October 13, 1957 - Gwyn Staley Nabs Norfolk

North Wilkesboro's Gwyn Staley ran about half the NASCAR Grand National races in 1955 and 1956 - with pretty much all of them behind the wheel of Chevrolet's fielded by car owner Hubert Westmoreland. (Johnny Mantz won the first Southern 500 in a Plymouth fielded by Westmoreland.)

In 1956, Staley and Westmoreland ran about half the convertible division's races in addition to their GN schedule. In 1957, Staley and Westmoreland began their season focused only on the convertible races - perhaps in an effort to claim the division's championship that was won by Bob Welborn in 1956.

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For whatever reason, the duo parted ways about half-way through the season. Staley hired on with Julian Petty to run most of the remaining convertible races as well as a dozen GN events.

The new arrangement paid dividends early for Staley in the GN races as he won three times in Julian's cars. The convertible races were a different story though as Gwyn and Julian couldn't quite find their way to victory lane despite a number of top 5 finishes.

Then with three races to go in the 1957 season, the ragtops rolled into Virginia for a 250-lap race on the 4/10-mile, dirt Virginia Beach Speedway. (The track, built in 1947, seems to have gone through a a series of name changes over the years including Chinese Corner Speedway, Weatherly Speedway and Norfolk Speedway.)

Glen Wood won the pole in the Ford maintained by his brothers. Staley qualified on the front row alongside him in Julian's #38 Chevy. Lined up third was Welborn in his own #49 Chevy, and starting fourth was 2015 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee Joe Weatherly. Starting shotgun on the 14-car field was perhaps an unexpected entrant: Julian Petty. In addition to fielding Staley's car, Julian saddled up in the #88 Oldsmobile belonging to his older brother Lee. The race was Julian's one and only career convertible start - and his first race as a driver since June 1955.

Welborn controlled the race as was often the case in the convertible races from 1956-1958. When he made a pit stop with 40 laps to go, however, Staley was able to take the lead from him. Staley was able to prevail over the remaining laps to finally secure the long-sought, ragtop win. Welborn soldiered on to finish second, and he all but secured his second consecutive convertible division title.

As an owner, Julian Petty had a fine day. As a driver, well... not so much. He apparently tooled around on a Sunday afternoon in a '57 Oldsmobile owned by his brother Lee. After all, he did have the top down. Though records indicate he was still running at the end of the race, Julian finished where he started - 14th and dead last - 195 laps down to the winner's car that he owned.

Source: Greensboro Daily News

The four victories in the two divisions in the back half of the schedules likely gave Gwyn Staley and Julian Petty the confidence greater things lay ahead for them in 1958. They returned the next season to run the full schedule in both series - including the beach race at Daytona.

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Fate had a different plan, though, and Staley was tragically killed in Julian's car on the first lap of of the convertible race at Richmond's fairgrounds raceway. His win at Norfolk in October 1957 turned out to be his final one.

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September 14, 1958 - Welborn Stakes Salisbury

NASCAR scheduled races for two of its major series on September 14, 1958. The Grand National drivers raced at Atlantic Rural Fairgrounds for the Richmond 200. Speedy Thompson won the race, and Lee Petty finished second.

About 250 miles southwest of Richmond, Salisbury Super Speedway hosted a convertible division race, its first major NASCAR event.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

Despite what one of the preview articles said, the race was not 500 miles. It did, however, have an odd distance - 155 laps, 96.9 miles. Twenty-six cars started the race with Larry Frank on the pole. The Petty teams were quite busy that day. Papa Lee raced in Richmond, and he had two more cars in the convertible race. His brother, Julian Petty, fielded three cars at Salisbury.

Julian's three cars were driven by the soon-to-be-crowned season champion, Bob Welborn, as well as Ken Rush and Tiny Lund. Rush was returning after an early race tumble at Wilson Speedway a week earlier.

Petty Engineering's two Oldsmobiles were driven by Richard in car #2 and Fireball Roberts in Lee's traditional #42. The race was the one and only time Roberts raced in a car fielded by the Pettys. I'm sure a story exists for why Fireball piloted the Petty Olds. With both Lee and Fireball gone, the chances of learning it are slim.

For the most part, the Petty cars qualified well. Lund started on the front row in Julian's #48 Chevy alongside pole winner Frank. Fireball qualified the #42 Petty Olds third. Welborn lined up sixth, and Julian's third driver Ken Rush started 7th. Richard had to start from way back in 17th in the 26 car field, but he up his stock once the race got underway.

