodge's Hemi could handle no more. Allison was done for the day, and he headed to the garage to join Glotzbach who'd also retired with engine issues about 10 laps earlier. After starting on the front row, Glotzbach and Allison ended their days by finishing 22nd and 20th, respectively.</div><div><br /></div><div>Four laps after Allison's exit, Pete Hamilton spun and destroyed the Petty team's second Superbird in only a matter of days.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Ptrg3s2.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>With Glotzbach's and Allison's winged Daytonas out of the race and Hamilton's wounded Bird loaded for the ride home, Petty's short-track Roadrunner suddenly became the stalwart Mopar on the track. The car was fairly sporty after having led a few laps. The 43 bunch just needed to wrap up the day and hope for better ones down the road.</div>
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<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/109178646" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 66.6667% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="396" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/109178646?et=q_GpNDC2T9RT0gOMdyVxUg&tld=ca&sig=2h-KIMUS8V-vRw0NIQ7fT2_DcaMsRUWm9TOm5uc9y-o=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="594"></iframe></div></div>
<div><br /></div><div>About 25 laps after Hamilton's wreck, however, the Petty team's weekend devolved from bad to worse. Much worse. Similar to the wreck he experienced in the Superbird, the King destroyed a third team car with far more force and in the most spectacular fashion. As he did following qualifying, Petty pounded the wall coming off the fourth turn and drilled the pit wall. The force broke the cement wall and sent Petty's Roadrunner into a series of terrifying flips - right in front of the packed grandstands. </div><div><br /></div><div>The 43 crew, driver LeeRoy Yarbrough, Francis Allen (a Yarbrough crewman), and Glotzbach crewman Buck Brigance immediately broke into an all-out sprint to the car. Many fans and crew members feared the worst - especially when it seemed his body had come apart and ruptured blood onto the track. Though bad optically, it was several red shop rags that had flown out of the car. For much of his career, the King kept a wet rag in his mouth in an effort to help with hydration.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though he was alive, the battered driver suffered a dislocated shoulder. The injury forced him to miss the next five races. The team skipped four short track races and fielded former team driver Jim Paschal in the World 600 at Charlotte.</div><div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wlFLnFc79bI" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>
After Petty's wreck, the race concluded with 100 caution-free laps. The final third featured great racing between factory rivals on the track but between drivers who were good friends off the track. Pearson in his Holman Moody Ford battled Bobby Isaac in the Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge Daytona. Each took turns leading sizable chunks of laps before the other went back out front.</div><div><br /></div><div>With about 30 laps to go, however, Isaac drifted high with a cut tire. Pearson decided it was go-time and seized the moment. He eased by Isaac and led the remaining laps to capture his 58th career win. The victory was his second Rebel 400 win in three years after also capturing the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/may-11-1968-darlingtons-rebel-300.html" target="_blank">1968 Rebel 400</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though Petty spent the night in a hospital bed as his rival celebrated in victory lane, the King exhibited class as he always has. He <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-king-v-silver-fox-race-hard-with.html" target="_blank">called Pearson on Sunday morning</a> to congratulate him on his win. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/a82eo9t.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/NDykwoc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/NDykwoc.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-45718045556992022002021-05-10T06:17:00.316-05:002021-05-11T10:16:45.983-05:00May 11, 1968 - Darlington's Rebel 400As NASCAR's Grand National division neared its one-third mark of the 1968 season, the teams arrived for the Rebel 400 at Darlington Raceway on a Saturday afternoon. Because of South Carolina's blue laws, races weren't held on Sundays for many years. The spring races were instead held on Saturday afternoons with the Southern 500 run on Monday, Labor Day each year.<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vrlVwX2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>To that point of the season, the wins had been pretty evenly distributed among a handful of drivers. David Pearson had won four races, Cale Yarborough and Richard Petty banked three trophies each, and Bobby Isaac had pocketed a couple of skins in his Dodge. </div><div><br /></div><div>In qualifying at Darlington, only Pearson was quick enough to start up front. Four Fords dominated the top five starting spots. LeeRoy Yarbrough won the pole in Junior Johnson's Ford followed by Pearson and his Holman Moody entry. Darel Dieringer in Mario Rossi's Plymouth split the two pair of top Ford starters. The Allison brothers, Bobby and Donnie, started fourth and fifth, respectively.</div>
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<div><div>Curtis Turner started his first race in about eight months. He qualified eighth in Tom Friedken's Plymouth - generally a solid car that multiple drivers had raced. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Y5bQVSW.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>Despite the rust of being out of a race, Turner's natural talent never left him. He ran a decent pace and was in the top 10 much of the day. Engine failure about 40 laps from the end of the race, however, doomed him to P15 - a finish that could have been lower had it not been for the race's high attrition rate.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson seized the lead at the drop of the green and retained it for 18 laps. Yarbrough then put Junior's Ford in the wind and led the next nine laps. Following Cale's stint, Buddy Baker reminded folks the Mopars had race strength even if it wasn't necessarily on display during qualifying. </div><div><br /></div><div>Baker eased by Pearson and Yarbrough and paced the field for 116 of the next 130 laps. His last long venture at the front came at the expense of Charlie Glotzbach, who recently passed away in April 2021. Glotzbach led eight laps in Cotton Owens' Dodge. As Baker closed on Glotzbach, however, Baker carried him high and into the guardrail. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/uqaH39S.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Baker rolled on to lead another stretch of 42 laps, but Glotzbach faded. He struggled to keep up in the laps to follow and finally fell out of the race with oil pressure problems about 30 laps later. </div><div><br /></div><div>As good a first half of the race as Baker had, the second half presented more of a challenge. Battling continual tire issues, he mustered only a fourth place finish despite leading a ton of laps early. </div><div><br /></div><div>The King hung tough with the leaders on a track that really challenged him throughout his career. His Hemi-powered Plymouth led 21 laps, but tire issues and pit miscues dropped him to a P3 finish. With about 40 laps to go, Petty hit pit road for his final stop. After returning to the track, his crew realized they had left off the gas cap. Petty hit pit road a second time to replace the cap - and then pitted a <i>third </i>time to change one of the new tires because of an inner liner problem. Though he finished on the lead lap, his opportunity to challenge for the lead went kaput.</div><div><br /></div><div>With Glotzbach's Dodge out of the race, the tire issues with Baker's Dodge, engine woes for Turner's Plymouth, an underwhelming performance for Bobby Isaac's Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge, and a three-stop fail for Petty's Plymouth, the Mopar faithful were running low on remaining opportunities to capture a win. </div><div><br /></div><div>Third place starter Dieringer remained Plymouth's final hope. His owner and crew chief, Mario Rossi, nervously burned through a gaggle of cigarettes as he watched his driver stalk the leader. In the end, however, Dieringer led zero laps en route to a second place finish. Though disappointed with P2, Dieringer was pleased as he seemed to have recovered from his health woes resulting from exhaust inhalation (and likely carbon monoxide poisoning) at Bristol several weeks earlier.</div><div><br /></div>
<div>Pearson - the only driver to lead more laps than Baker - calmly waited as other drivers seemed to self destruct one by one. He and crew chief Dick Hutcherson made a pre-race decision to run a smaller engine with less car weight rather than a larger engine and heavier car favored by others in the field. The decision resulted in a solid balance between horsepower and handling.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Petty had his ill-fated stop, Pearson led the rest of the way and won his 35th career race by a comfortable margin over Dieringer. The victory was his first of what ultimately became ten career GN/Cup wins at Darlington.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>And though he'd won the previous week at Asheville-Weaverville and three others earlier in the season, his Darlington victory was his first superspeedway win since the 1961 Dixie 400 at Atlanta. To celebrate the win, he fired up a lung dart before the car even came to a stop for his interview with ABC's <i>Wide World of Sports</i>.</div></div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/abTMtoC.png" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/sqJBRT5.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>Pearson never lacked for confidence during his driving career; however, he also believed in his fair share of superstitions. Racers always embrace luck in whatever form they can get it. In Pearson's case, his 1968 win total to-date of five races may have been aided by the presence of his middle son Ricky. At Darlington, Asheville-Weaverville, and North Wilkesboro - Pearson's three most recent wins - Ricky was in attendance. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson's oldest son and future two-time NASCAR Busch Series champion, Larry, became a bit envious of his younger brother getting to see all of the wins. So Daddy Pearson made sure Larry was there with Ricky at Darlington to double the luck, and sure enough the trio got to enjoy victory lane together.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/wJW0k47.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>As a side note, Lennie Waldo finished 18th in his first of four career GN starts. The late model racer drove for owner Elmer Buxton who fielded cars in nine races - the last four with Waldo. It's possible NASCAR has not seen a better pairing of two perfect racing names. I now have a sudden urge to go watch Shawshank Redemption for the gazillionth time.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/vjzeBbW.png" width="400" /></div><div><div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gMFsrRdEB6M" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/KV3Zv7s" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KV3Zv7s.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
TMC<br /></div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-44019743016738671112021-05-07T06:21:00.357-05:002021-05-07T08:09:34.868-05:00May 5, 1974 - Talladega's Winston 500<div>NASCAR's Cup teams were back in Talladega for the 10th race of the 1974 season. Though the race was billed as the Winston 500, it was in reality a 450-mile race. NASCAR agreed to cut its races by 10 percent in response to the country's <i>energy crisis</i>.</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DGd4frO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>David Pearson, the two-time defending winner of the race, won the pole in his Wood Brothers' Purolator Mercury. Indy Car regular Gary Bettenhausen qualified alongside Pearson in Roger Penske's AMC Matador. Bettenhausen raced in three NASCAR events in 1967 for car owner H.B. Ranier, father of Harry Ranier who had great success with drivers such as Cale Yarborough and Davey Allison. After spending the late 1960s and early 1970s in Indy Car, Bettenhausen returned to NASCAR in 1974 with a limited schedule in Penske's car.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Cup began a transition from big-block engines with restrictor plates to small-block engines whose design generally remains in today's racing, the starting lineups of several races had several interesting names up front. Several drivers could lay down a fast lap with their small-block vs. the established teams still running an inventory of proven big-blocks.</div><div><br /></div><div>With that in mind, Bettenhausen was joined near the front by a couple of other head-scratching names to many race fans - George Follmer and Dan Daughtry - who started third and fourth. Follmer was an accomplished racer in his first season with long-time owner and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bud Moore. Daughtry qualified for only his third Cup start after finishing 38th in the Daytona 500 and 32nd at Atlanta earlier in the season. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other notable drivers in the 50-car field included:</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Red Famer - The 2021 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee made only 36 Cup starts in his career. After the 1974 Winston 500, he started only three more Cup races - Talladega's '74 summer race and both Talladega races in 1975.</li><li>Neil Bonnett - A member of the Alabama Gang along with Farmer and the Allison brothers, Bonnett made his Cup debut that day. It was a less than ideal start, however, as he suffered engine failure and finished 45th.</li><li>Marty Robbins - The country music crooner qualified and finished a respectable 15th in his purple and yellow Dodge.</li><li>Johnny Ray - The race was Ray's Cup debut. He eventually participated in eight Cup races, four of which were at Talladega. For many years, he was better known for hauling the American flag around Talladega attached to his big diesel rig.</li></ul></div>
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/952516934" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 69.1919% 0px 0px; position: relative; text-align: center; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="411" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/952516934?et=mpqOEBzORid2nyC1NDvCHg&tld=com&sig=zc7Z51wBXAEKOJKWk2fUOugcYeAIU3ar0JAfDesccjY=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="594"></iframe></div></div>
<div><br /></div><div>One driver <i>not </i>in in the field was second-year Cup driver, Darrell Waltrip. He blew an engine in qualifying and missed his third consecutive race. The weekend in general was dismal for DW as he dominated a 50-lap LMS race at Nashville the night before - only to helplessly fade as a tire's valve stem came loose eight laps from the finish with a half-lap lead over second place.</div><div><br /></div>
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85146620" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 70.0337% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="416" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/85146620?et=HdL0zLiOSkt8cbhHhaOFpA&tld=com&sig=T3IWsxnpKERuTZzxoII9XT_EOQwhu_rS12T20MNb1kg=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="594"></iframe></div></div>
<div><br /></div><div>To keep the 188-lap count consistent with other Talladega 500-mile races, the first 18 laps (50 miles) were neither run nor scored. As the field took the green for the first time to begin lap 19. Bettenhausen seized the lead followed the next lap by Daughtry. </div><div><br /></div><div>That two lap exchange set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, and it was the type of racing Talladega fans have grown to expect. The race featured 53 lead changes among 14 drivers. Many <i>name drivers</i> as well as many independents or so-called backmarkers got an opportunity to pace the field for a lap or two at a time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of the race's 170 laps, 60 were run under caution primarily because of a couple of rain showers - plus a blown engine that nearly had tragic consequences. </div><div><br /></div><div>Tennessee's Dave Sisco blew an engine on lap 105 resulting in a caution. As he made his way around the track and into the garage, Sisco left a trail of oil - including on the rain-slickened pit road. Bettenhausen, still in the hunt after leading 35 laps, pitted during the caution. As his Penske team serviced the Matador, rookie Grant Adcox slipped in an oily puddle and crashed into the back of Bettenhausen's car.</div><div><br /></div><div>The collision crushed volunteer crewman Don Miller between the cars and injured two other crew members. One of Buddy Baker's crewmen and future NASCAR crew chief, Buddy Parrott, ran to Miller's aid and immediately used his belt as a tourniquet high on Miller's shattered leg. Upon realizing the severity of the accident, Adcox withdrew from the remainder of the race. </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/p502jzV.png" width="400" /></div><div>Though Miller survived, he lost his right leg in the accident. Miller became an integral part of Penske's NASCAR operations in the decades to follow, and he was instrumental in pairing Penske with driver Rusty Wallace.</div><div><br /></div><div>Even after the near-tragic pit road accident and two extended delays for rain, the drivers still mixed it up in the second half of the race. Follmer showed folks he was no slouch by leading off-and-on for 26 laps. Benny Parsons, the defending Winston Cup champion from 1973, also jumped in the fray and led nine laps. </div><div><br /></div><div>As Follmer, Parsons, and a couple of others cycled to the lead one or two laps at a time, the driver who generally took the lead back was Pearson. Shortly after taking the lead back from Parsons, Pearson made his final stop with 20 laps to go. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Pearson was leading as he made his final pit stop with just a handful of laps remaining. Though he seemed slow exiting the pits, he quickly amp'd his speed down the backstretch. In seemingly no time at all, he sailed by Parsons and led the remaining 17 laps. Parsons finished a close second followed by Petty. After having a solid day, Follmer's engine blew with about 20 to go dooming him to P28.</div><div><br /></div><div>With his 79th career win, Pearson three-peated in the Winston 500 after also winning in <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2014/05/may-7-1972-pearson-begins-his-talladega.html" target="_blank">1972</a> and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/may-6-1973-talladegas-winston-500.html" target="_blank">1973</a>. The victory was the <i>fourth </i>consecutive Winston 500 for the Wood Brothers as Donnie Allison won the race for them in 1971.</div></div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/CPBMhdr.png" width="400" /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/xzKt7bt" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/xzKt7bt.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Montgomery Advertiser</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
TMCtoomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-83042404702613376712021-05-06T06:21:00.284-05:002021-05-06T07:37:53.886-05:00May 6, 1973 - Talladega's Winston 500<div>On Sunday, May 6th, NASCAR's Winston Cup Series rolled into Talladega for the Winston 500 as the 10th race of the 1973 season. How Cinco de Mayo may have been celebrated on Saturday - if at all - in the Talladega infield is unknown. What <i>is </i>known, however, is the infield crowd would not have needed a made-up holiday to party as they've always done there. </div>
<div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ZaIHnJk.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>David Pearson and the Wood Brothers team arrived riding a remarkable streak. Pearson and his Purolator Mercury had won the four previous events in which the team raced: <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/march-18-1973-rockinghams-carolina-500.html" target="_blank">Rockingham</a>, <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-1-1973-atlanta-500.html" target="_blank">Atlanta</a>, <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-15-1973-rebel-400.html" target="_blank">Darlington</a>, and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-29-1973-virginia-500.html" target="_blank">Martinsville</a>. The team didn't enter the car at Bristol or North Wilkesboro, but it's entirely possible they could've swept them too if they had!</div><div><br /></div><div>Harry Hyde's well-tuned, red Dodge Charger won the pole for the second consecutive year. Bobby Isaac laid down the hot lap in 1972, and Buddy Baker captured the top spot in 1973. Pearson, the defending race winner, qualified on the front row alongside Baker. Richard Petty timed third in his Hemi-powered STP Dodge, and Cale Yarborough and Bobby Allison rounded out the top five starters.</div><div> </div><div>When Sunday's start rolled around, 60 cars took the green - SIXTY! Though the race didn't represent the largest starting field for a NASCAR race (see Darlington in the early 1950s and Daytona in the early 1960s), it certainly was the largest for the fastest track ever to occupy a slot on the Cup tour.</div><div><br /></div><div>Baker seized the lead and pulled Yarborough and Allison with him. Pearson lagged back just a tick as the early pace developed. </div><div><br /></div><div>