Lund got the jump on Frank as the green flag fell. Tiny went to the point in Julian's Chevy and stayed there for the first 78 laps. Bad racing luck hit Lund, and an issue with the engine knocked out his chances for a win. He did finish the race, but he ended up tenth and 15 laps down to the winner.

With Tiny having issues, Frank went from second to the lead. The pole-winner paced the field for the about the next thirty laps. On lap 111, however, Welborn let it be known he had not grown weary of winning. Welborn led the remaining 40+ laps to claim his eighth convertible division win of the season. The finish was pretty close as Welborn finished just a couple dozen yards ahead of second place finisher Frank.

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Petty rallied from his deep starting spot to run with the leaders. Near the end of the race, however, he lost an engine. The future King was initially scored third - which would have been the best finish of his young career. After rechecking the score cards, however, Petty was placed fifth which matched his finish from a week earlier in the convertible race at Wilson Speedway.

Fireball didn't have much success in Lee Petty's car. He was the final car still running at the end of the race, but he was about 100 laps down to Welborn.

Source: Statesville Record and Landmark

And yes, the AP writer committed a double Petty faux pas by:

1. referring to Richard as Dick Petty and
2. stating he was a Jr.

Source: The Daily Times-News of Burlington, NC

Salisbury hosted only one other major race - a Grand National event on October 5, 1958, a race won by Lee Petty. After building and opening the track in 1958, the track's promoter chose to move on to bigger projects. The promoter? O. Bruton Smith. The project? A development effort with Curtis Turner that would become Charlotte Motor Speedway.

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September 7, 1958 - Julian Petty's bookends day

The next to last race of the 1958 NASCAR convertible division season was a 150-lap race on the half-mile, dirt Wilson Speedway in Wilson, North Carolina.

Julian Petty's 1957 Chevrolets were fast - as was often the case in 1958 in the convertible and Grand National divisions. Ken Rush in Julian's #44 Chevy, and teammate Bob Welborn qualified on the front row with Rush.

Starting 11th was Richard Petty in his family team's #42 1957 Oldsmobile. The race was only his second convertible start and seventh NASCAR start overall.

Ken Rush's last name was appropriate - if he wanted to be the first one to leave the track. On the 12th lap, he lost the car coming out of turn four and rolled his convertible down the frontstretch. Rush remarkably suffered only a bruised shoulder and arm, and he returned to race the next week. Though I'm sure his wreck brought the crowd to their feet, Rush left Wilson with a 23rd and dead last finish.

All was not lost for Julian as an owner though. Welborn did what he'd been doing pretty much all season: winning. Though I haven't found any detail about lap leaders, Welborn did lead the lap that mattered most - the last one. With Welborn's win, Julian went home with bookend finishes - cars that finished first and last in the race.

Brownie King finished third, a career best finish for him in a combined 120 or so GN and convertible division starts.

Petty finished fifth - his first top 5 in NASCAR competition. The weekend was a pretty good one for the Petty clan as Lee finished third in in the Grand National race in Birmingham, AL the same day. Coincidentally, Richard's first top 5 in a Grand National race was also at Wilson Speedway. He finished third at Wilson in March 1959.

One confusing point about the race is its distance. Some materials I've referenced indicate the race was 150 laps and 75 miles. The wire service report I found in several newspapers, however, states the race was 200 laps and 100 miles. Either way, the constant between them all is Welborn again took the top prize in a 1958 convertible race.

Source: Greensboro Daily News

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July 26, 1958 - Bob Welborn Wins Myrtle Beach

In 1961, Bill France, Sr. banned driver and fan favorite Curtis Turner from NASCAR "for life". Turner had been kicked to the curb by the board of Charlotte Motor Speedway after he'd worked to build it. CMS was completed only after Turner joined forces with businessman Bruton Smith (a France competitor) after Smith's own plans to build a superspeedway fell on hard times. After his ouster, Pop met with leadership of the Teamsters Union to help secure a financing arrangement so he could buy his way back in to the track. In exchange, Turner was alleged to have agreed to help organize a drivers' union.

Which sin was biggest in the eyes of France - the deal with Bruton, the Teamsters financing plan, or a proposed drivers' union - isn't truly known. Either way, the lifetime ban went into effect though it lasted only until 1965.