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/85146675" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 78.9562% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="469" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/85146675?et=A2Sa491vTNtIfIYdCFsOoQ&tld=com&sig=TsjOB_beoIpVFH59KtmqSewmjbJfKnqSo2WHoT9BQ90=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="594"></iframe></div></div>
<br /><br /></div><div>With the 60-car field, Baker needed only a few laps to catch the rear of the field and begin lapping cars. The caution waved as the leaders crossed the start-finish line to complete the 10th lap. Ramo Stott had blown an engine coming off turn two. Though he coasted to the grass off the backstretch to get out of the way, he left a long trail of oil. NASCAR's policy in that era was to not only race back to the caution but to also continue doing so until they caught up to the pace car. Before drivers could react and crack the throttle, about 20 cars spun in Stott's oil and wrecked badly enough to send up a curtain of impenetrable dust and smoke. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>Contemporary fans have come to expect The Big One during races at Daytona and Talladega. To that point in only Talladega's fifth season, however, no one had seen the hot mess that unfolded on the backstretch. The wreck wiped out pole-winner Baker, Yarborough, and Allison from the top five starters. It also ensnared 1973 rookie of the year candidate (and eventual winner) Lennie Pond, Ron Keselowski (Brad's uncle), and several independents. </div><div><br /></div><div>Wendell Scott got the worst of it with a broken leg, pelvis, and ribs. He was hospitalized for over a month, and the wreck effectively ended his racing career. He returned just once more to race in the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2017/10/october-7-1973-national-500.html" target="_blank">National 500 at Charlotte</a> that fall. </div><div><br /></div><div>Petty avoided the wreck, but he ran over some debris and damaged the underside of his car. Though he returned to make a few more laps, the King parked it for good around lap 50. </div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yeMh55NpX-Y" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div><div>Pearson took over the lead when the thinned field returned to racing. He had wriggled through the wreck but knew many of his fellow competitors had been involved in the wreck. His Wood Brothers crew didn't volunteer any information - and Pearson didn't ask. He raced the rest of the day not knowing who may have been injured or worse.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Pearson surrendered the lead after 15 laps to pit, Charles Barrett took over the lead in only his second career Cup start. Barrett raced a Ford fielded by George Elliott, father of Bill Elliott and grandfather of Chase Elliott. Barrett's short-lived lead was followed by nice showings from drivers unaccustomed to time at the front including J.D. McDuffie, Coo Coo Marlin, and Cecil Gordon. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>Rookie Darrell Waltrip then found his way to the lead and paced the field for an impressive 26 laps before his Mercury's engine failed well shy of the race's halfway mark. Though he led a sizable chunk of laps in 1973, DW's frustration grew as his streak of engine failures and poor Talladega finishes grew to three. (As an aside, Waltrip finished P7 in that summer's Talladega 500.)</div></div><div> </div><div>With most of the big dogs wrecked or otherwise on their trailers early, Pearson took over to dominate the relatively-quiet second half of the race. Perhaps fittingly though, the race finished under caution when Vic Parsons wrecked with three laps to go. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson led 96 of the race's final 102 laps - including the final three under caution. He notched his 71st career win, won his second consecutive Winston 500, and extended his 1973 winning streak to five.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gRRJL4M.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Winston Cup Museum</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/6FapJWR" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/6FapJWR.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/EjIa842" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/EjIa842.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Anniston Star</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div><br /></div><div>TMC</div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-72664009870596009792021-05-05T06:17:00.104-05:002021-05-05T07:48:06.254-05:00May 5, 1968 - Weaverville's Fireball 300<div><div style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/07V5F0F.png" width="200" /></div>The 14th race of NASCAR's 1968 Grand National season was the Fireball 300 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway. NASCAR began racing at the North Carolina half-mile in 1951, and the spring race generally didn't have a race title. </div><div><br /></div><div>Following Fireball Roberts' death in July 1964 after being badly burned in the World 600, Weaverville named its spring race in Roberts' memory. The first one under the new name was the Fireball 200 in 1965. The race was lengthened to 300 laps in 1966; hence, the 1968 Fireball 300 was considered the third annual running of it.</div><div><div><br /></div>
<div>A week after finishing a close second to Cale Yarborough in the Virginia 500 at Martinsville, David Person captured the pole at Weaverville. Richard Petty qualified second as he tried to break a bad luck streak. The King lost an engine at North Wilkesboro, had rear end failure after leading nearly 300 laps at Martinsville, and broke an axle in Augusta, Georgia two days before the Weaverville race. After three consecutive DNFs, the King needed to right the ship. Tiger Tom Pistone, Bobby Isaac, and Big John Sears rounded out the top fiver starters.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/david-pearson-and-richard-petty-bring-the-field-down-for-news-photo/107648961" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Jqfu0CI.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/david-pearson-and-richard-petty-bring-the-field-down-for-news-photo/107648961" target="_blank">ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Pearson got the hole shot at the green and set an early pace. Petty's recent race woes continued as he cut a right front tire on lap 42. Though he finished the race for the first time in a few weeks, he never regained the time he lost during the unscheduled pit stop.</div><div><br /></div><div>As regular, scheduled stops began during a caution around lap 85, Pearson surrendered the lead on lap 87 to Buddy Baker for a lap. After Pearson's #17 Ford returned to the track and Baker made his stop, Pearson went right back to the point. </div><div><br /></div><div>About 20 laps after leading a lap and making his stop, Baker's day took an unfortunate turn...err, <i>slide</i>? He and Isaac raced hard for position. Isaac dove inside of Baker, and they clanged off each other. Buddy hammered the wall, slid through turn three, and came to rest on the apron. Isaac continued, but Baker was done for the day. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/X6NBfn1.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Pearson was pretty much on cruise control the rest of the way. He led 299 of the race's 300 laps to capture his 34th career win. The victory was his first of two career wins at Asheville-Weaverville, the other coming later in 1968 in the Western North Carolina 500.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qNvjSUz.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Isaac finished second, two laps down to Pearson. Though he couldn't make up the lap from the early stop - nor additional laps lost during another green-flag stop, Petty still managed to finish third, three laps down to the winner.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Nb717HJ.png" width="300" /></div>
<div>The final caution flew with about 30 laps to go. An ambulance needed to cross the track to transport a fan who had suffered a heart attack to a local hospital. Coincidentally, Pearson benefited from a similar caution to <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-29-1973-virginia-500.html" target="_blank">win at Martinsville</a> about five years later. </div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/5OzsQIY" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/5OzsQIY.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Asheville Citizen</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-41740300201301249842021-04-29T06:21:00.332-05:002021-04-29T17:26:04.477-05:00April 29, 1973 - Martinsville's Virginia 500<div>The ninth race of NASCAR's 1973 Winston Cup season was the Virginia 500 at the iconic Martinsville Speedway.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/hNJYTK8.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
Two weeks earlier, David Pearson won the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-15-1973-rebel-400.html">Rebel 400 at Darlington</a>. After the tour skipped the next weekend for Easter, Pearson picked up where he left off by winning the pole at Martinsville in the Wood Brothers Mercury. <br />
<div><br /></div><div>Donnie Allison qualified alongside Pearson in the #88 DiGard Chevy. Independent Cecil Gordon timed third - a start that was his second career best and topped only by a P2 start at Bristol a few weeks earlier. Bobby Allison and Richard Petty rounded out the top five starters.</div><div><br /></div><div>The King made his first Martinsville start in a Dodge. A year earlier at Martinsville, Petty Enterprises announced Petty would begin a <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/04/april-30-this-day-in-petty-history-part_9802.html" target="_blank">switch from Plymouth to Dodge</a>. The 43 team continued to run a Plymouth on short tracks the rest of 1972 and began using the Dodge Charger on superspeedways. The team went all-in with the Charger in 1973. </div><div><br /></div><div>The year got off to a pretty good start with three wins in the first eight races - including King's <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-18-this-day-in-petty-history.html" target="_blank">fourth Daytona 500</a> victory. The team, however, also had three DNFs due to engine failures in that same time span.</div><div><br /></div><div>When the green dropped, Pearson hugged the inside and led the first 60 or so laps. The Allisons never had a shot at keeping pace with him. Bobby fell out on lap 31 with engine woes followed by Donnie about 15 laps later with a similar issue.</div><div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/OlW62WC.jpg" width="400" /></div></div><div>Sixth place starter Cale Yarborough's engine, however, was just fine. After Pearson's initial stint, Cale went to the point and paced the field for 311 of the next 333 laps.</div><div><br /></div><div>As short a day as the Allison's had, Richard Brown's day was even worse. The independent driver lost power after only 15 laps and loaded his car for the trip home. Brown himself wasn't done though - but perhaps he should have been. Fellow independent Ed Negre needed a relief driver around the midpoint of the race, and Brown belted in to the #8 Mercury to assist. Shortly after returning to the track, however, Brown stuck the car in the fence. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Tt9v1hX.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://repository.uncc.edu/islandora/object/motorsports%3A9510" target="_blank">Bryant McMurray / UNC Charlotte Murrey Atkins Library</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div></div></div><div>The official reason for Negre's DNF was "suspension", but it's unclear if the suspension failure happened before or after Brown walloped the wall. Two years later, Negre put another driver with far less experience than Brown in his car at Charlotte. That driver was Dale Earnhardt who made his Cup debut in the 1975 World 600.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Edit:</i> Negre's son, Norman Negre recalled this great story from that day via Twitter.</div><div></div><blockquote><div>Dad was driving. It started smoking, and he came in and tried to fix it. He then went to the garage and told me to fix it. Valve covers were cracked, and I replaced them. Then I couldn’t find Dad. Richard was out of the race so I asked him to make a lap see if the smoke was gone. He stuck it right in the wall.<br /><br />I walked around to the car. Richard got out and said the throttle stuck. Walking back to the pits, Dad was standing there with his arms crossed - mad - and he started chewing me out. Richard said "Ed, it’s not his fault. The throttle stuck."<br /><br />Dad said "It’s been sticking. I’ve been flipping the switch all day." I said "you didn’t tell me the throttle had been sticking, Besides that, where were you???" He said "I was in the bathroom." His story is he was sitting there, heard the wreck, and then "Ed Negre is in the wall!!!" Dad thinks to himself "I’m in the bathroom. They must have the wrong guy."<br /><br />That’s the story why Richard Brown was driving the car at Martinsville!</div></blockquote><div></div><div><div>As Cale led lap after lap, Pearson's day started to come unwound. Around the time Brown shortened up Negre's car, Pearson's gas cap came off - a safety no-no. For a few decades, NASCAR has mandated a dump can connection system. In the early 1970s, however, teams still used conventional filler necks and gas caps which had to remain in place. The loss of Pearson's gas cap resulted in an unscheduled stop and loss of a lap to Yarborough. Shortly thereafter, Pearson lost a second lap when he cut a tire and made another unscheduled stop.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>About the time Yarborough's long stretch of leading ended for a moment, Petty's day ended for good. The King had won 11 of the previous 14 races at Martinsville, but the Dodge debut didn't go well. Instead of adding a fourth win to his 1973 resume, the record books reflect a fourth DNF due to engine failure.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/yczmoxT.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://repository.uncc.edu/islandora/object/motorsports%3A9509" target="_blank">Bryant McMurray / UNC Charlotte Murrey Atkins Library</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Pearson earned back one of his two laps under a caution, but Yarborough's dominance began to suggest he would not get a shot at unlapping himself a second time. But then...</div><div><br /></div><div>As Cale was prepared to make a green flag stop, the seventh yellow flag of the day flew. The caution was needed to allow an ambulance to cross the track with a fan showing signs of heat stroke, a heart attack or some related medical emergency. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yarborough and car owner Junior Johnson were incensed at the timing of the caution. Though they likely didn't have all the facts at the moment, they believed the timing was suspect and were beyond frustrated that NASCAR didn't give the teams a heads-up so they could plan pit strategy accordingly.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson was able to get back on the lead lap during the caution but still needed to get around Yarborough to take the lead. Twenty or so laps later, he did just that. As it did to start the race, the #21 Mercury led another sizable stretch of laps until about 60 laps to go. </div><div><br /></div><div>Following the final caution of the day, Yarborough got the jump on Pearson as the racing resumed. He led a lap but then washed up in turn one allowing Pearson to slide back under him for the lead. For the rest of the day, Cale's #11 Chevy rolled in the tire tracks of Pearson in an effort to close a race in which he'd dominated.</div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/SZMflVR.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://repository.uncc.edu/islandora/object/motorsports%3A9585" target="_blank">Bryant McMurray / UNC Charlotte Murrey Atkins Library</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>With about eight laps to go, Yarborough made his final move. He dove to Pearson's inside, but he clipped the grass and spun. By the time he gathered his car to head in the right direction, he was a half-lap behind. Pearson cruised the rest of the way to notch his 70th career win - and his only one at Martinsville.</div>
<div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QSFDfd8.jpg" width="400" /></div><div>His win earned the Wood Brothers their second Martinsville victory. In a coincidental bit of trivia, their first one was claimed in 1968 with Yarborough at the wheel with Pearson finishing second in his Holman Moody Ford.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cale could not be convinced he gave back two laps to Pearson with the way he ran all day. And to add insult to injury, the trophy presented to him for leading the most laps was from the <i>Dogwood 500 modified race </i>scheduled a month earlier. The race had been rained out and rescheduled for May, and the track may have mixed the trophies following April's Cup race. One has to wonder if Jerry Cook got Cale's trophy when he led the most laps en route to winning the modified race.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/MXqZ3SP.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: <a href="https://repository.uncc.edu/islandora/object/motorsports%3A9511" target="_blank">Bryant McMurray / UNC Charlotte Murrey Atkins Library</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/cFS5wCS.png" width="400" /></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/L8dxrJC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/L8dxrJC.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Spartanburg Herald</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-202079943184444032021-04-24T07:48:00.107-05:002021-04-24T10:03:42.762-05:00April 24, 1971 - Hambone to the ThroneNashville's Fairground Speedways opened its 1971 season in April. The season was the second one on the new high banked version of the track - and the first full one as the track wasn't ready for use in 1970 until July.<div><br /></div><div>Art Ellis was the surprise winner of the 1971 season opener, the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2018/05/1971-flameless-err-permatex-200.html" target="_blank">Permatex 200</a>. Sadly, Ellis's enjoyment of his victory was short-lived as he was killed in an accident at the fairgrounds a couple of months later. </div><div><div><br /></div><div>After the 200-lap opener, the regulars returned for the first of a weekly slate of races. The marquis event was a 30-lap late model sportsman feature.</div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Ot8jzKE.png" width="350" /></div><div>Many drivers - local drivers, national LMS racers, and even Cup drivers - had disdain for Nashville's new banks. Some even argued the place could be a death trap because tires couldn't keep pace with the high speeds on the new surface. </div><div><br /></div><div>Two drivers that took a shine to it, however, were Darrell Waltrip and James Ham. Waltrip won five of the abbreviated season's 11 feature races in 1970 and captured his first of two track championships. Ham didn't win nearly as often as Waltrip, but he was fast in qualifying. He qualified on the front row for all 11 of 1970's LMS features.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ham set a track record in winning the pole for the season opener. Seven days later, Waltrip topped Ham's week-old record and won the pole for the 30-lap feature. Keeping his streak alive, Ham lined up alongside Waltrip - swapping places with DW from the previous week. He did so by qualifying on only seven cylinders!</div><div><br /></div><div>A 30-lap feature on a lightning-quick, half-mile track seemingly ends almost before it begins. Drivers have to qualify well, and they have to be up on the wheel from the jump.</div><div><br /></div><div>And Ham was ready at the jump. He muscled by Waltrip at the beginning of the race and showed his horsepower - despite being down a cylinder. The short race had two yellow flags where laps under caution didn't count. Both allowed Waltrip to close back to Ham's bumper and the opportunity to launch past him for the win. On both restarts, however, Ham seized the lead and continued on to the win.</div><div><br /></div><div>The feature was Ham's second track win. He earned his first a few months earlier in a 30-lap feature in October 1970. He'd go on to win twice more in 1971 - both 30-lap features. Ham raced at the Fairgrounds for several more years, but those four wins on the track's high banks were his only ones.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following the race, folks learned the top two cars raced with impaired engines. P.B. Crowell, one of Waltrip's car owners told a <i>Tennessean </i>reporter after the race:</div><div><blockquote>A push rod broke. A valve hit a piston and busted the cylinder wall. We lost an engine. We were lucky Darrell was able to go on and finish second. He ran on seven cylinders, that's all. </blockquote></div><div><div>A week later, Ham extended his front row streak by qualifying second to Waltrip for the Pabst Blue Ribbon 100. His <i>winning </i>streak, however, ended at one when his ill-handling car popped the wall around lap 30 - the same distance he covered to win in late April '71.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1acVBio.