Turner was more, however, than just a driver in NASCAR-sanctioned races or a thorn in France's side. He was also a businessman away from the track - as well as within the sport. In 1958 for instance, he and France worked together to promote races at Starkey Speedway in Roanoke, VA. However, as Greg Fielden notes in his book, Rumblin' Ragtops: The History of NASCAR's Fabulous Convertible Division:

The event at Roanoke was scrapped when Curtis Turner, who was co-promoting the event with Bill France and Alvin Hawkins, was seriously injured in a crash at the Charlotte Fairgrounds. While attempting to qualify for a July 6 Modified-Sportsman race, the throttle on Turner's Ford coupe hung open and he crashed through the guard rail. The popular driver suffered seven broken ribs in the mishap. While he was confined to his bed, Turner felt it would be best to cancel the Roanoke race. ~ p. 103

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

The cancellation at Starkey became an opportunity for the owners of a new track in Myrtle Beach, SC. Rambi Speedway was built in 1958 as a replacement for Coastal Speedway. The owners gleefully seized the opportunity to have Rambi's debut be a NASCAR convertible event to replace Turner's cancelled one.

A 200-lap race was slated for Saturday night, July 26th.

Source: Wilmington Morning Star via Google News Archive

Tootle Estes from Knoxville, TN started from the pole in his second of four career NASCAR convertible races - all in 1958.

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Tiny Lund started on the front row with Estes. Larry Frank and Bob Welborn in Julian Petty's #49 Chevy comprised the second row. Ken Rush started 16th in the 19-car field in a second #44 Julian Petty Chevrolet. Starting shotgun on the field was a driver with one of the most unfortunate names not just in racing but life in general: Richard Spittle.

As was so often the case in 1958, Welborn was first to receive the checkered flag. The victory was Welborn's sixth convertible division win of the season and third in a row - all in Julian Petty's cars. Rush rallied from his poor starting spot to finish 4th in Julian's second car behind Lund and Frank. And poor Mr. Spittle? He finished where he started: 19th and dead last in car #0.

Most records indicate the date of the race as July 27, 1958. Because of its blue laws, NASCAR didn't race on Sundays in South Carolina. The race was held on Saturday night. It's likely the race ended a bit after midnight. NASCAR's scoring officials likely dated the race based on its conclusion rather than its beginning.

Rambi's debut set itself up for a successful run. Though the convertible division did not return after its one and only race, the track was host to many NASCAR-sanctioned races in the decades to follow - including nine Grand National races from 1958-1965. The track was sold to a new owner in 1968, converted from dirt to asphalt in 1974 and re-branded as Myrtle Beach Speedway.

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July 19, 1958 - Bob Welborn Grabs Greenville

NASCAR's convertible division raced at Greenville-Pickens Speedway on July 19, 1958. The 200-lap, 100-mile race was the third of four ragtop races at the track from 1956-1959 in the short-lived series.

Greenville-Pickens (web | Twitter) continues to operate today with a full slate of late model hot shoes.

Car owner Julian Petty fielded three cars in the 1958 race. Two-time convertible division champion Bob Welborn drove his customary #49. Ken Rush belted into a #44 Chevy, and Jim Paschal - who later raced and won for Petty Enterprises in the 1960s - started 9th in #49A.

The race was held the day after Julian's brother Lee and nephew Richard raced north of the border in Toronto Canada. Lee won the race which frankly is better remembered as the King's first career Grand National / Cup start.

In looking at the finishing order, one might think the race was uneventful. The top 10 starters finished in the same order except for the third and fourth place finishers who swapped spots from where they began the race.

The race, however, did have some late race drama. Knoxville, TN's Tootle Estes made a late race pit stop with about a dozen laps to go.

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Ken Rush - NASCAR's 1957 Grand National Rookie of the Year - was leading and headed towards the win. Instead of taking the checkers, however, Rush clipped Estes' car as he pulled back onto the racing surface after completing his stop. The collision caused Rush to hit a dirt bank, and the hit negated his chances for victory.

Welborn assumed the lead and led the remaining laps to claim his fifth convertible win of the season. Teammate Rush recovered from his late race encounter with Estes to finish 3rd - albeit 3 laps down to the winner.