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: The Tennessean<br /><br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><div>TMC<br /></div></div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-2460774254287268192021-04-21T06:17:00.003-05:002021-04-21T07:57:07.734-05:00April 21, 1968 - Wilkesboro's Gwyn Staley 400<div>NASCAR's Grand National teams rolled into the mountains of western North Carolina in the spring of '68 for the Gwyn Staley Memorial 400-lap race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The race was the 11th of the season - just shy of being a quarter into the year's 49-race schedule.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/K6qSNEH.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://progcovers.com/motor/wilkesboro.html" target="_blank">Motor Racing Programme Covers</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>The track hosted an egg hunt a week earlier on Easter Sunday. Strategic or perhaps just fortuitous kids stood to make a pretty good cash haul if they found the higher valued eggs. One has to wonder if some opportunistic, independent NASCAR drivers may have been in the mix as well in an effort to snag some funding for their tire bill. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/WSePrAH.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="300" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Kannapolis Daily Independent</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Jerry Grant did some searching of this own that weekend. Though there's no record he hip-checked any five year-olds in order to score an egg, he did go searching for speed. The USAC Indy Car regular laid down laps in two different cars - his GN Plymouth stock car as well as his Indy roadster that he planned to race at the Brickyard in the month of May.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/DdJKcdd" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DdJKcdd.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Spartanburg Herald</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Fast forwarding a week, David Pearson won the pole in his Holman Moody Ford. LeeRoy Yarbrough qualified alongside him. A pair of Mopars raced by Bobby Isaac and Darel Dieringer lined up in the second row with Bobby Allison rounding out the top five starters. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Pearson earned the MGM trophy as the top qualifier. The Hollywood studio sponsored the pole winner trophy as part of its promotion for the soon-to-be released movie, <i>Speedway</i>, starring Elvis Presley.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/pCl8xBX.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Statesville Record and Landmark</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div></div>
<div><div style="text-align: left;">Pearson's chief rival, Richard Petty, was scheduled to present the trophy to the Silver Fox - a photo I'd truly like to see.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/dl4mau8.jpg" width="350" /></div>
<div>Fans saw multiple leaders during the first quarter of the race. Blue Oval and Mopar fans took turns cheering as Pearson and Bobby Allison led about 50 laps and Petty, Paul Goldsmith, and Bobby Isaac split the other 50 laps. Allison may have led more had his engine not failed on lap 97 - as he was leading. Pearson's fortunes were better than Allison as he lost a cylinder after only 15 laps yet went the distance with the remaining seven. </div><div><br /></div><div>For the next quarter of the race, Pearson's Ford became the dominant car. Despite being down a cylinder, he led about 80 of the second 100 laps. </div><div><br /></div><div>Petty regained the lead on lap 209. Like Allison about a hundred laps earlier, however, Petty's Hemi blew after the King found his way back to the point. </div><div><br /></div><div>A few laps later, Petty belted into Darel Dieringer's Mario Rossi-owned Plymouth as a relief driver. Dieringer had been sick and bedridden for two weeks prior to the race after inhaling fumes from transmission grease during Bristol's Southeastern 500 in March. He subsequently contracted <i>the flu </i>and pneumonia - likely as a result of the fumes Though it may not have been known at the time - or admitted - Dieringer likely suffered carbon monoxide poisoning.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the race developed well into its second half, Yarbrough seized control in Junior Johnson's Ford. Though the soft-spoken Johnson wanted to win everywhere, he <i><b>expected</b></i> his drivers to win at Wilkesboro - his home track. And LeeRoy was well positioned to do just that. Until...</div><div><br /></div><div>With nine laps to go and a 10 second lead over Pearson, Johnson's engine blew in Yarbrough's car sending him into the fence. Just like that, the Ingle Hollow celebration-to-be evaporated into a <i>That's Racing</i> moment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson had to be chuckling a bit as he inherited the lead from waaay back. He and his struggling engine completed the final laps to claim his 33rd career win with no pressure from behind. Buddy Baker and Bobby Isaac finished second and third, respectively, and both were a lap down to Pearson. Petty brought home Dieringer's car in fourth place, and Yarbrough still managed to finish fifth despite his DNF.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>Pearson's win was his first of only two Wilkesboro victories. He notched the second a year and a half later over second place Petty in the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/10/october-5-1969-wilkes-400.html" target="_blank">1969 Wilkes 400</a>. It was also his third win in the previous seven races after having won at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/03/march-17-1968-southeastern-500.html" target="_blank">Bristol</a> and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/march-24-1968-richmond-500.html" target="_blank">Richmond</a> in back-to-back weeks a month earlier.</div><div><br /></div></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/SWUJmBR" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/SWUJmBR.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Spartanburg Herald</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-82561786772848323782021-04-18T07:11:00.017-05:002021-04-18T10:13:22.467-05:00April 18, 1981 - Another Sterling Season Begins<div>Nashville's fairgounds speedway - renamed Nashville International Raceway in the late 1970s - opened its 1981 season with a program highlighted by the CRC Chemicals 200 Grand American division race.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/d9bHw6d.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Courtesy of <a href="http://russthompsonracing.com/FairgroundPrograms.html#eighties" target="_blank">Russ Thompson</a></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Future back-to-back Daytona 500 winner, Sterling Marlin, was featured on the track's program cover. Marlin returned to Nashville in 1981 as the defending Grand American champion from 1980. In the division's first season at the fairgrounds, Marlin won 12 of the season's 20 races.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/DH6riei.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">1980 Nashville division champions James Forbes, Marlin, and Charles Casteel<br />Source: The Tennessean</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div><div>Marlin also began the new season with a new sponsor: Coors beer. Though Coors Light later adorned the sides of his #14 Camaro - as well as his silver #40 Cup car, he began with sho-nuff Coors in April 1981.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/WkuaXV6.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Source: Russ Thompson</i></td></tr></tbody></table>Seventeen cars took the green - an unusually low car count by Nashville standards. Former track champion and Marlin rival, Mike Alexander, had been expected to race in a car owned by Phillip Grissom from Alabama. Alexander had sold his Grand American car as he planned to focus on developing his Cup career. The arrangement did not materialize, and Grissom ended up racing his own car (or leaving a second one intended for Alexander on the trailer.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Track promoter Gary Baker and <i>Tennessean</i> writer Larry Woody suggested some expected out-of-town heavy hitters opted instead to race at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina rather than tow to Music City. Butch Lindley, David Pearson, and Bobby Allison raced in Greenville, but that race had few other stars in it. Other races may have been held in the south that night, or perhaps Nashville's purse or recruiting of drivers just weren't up to snuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>Grissom won the pole, and Marlin started to his outside. As the race began, Marlin got the jump into turn one and quickly extended his dominance from 1980. By around lap 60, he'd just about lapped the full field. But then...</div><div><br /></div><div>Marlin cut a tire, limped to pit road, and waited anxiously as his part-time, race-day crew mounted a replacement. He returned to action nearly two laps down. Once back on track, however, he realized he had an issue with the new tire. Forced to make a second stop, Marlin fell even further behind.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sterling made up one of his laps during a caution around the halfway mark, and then caught a break when Grissom had a pit issue of his own. Grissom gave back a lap as his crew thrashed on pit road. With Marlin back on the lead lap, it was time for him to regain his groove. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Coors Camaro once again found its way back to the lead. For the remainder of the second half the race, Marlin returned to what he'd done in the first 50 or so laps. As the checkered flag fell, he'd lapped everyone but Grissom - and was close to lapping him as well. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>Sterling's win began a season that topped his 1980 championship-winning one. He captured his second consecutive track title and won 13 of 17 races.</div></div></div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/8MK6o5P" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/8MK6o5P.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: The Tennessean</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Though Alexander didn't race at Nashville, he enjoyed some success a week later in Martinsville's Virginia 500 Cup race. He set a track record and was the fastest second-round qualifier in his first trip to the paper clip. Ricky Rudd set the previous mark just the day before during the opening round of qualifying. Alexander backed up his quick time by finishing 10th in the race in only his seventh career Cup start. Alexander's crew chief on his #37 Buick: famed crew chief and FOX Sports analyst Larry McReynolds.</div><div><div><br /></div></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qx6AVzX.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>CRC Chemicals 200 Results:</div><div><div><ol><li>Sterling Marlin</li><li>Phillip Grissom</li><li>Jerry Sisco</li><li>Dean Bentley</li><li>Richard Orton</li><li>Al Henderson</li><li>Mark Taylor</li><li>Steve Grissom</li><li>Junior Williams</li><li>Marvin Joyner</li><li>Carl Langford</li><li>Bobby Criswell</li><li>Mike Montgomery</li><li>Tony Cunningham</li><li>Mike Bassett</li><li>Ron Tucker</li><li>Jimmie Lewis</li></ol></div></div><div>TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-22553095516136267462021-04-15T06:21:00.322-05:002021-04-18T10:22:06.659-05:00April 15, 1973 - Darlington's Rebel 400<div>The eighth race of the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup season was the Rebel 500 at South Carolina's Darlington Raceway. What better way than to race on tax day! (Cue the tax accountants: Technically, the filing day would likely have been extended to Monday, April 16th because of the weekend. <i>ENOUGH!</i>)</div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/RSxT1tZ.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