Fin	St	#	Driver
1	1	49	Bob Welborn
2	2	76	Larry Frank
3	4	44	Ken Rush
4	3	87	Buck Baker
5	5	21	Glen Wood
6	6	36	Tootle Estes
7	7	41	Whitey Norman
8	8	66	Roy Tyner
9	9	49A	Jim Paschal
10	10	999	Wilbur Rakestraw

Source: Star-News via Google News Archive

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July 12, 1958 - Bob Welborn Captures Columbia

The Fourth of July is celebrated as the nation's birthday. One could argue perhaps that July 12th should be a national holiday for Petty fans.

Lee Petty was an established NASCAR star - a Grand National champion who was headed for his second of three career titles in 1958. One of his crewmen began as a crewboy - his son, Richard. After being rebuffed by his dad to begin driving himself at age 18, Richard waited three more years to begin his career. That driving debut happened in a NASCAR convertible race on July 12, 1958 at Columbia Speedway in South Carolina.

Though Petty's start turned out to be a seminal moment for racing, 24 other drivers likely didn't care about the kid from Level Cross being in the field. They were there to race and to win - not to acknowledge the future.

Fireball Roberts claimed the pole for the 200-lap, 100-mile race in his #22 1957 Chevrolet. Qualifying alongside him was Bob Welborn in his Julian Petty-owned #49 Chevy. Possum Jones timed 6th in a second, #48 Julian Petty Chevy. Richard lined up in 13th.

With about 60 laps to go, Johnny Allen had a wreck that could have negatively affected racing in a grand way. Coming out of turn 4, he left the track and tore up about 10 rows of grandstands. Apparently the seats weren't occupied and fortunately no one was injured - including Allen.

Fireball and Welborn came to the pits to get fuel for the stretch run of the final 50 laps. Julian's crew put some fuel in Welborn's car - but the team wasn't sure if they got enough. He got back on the track in front of Roberts, and then endured 25 miles of getting rapped in the bumper as Fireball tried to find a way by him.

On the last lap, Roberts made his move as Welborn's car began running on fumes. But he didn't have quite enough. Welborn nipped Roberts by about a half car-length as his car ran dry.

Credit: The State of Columbia SC

Welborn's fourth win of the season extended his convertible division points lead, Richard had a pretty good start to his career with a sixth place finish, and car owner Julian Petty had a great day. As Welborn celebrated the win in his ragtop at Columbia, Jim Paschal won in Julian's hard top Chevrolet in the Grand National race at McCormick Field in Asheville, NC the same afternoon.

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April 26, 1958 - Welborn Wins Hickory

Two-time defending NASCAR convertible division champion Bob Welborn continued his 1958 hot streak in tact on April 26, 1956. The Denton, NC driver won his fifth consecutive race with car owner Julian Petty.

Twenty-three ragtops showed up for a 150-lap, 60-mile race at Hickory Speedway's dirt track. Jimmy Massey snagged the pole position in a Petty Engineering 1957 Oldsmobile, and Welborn timed second in Julian's Chevrolet.

NASCAR Hall of Famer and co-founder of the legendary Wood Brothers Racing team, Glen Wood, parked his Ford after only one lap with a blown engine. Fellow NASCAR Hall of Fame member, Buck Baker - making only his second convertible start of 1958 - exited the race three laps later when of all things his seat broke loose. Joe Weatherly, making his first convertible start since his win at Richmond a month earlier, suffered the same fate as Wood and Baker. Unlike the two of them, however, Little Joe made it to the half-way point of the race. But he then lost the steering on his Holman Moody Ford and was done for the day.

With some of his toughest competition sidelined early, Welborn set sail as he'd done over his past few races. He took the checkers with only one other car on the lead lap with him. Ken Rush was the runner-up in in a second Julian Petty-owned #44 Chevy. Julian's third entry driven by Possum Jones wasn't as fortunate. The throttle in Possum's #48 Chevy played dead on him, and Jones finished 19th after completing only 33 laps.

Pole-winner Massey finished third in Lee Petty's Oldsmobile, one lap down in his only convertible start for Petty Engineering. (Lee likely didn't attend the race as he was probably on his way back home to North Carolina after having raced in Manassas, VA on April 25th.) Though I don't have absolute proof, it stands to reason the Olds raced by Massey was the same car Richard Petty raced in his racing debut at Columbia Speedway on July 12, 1958. Two years later, Massey was behind the wheel of a Wood Brothers Ford and was chasing Richard Petty's Plymouth for the win at Martinsville. I blogged about Massey's Run back in 2012.