After a dozen years or so of being known first as the Rebel 300 and then the Rebel 400, the race distance was extended for the first time to 500 miles to match the length of the traditional Labor Day weekend Southern 500.<div><br /></div><div>Though the race distance was extended 100 miles, the track length remained the same. And David Pearson knew how to navigate it. He won the pole in the Wood Brothers' Purolator Mercury just as he'd done in <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-16-1972-rebel-400.html" target="_blank">his debut with the team</a> a year earlier. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson's top speed extended the roll he was on in the early part of the 1973 season. The Wood Brothers team skipped the short tracks at Richmond, Bristol, and North Wilkesboro. But Pearson and the 21 bunch won the previous two races they'd entered at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/march-18-1973-rockinghams-carolina-500.html" target="_blank">Rockingham </a>and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-1-1973-atlanta-500.html" target="_blank">Atlanta</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cale Yarborough - another Darlington master - qualified second. The Three B's - Bobby Allison, Bobby Isaac, and Buddy Baker - rounded out the top five starters. (Tax accountants return: Technically, we counted eight B's. <i>SHUT UP, Green Shades!</i>)</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>Forty cars took the green that Sunday afternoon. Four hours later, however, attrition thinned the finishers to about a third of that number. It wasn't the extra 74 laps that did 'em in as more than half the field DNF'd well before the 400-mile mark.</div><div><br /></div><div>Engines failed on many cars, but others retired early from accidents - some from driver errors according to those caught up in the accidents or near them. </div><div><br /></div><div>It didn't take long for the action to begin. Pearson seized the lead at the start. On lap three, however, Dave Marcis collided with Rookie of the Year candidate Lennie Pond. Marcis got the worst end of the deal and finished dead last as Pond continued.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/pIB2gG3.png" width="400" /></div>Pond had more issues later in the race. Though he started second, Yarborough never led a lap. He tangled with Pond near lap 40, and Pond's second incident put his Chevy on the trailer. Cale kept a'goin, but a blown engine about three-quarters of the way through the race sent him to his nearby home with a 19th place finish.<br /><br />For the first half of the race, fans witnessed a number of different leaders. Pearson, Allison, Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, and rookie Darrell Waltrip all had opportunities at the front. </div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>As happened with Cale, however, the engine in Waltrip's brown Mercury laid down sending him back to Tennessee with a P24 in his Darlington debut. </li><li>Petty settled from the lead back into a top five pace; however, the quick pace eventually put him down a couple of laps - with more problems yet to come.</li><li>Parsons ran a pace similar to Petty, contributed to Petty's problems, yet salvaged a good points day.</li></ul><div>Allison's self-owned <i>Coke Machine </i>was the only one who could consistently keep pace with Pearson - at least through the first half. Once the second act began, however, it was all Pearson and in a big sort of way.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>As was often the case at Darlington, Pearson and the Woods found a remarkable balance of speed, handling, and smoothness in banking lap after lap. For the 15 or so cars remaining on the track, seeing the 21 Mercury lap them time and again may have been equally as painful as loading early. Pearson's run was so dominant that many fans also DNF'd as they headed for the exits. (Tax accountants: What true fan leaves a race early? You never know what might happen. <i>YOU AGA...? Oh OK, finally you make a fair point.</i>)</div><div><br />Those already on the road missed the last couple rounds of drama. First, Allison's Chevy started smoking with about 25 laps to go - all but gift wrapping the presumed win for Pearson. And then The Big One unfolded a couple of laps later. </div><div><br /></div><div>Virginia's Buddy Arrington, though laps down, was in the racing groove. He prevented Parsons from getting by - as Petty quickly closed the gap to Parsons. Petty and Parsons remained in the hunt for a top five, and Arrington factored into which one would get the differential pay for the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arrington finally took the hint and moved to the inside. He did so, however, about the same as Parsons had seen enough and dropped to the inside as well. As Parsons popped his brakes to avoid Arrington, Petty plowed into Benny who then pinballed into Arrington anyway. Arrington was turned headfirst into the wall as Petty t-boned him on the right side. Parsons squirted by the two of them and stumbled on the track apron the rest of the way, but Roy Mayne and Dick Brooks joined the fray to really make a mess of things.<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/0GEkC7S.png" width="400" /></div><div>As the race concluded, Pearson took the checkers to go back-to-back in the Rebel. Despite his slow crawl, Parsons survived the day for a P2. The effort paid dividends in November 1973 when he captured the Winston Cup title by a scant few points. Allison's car could go no more as the final green waved. Despite pulling off the track with a blown engine and DNF, Allison still managed to finish third. Two independents - Richard Childress and J.D. McDuffie - survived the wrecks, kept their cars in one piece, and had career days by finishing third and fourth, respectively. As crazy as it sounds, Petty had already showered and dressed before learning he still managed to finish seventh.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson earned his 69th career Cup trophy with a 13 lap - <i>THIRTEEN - </i>win over second place Parsons. The margin of victory may be topped as the worst Cup beatdown only by Ned Jarrett's 14-lap win in the 1965 Southern 500.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rXqqFb2.png" width="400" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Kdrom1KPRg" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe> </div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/KqlcJvK" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/KqlcJvK.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte News</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-23768569819559729822021-04-13T06:21:00.301-05:002021-04-13T12:11:04.200-05:00April 13, 1980 - Darlington's Rebel 500<div>Following a pit stop during the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-8-1979-legendary-darlington-battle.html" target="_blank">1979 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500</a>, the wheels fell off David Pearson's car. Because of a miscommunication, Pearson thought the Wood Brothers planned to change two tires whereas the crew actually planned a four-tire stop and removed the left side lugnuts. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson parted ways with the Woods a few days after Darlington - a reality few could envision. As it turns out, the wheels had apparently begun to also fall off the driver-team relationship well before the embarrassing incident at Darlington.</div><div><br /></div><div>A year later, Pearson found himself on the positive side of a driver change. Car owner Hoss Ellington began 1980 with Donnie Allison as his driver for a fifth part-time season. After only three races, however, Allison was released with Pearson hired as his replacement. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/d6Eo6Ns.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Raleigh News and Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div> The first race for the new combo was at Darlington - a track on which Pearson flourished and one where Ellington's cars had never won.</div><div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/HZD8Tvg.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: <a href="https://progcovers.com/motor/darlington.html" target="_blank">Motor Racing Programme Covers</a></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
Benny Parson captured the pole, and Pearson slotted second in his new ride. Three-time and reigning Cup champion Cale Yarborough, Ricky Rudd in D.K. Ulrich's independent effort, and 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Dale Earnhardt rounded out the top five starters.</div><div><br />The race started as a bit of a cluster <i>fudddggge</i>. As the cars barreled into turn 1 of the first lap, seventh-place starting Richard Petty and Rudd made a move for the same real estate. And it didn't go well.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/QlxjgeJ.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="350" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Raleigh News and Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>The tangle quickly ensnared second year driver Terry Labonte, Buddy Baker, James Hylton, and Neil Bonnett. All but Bonnett continued though Baker fell by the wayside seven laps later. Bonnett's DNF sent him home dead last. It was quite the coincidence since he was the driver to replace Pearson in the Wood Brothers Mercury a year earlier.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gT3Bvqs.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>Following the <i>clean-up on aisle four</i>, Pearson got the jump on Parsons and led the first dozen laps. Earnhardt - a driver who eventually developed a mastery of Darlington nearly on par with Pearson - passed the Silver Fox to lead 14 laps of his own.</div><div><br /></div><div>Drivers then and now will chirp - and rightfully so - that a race is won on the last lap and not the first one. During the 1980 Rebel 500, however, the drivers had a greater urgency to get to the front. Alll anticipated they'd likely be racing to halfway vs. the full distance for the win because of the threat of rain.</div><div><br /></div><div>With dark skies and low clouds, Earnhardt, Parsons, Pearson, Waltrip, and Yarborough battled to get to the point. Once there, the next goal was to <i>stay </i>there as the rain loomed nearby. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sure enough, the moisture arrived near lap 90. After a few laps under caution, however, the race returned to green as the rain dissipated. Yet a few laps later, Mother Nature chuckled as she delayed the race once more. Again, NASCAR bowed up, waited it out, and restarted the race after only a few more laps under yellow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then She reminded Bill France, Jr. that he only <i>thought </i>he was in charge on race day. Heavy rains began to pour, and the race went under the red flag. After more than two hours, however, the track caught a break. The showers moved out of the area, track drying began, and drivers returned to their steeds. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the green was unfurled, the new reality was darkness would determine the length of the race - particularly since DST was still two weeks away. </div><div><br /></div><div>Earnhardt lost the engine in his Rod Osterlund Chevy shortly after the race restarted. Yarborough made his way back to the front around lap 120 before fading and having his day doomed by the same fate as Earnhardt. </div><div><br /></div><div>With daylight fading, the race became a battle of the top two starters: Parsons and Pearson. Waltrip made it interesting by leading a few laps of his own, but he couldn't hang and eventually finished P4.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson got back by Parsons on lap 158 and led an additional 30+ laps before NASCAR finally displayed the checkered flag. The rain and darkness resulted in the drivers completing only 189 of the scheduled 367 laps - just a few laps beyond halfway.</div><div><br />Few could have anticipated it at the time, but the win turned out to be the 105th and final career Cup win for the Silver Fox. Fittingly, his final win came at Darlington. AND he doubled-up after narrowily edging fellow Cup racer Dave Marcis the day before in the late model sportsman (pre-Xfinity Series) race. <br /><br />
<div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 410px; width: 100%;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/89579867" style="border: none; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Embed from Getty Images</a></div><div style="height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 144.878% 0px 0px; position: relative; width: 100%;"><iframe frameborder="0" height="594" scrolling="no" src="//embed.gettyimages.com/embed/89579867?et=h0rlmoNqTKBjGaNRiQB5ng&tld=com&sig=Q8gzKyvXJrmtiCme26aSOYzCoW6GWNgBuc1Wl3ISgy0=&caption=true&ver=1" style="display: inline-block; height: 100%; left: 0; margin: 0; position: absolute; top: 0; width: 100%;" width="410"></iframe></div></div>
<div>Audio of Universal Racing Network's radio broadcast of the race is available on <a href="https://guides.library.appstate.edu/c.php?g=314952&p=2111686" target="_blank">Appalachian State's library website</a>. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/lu3mRnr" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/lu3mRnr.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Raleigh News and Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-62570191333973944272021-04-12T06:21:00.238-05:002021-04-12T06:21:00.241-05:00April 12, 1964 - Hillsborough's Joe Weatherly Memorial<div>NASCAR's Grand National drivers rolled into Hillsborough, NC in the spring of 1964 for the Joe Weatherly Memorial race at Orange Speedway.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/qn7jCAS.jpg" width="350" /></div></div><div>In 1964, the town of Hillsborough was spelled Hillsboro. And Orange Speedway was originally known as Occoneechee Speedway. The one thing that <i>didn't </i>change, however, was the toughness of the 9/10-mile dirt track. A fixture on the GN circuit since its first year in 1949, some argue it was NASCAR's first superspeedway. </div><div><br /></div><div>The track remained on the circuit until 1968 when it was closed. Fortunately, many remnants of the track remain at the site that has been developed into a park of sorts. The speedway was one of several featured in the first season of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s <i>Lost Speedways </i>series on the Peacock streaming service.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/evTwhfVAuSA" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div>
<div>The 1964 spring race was originally scheduled for March 15 and named in memory of two-time GN champion and future NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly. Little Joe was killed in January 1964 in a wreck during the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California's road course. </div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/ECKpEq1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/ECKpEq1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Asheville Citizen-Times</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>As a few other race promoters experienced in the spring of '64, rain washed out Hillsborough's original date. The race and celebration of Weatherly's colorful life was rescheduled for about a month later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two future titans of NASCAR started on the front row in a pair of Hemi-powered Mopars - David Pearson on the pole in Cotton Owens' Dodge and the future King, Richard Petty, in his Petty Blue Plymouth. Junior Johnson started third in Ray Fox's Dodge, and two Fords piloted by Marvin Panch in the Wood Brothers' 21 and Ned Jarrett with Bondy Long rounded out the top five starters.</div><div><br /></div><div>Midwest racer , Dick Hutcherson, qualified seventh in his second career GN race. <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/03/march-28-1964.html" target="_blank">Hutch won the pole at Greenville-Pickens</a> in his debut two weeks earlier and held his own until his Ford's lug bolts broke. </div><div><br /></div><div>The frequent IMCA circuit winner - on dirt - did not lack confidence as he made his way south. After winning the pole and running well at Greenville-Pickens, he wondered aloud for some to hear if he might be Junior Johnson's peer in dirt track racing. Johnson was among the best on dirt so Hutch's comment didn't pass without notice. After hearing it, Johnson quipped:</div><div><blockquote>I've heard he's pretty good, and he must be. I hope he is. The better they are, the more fun it is to beat them.</blockquote></div><div>Hutcherson countered once more with "I'll let what happens next Sunday (at Hillsborough) do the talking."</div><div><br /></div><div>Driving a second family Plymouth, Maurice Petty started alongside Hutch in the fourth row. Ralph started 26th in the 28-car field, and it was the eighth and final time Maurice and Ralph started the same race.</div><div><br /></div><div>Richard Petty dominated the first third of the 150-lap race by leading all but the opening lap of the first 50. Pearson then took the lead as Petty stayed in his tracks. Until...</div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after the two-thirds mark, the clutch let loose on the 43 Plymouth. He coasted helplessly into the infield with a DNF. </div><div><br /></div><div>With the King sidelined, Hutcherson did what he could to hang with Pearson. His efforts were to no avail, however, as Pearson led the rest of the way. About four years later as Orange née Occoneechee faded from the schedule, Hutcherson was settling into a new role at Holman Moody - Pearson's crew chief when he moved from Owens' Dodge team.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the <i>battle of words</i> between Hutch and Junior, Hutcherson got the upper hand with a P2 vs. Johnson's 9th place result. Humpy Wheeler would have exploited the word with over-the-top racing promotions in the 1980s, and FOX/NBC would have touted the back and forth as a rivalry. In reality, the 'battle' was little more than respect between two truly talented and very confident drivers. </div><div><br /></div><div>Earnhardt rallied to have a great day with a P4. Maurice Petty, on the other hand, had about as lousy day as his brother. A broken transmission barely a third of a way into the race doomed him to a 22nd place finish.</div><div><br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/R4lMTdV" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/R4lMTdV.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>
<div>TMC</div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-25066391327924341142021-04-11T07:21:00.199-05:002021-04-11T09:43:13.059-05:00April 11, 1976: Darlington's Rebel 500The eighth race of NASCAR's 1976 Winston Cup Series schedule was the Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway.<div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/1iO3NJb.png" width="350" /></div><div>Though the season was seven races old, the story to that point was the Wood Brothers team with David Pearson. The team entered only four of the first seven races, yet Pearson won three of the four at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2021/01/january-18-1976-riversides-winston.html" target="_blank">Riverside</a>, the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/02/february-15-1976-daytona-500.html" target="_blank">Daytona 500</a>, and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/march-21-1976-atlanta-500.html" target="_blank">Atlanta</a>. Pearson arrived in Darlington having also won three of the past four Rebel 500 races.</div><div><br /></div><div>Richard Petty, grew a beard in conjunction with the year-long celebration of the United States' bicentennial. After <i>growing and showing</i> in the legendary finish of the <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/02/february-15-1976-daytona-500.html" target="_blank">'76 Daytona 500</a> with Pearson and in victory lane two weeks later at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2012/02/february-29-this-day-in-petty-history.html" target="_blank">Rockingham</a>, The King <i>caved and shaved</i> during the week before Darlington.</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/C9TKXYY.png" width="350" /></div>To the surprise of ... well, no one actually, Pearson won the pole. He won it for the third consecutive Darlington race and the fourth of the five previous Rebel races. Bobby Allison, the winner of both of Darlington's races in 1975, timed alongside Pearson in Roger Penske's CAM2 Mercury.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fans were treated to a great race from the jump. Pearson led the first lap but was soon passed by Allison. Pearson battled back a couple of laps later to regain the lead, but his time there was once again short lived. </div><div><br /></div><div>Others soon battled past Pearson and Allison to take their own turns at the point. Buddy Baker, Donnie Allison, Lennie Pond, Darrell Waltrip, Dave Marcis, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough and Petty all muscled their way to join Pearson and Bobby Allison at the front at some point during the first two-thirds of the race. Throughout the day, fans witnessed 32 lead changes - a stat generally expected at other tracks such as Daytona or Talladega.</div><div><br /></div><div>The race featured a couple of brutal accidents - though fortunately none of the drivers involved were seriously injured. Shortly past the 80th lap, independent racer James Hylton spun and was clipped by Buddy Baker. As Hylton's car swapped ends, Waltrip had nowhere to go and drilled the nose of Hylton's 48 hard enough to launch his Gatorade Chevy a bit. Both were done for the day. </div><div><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/gquCQlL.png" width="400" /></div>
<div>Early leader Bobby Allison also nicked Hylton. He was able to continue but was no longer competitive. Baker damaged the nose and hood of his Bud Moore Ford, but the team made some battlefield repairs that allowed the car to remain competitive the rest of the way.</div><div><br /></div><div>About a hundred laps later, Jerry Sisco lost it coming off turn four. He popped the outside wall along the front straightway, crossed the track near the flag stand, drilled the inside pit wall, and came to a stop as flames began to emerge from the car.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/FTR5wtI.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: Gerald Medford</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
</div><div>Sisco's car came to rest near the Petty pit stall. Crew chief Dale Inman and crewman (and future crew chief) Barry Dodson instinctively rushed to Sisco's aid. They leapt the pit wall and pulled Sisco to safety before rescue crews arrived.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Y8wtVO7.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: Don Hunter / Smyle Media<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div>Sisco, the brother of Cup racer and 1969 Nashville late model sportsman champion Dave Sisco, had only three Cup starts on his resume prior to Darlington. With the hit and near miss, his Cup days ended after his fourth one. </div><div><br /></div><div>Though Sisco did not return to NASCAR, his racing days continued. He returned in the early 1980s to race in the Grand American Division at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway. Sterling Marlin's streak of consecutive track championships ended at three when Sisco won the title himself in 1983. He was later inducted into Nashville's Hall of Fame in 2012.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/iuMWS9D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Car owner Wayne Day, Nashville PR Director Tom Roberts, and <br />1983 Grand American track champion Jerry Sisco<br />Source: Tom Roberts</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>By the time the race reached it's final 100 laps, the Track Too Tough To Tame had taken its toll on many. Ol' DW was nursing some bruises from his tough hit on James Hylton. Bobby Allison hung in as best he could after also tangling with Hylton. Cale Yarborough's engine failed around lap 170, and Richard Petty's Dodge suffered the same fate about 30 laps later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Buddy Baker, however, was still up on the wheel. Despite the damage suffered in the Hylton crash, he remained in the hunt. He and Pearson swapped the lead several times in the second half of the race - with Baker leading most of them. </div><div><br /></div><div>With about 20 laps, Parsons looped his car to bring out the final caution of the day. At the time of the yellow, Baker had once again gone to the front, led a sizable chunk of laps, and gapped second place running Pearson a bit. </div><div><br /></div><div>As the race returned to green, Pearson had a renewed opportunity. With about 10 to go, he eased the Purolator Mercury past Baker's Ford and continued to win yet another time at Darlington. Though Baker wasn't happy with P2, he had to be pleased at leading over 200 of the race's 367 laps - most of them with a damaged car.</div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson's 91st career win was also his sixth at Darlington and fourth of the past five Rebel races.</div><div> </div><div><div class="getty embed image" style="background-color: white; color: #a7a7a7; display: inline-block; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; max-width: 594px; width: 100%;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/Z8MOKaR" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Z8MOKaR.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: Charlotte Observer</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div>TMC</div></div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3043490160404916570.post-44618152543718060752021-04-11T06:21:00.272-05:002021-04-11T09:10:21.146-05:00April 11, 1966 - Bowman Gray Stadium<div></div><div><div>On April 9, 1966 - Easter Saturday - NASCAR's Grand National drivers raced at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-9-1966-greenville-200.html" target="_blank">David Pearson dominated</a> the second half of the race and won by a full lap over Richard Petty. </div><div><br /></div><div>After taking Easter Sunday off for church, family, food, egg hunts, car repairs, etc., the teams were back at it on Easter Monday for a 200-lap battle on the quarter-mile track at Bowman Gray Stadium. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/GX41Gis.jpg" width="400" /></div>
<div>After having won three times in the span of a week at <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-3-1966-hickory.html" target="_blank">Hickory</a>, <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2020/04/april-7-1966-columbia.html" target="_blank">Columbia</a>, and <a href="https://bench-racing.blogspot.com/2016/04/april-9-1966-greenville-200.html" target="_blank">Greenville-Pickens</a>, David Pearson was shooting for his fourth consecutive win. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson got off to a good start in Cotton Owens' Dodge by winning the pole. The race was the Stadium's first after a recent repaving. Pearson's qualifying lap on the new surface was about four miles per hour faster than Richard Petty's pole-winning speed the previous August and five miles per hour quicker than Junior Johnson's hot lap the previous May.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/Qoy9Bli.png" width="400" /></div>
<div><div>Pearson backed up his top qualifying speed by winning the first of two 25-lap heat races. Tiger Tom Pistone won the second heat in his independent Ford and started on the outside of the front row. Two more independent Fords driven by Bobby Allison and Elmo Langley made up the second row. The factory-supported Ford drivers remained sidelined as Ford Motor Company and Big Bill France of NASCAR remained at loggerheads over the Blue Oval's desired use of its new single overhead cam engine. Interestingly, 15 Fords started the race - none of which were factory-supported cars.</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>When the green dropped, Tiger stormed into the lead from his P2 starting spot and held serve for the first half-dozen laps. Pearson's white and red Dodge then eased by Pistone to take the lead. Once out front, Pearson controlled the rest of the afternoon. </div><div><br /></div><div>Despite leading lap after lap after lap, Pearson came close to being thumped by the fickle finger of fate. With about 50 laps to go and a half-lap lead on Pistone, Pearson's engine inexplicably quit. It didn't break - it just quit running. Instinctively, Pearson started jiggling some wires, ANY wires in the hopes of getting the fire to return. Finally, the Dodge roared back to life just as Pistone was making a pass for the lead - and perhaps the win. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pearson then had a fight on his hands for a couple of laps. He never surrendered the lead, however, and continued leading the rest of the way. In the end, Pearson led the remaining 154 laps to claim his 17th career win and fourth in a row. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pistone fought valiantly to hang with Pearson throughout the race. Yet he couldn't regain the lead and returned home with a solid second place finish - just as he'd started.</div><div><br /></div></div><div>With Pearson banking lap after lap, fans found their excitement elsewhere in the field. Petty and J.T. Putney raced hard in the early stages of the race. On the 64th lap, Petty banged past Putney for the fourth position. The pass had a cost though as Petty lost two laps in the pits as the crew pulled back a wrinkled fender from a tire.</div><div><br /></div><div>The King set sail after the stop and soon passed Putney with relative ease. As the race wore on, Petty once again found himself behind Putney with an opportunity to get by him for position. Putney had no intention of giving up the real estate - particularly on the quarter-mile bullring. Petty chrome-horned Putney a few times yet J.T. hung in there. Then Putney started brake-checking Petty perhaps hoping the 43's nose and radiator would go kaput. </div><div><br /></div><div>With about 25 laps to go, Petty seized the moment. He darted past Putney to reclaim the fourth spot that he'd lost about 100 laps earlier. Putney's heat-of-the moment emotions then got the best of him. After Petty's pass, Putney gassed it up and charged the corner in an attempt to exact some revenge on the Petty Blue Plymouth. Instead, he overshot the tight corners and found himself wadded up in the turn four guardrail. In a split second, Putney the Putz went from an all but certain top five finish to a disappointing P12.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Putney's attempted revenge on Petty may remind some of a similar move with a similar outcome by another "P" driver decades later: Danica Patrick.</div><div><br /></div>
<div><center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4XUWKzRMMhU" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></center></div>
<div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://imgur.com/mOZP3kK" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/mOZP3kK.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Source: High Point Enterprise</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>
<div>TMC</div></div></div>toomuchcountryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09359556284713305865noreply@blogger.com1