Welborn and Julian seemingly could not be stopped in the spring of 1958. The Hickory win was their fifth consecutive NASCAR win in a series of Grand National and convertible races entered. (Julian didn't field a car in a few GN races during that streak.)

The streak ended with the Hickory win. Welborn continued, however, with quality top 10s in the next three races before returning to victory lane twice more to complete his month of May.

04/05/58   Fayetteville (GN) - win
04/07/58   Winston-Salem (CV) - win
04/13/58   Weaverville (CV) - win
04/20/58   Martinsville (GN) - win
04/26/58   Hickory (CV) - win
05/02/58   Columbia (CV) - 3rd
05/04/58   Wilson (CV) - 2nd
05/10/58   Darlington (CV) - 6th
05/11/58   Greensboro (GN) - win
05/24/58   Winston-Salem (GN) - win

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April 13, 1958 - Welborn Wins Weaverville

The location was different, but the result was the same. For the third consecutive race since joining owner Julian Petty's racing venture, Bob Welborn claimed the checkers. After winning the Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC and the convertible race at Bowman Gray Stadium, the team headed for another convertible division race on April 13, 1958, at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway.

Welborn left little doubt his car was the one to beat. He set a track record in qualifying to claim the pole in his #49 Chevrolet. Banjo Matthews - a rare entrant to convertible races - timed second. Matthews had been hired by Lee Petty to drive his #42 Oldsmobile. I'm unsure how the arrangement came to be. The promoter may have paid Matthews show money and arranged for Lee to provide the car. Lee may have arranged the deal himself since he had just raced in a Grand National race in Spartanburg, SC the previous night.

Whatever arrangements were made, they didn't matter. Julian again got the better of his brother. Welborn led flag-to-flag to win the 200-lap race. Matthews finished second in Lee's Olds. Julian's second team car driven by Ken Rush finished fourth. The car was re-numbered #44 as a change from #38 that had been used by Gwyn Staley before his death a few weeks earlier.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

After carrying on after Staley's death at Richmond, drivers again had to race with heavy hearts at Asheville-Weaverville. Fellow competitor Billy Myers died of a heart attack during a sportsman race at Bowman Gray Stadium the night before the convertible race. Myers was leading the race with only 4 laps to go when he passed away at the wheel. He was a two-time convertible division winner with Lee Petty Engineering.

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April 7, 1958 - Welborn Wins Winston-Salem

Two days after racing in the Grand National race at Champion Speedway in Fayetteville, NC, Bob Welborn continued his successful new alliance with car owner Julian Petty. The duo dominated the NASCAR convertible series race at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC on "Easter Monday", April 7, 1958.

After two years as the champion of the convertible series, Welborn sold his equipment to Petty and hired-on as his driver. The two won their first Grand National race together and followed up with a win in their first convertible race together.

The race was promoted as the season opener for the track by co-promoters Bill France Sr. and Alvin Hawkins. Yep, Big Bill controlled the sanctioning body as well as a handful of races on his schedules.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

Welborn claimed the pole in qualifying in his #49 Chevrolet now owned by Julian. He then led all of the race's 150 laps and claimed the win. Possum Jones (one of racing's greatest names) finished second, and Julian's brother, Lee Petty, brought home his Oldsmobile fourth. Ken Rush finished fifth in a second #38 Chevrolet fielded by Julian. The car had been previously driven by Gwyn Staley who was killed two weeks earlier in the previous convertible race at Richmond.

Source: Spartanburg Herald via Google News Archive

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May 16, 1958 - Lee Wins a Ragtop Race

May 16, 1958: Starting second, Lee Petty leads about half the race in an Oldsmobile and wins a 200-lap, 100-mile NASCAR convertible series race at the dirt fairgrounds speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Tiny Lund won the pole and led the first half of the race before surrendering the lead to Petty. Tiny and Petty Enterprises had somewhat of an interesting relationship. He drove a second #188 Petty Enterprises car for a few races in 1957 as Lee's teammate, and he returned 10 years later to drive four more races in a #42 Plymouth as a teammate to Richard Petty.

Tiny's brief stint with Petty Enterprises in 1957 apparently didn't end amicably. As writer Tom Higgins has told the story on more than one occasion:

Lund had driven five races for the Petty team in 1957 and the association ended bitterly.

Prior to a race in Greensboro, a flatbed from a trailer truck was being used as a stage for driver introductions. So happened that Petty and Lund were starting in fairly close proximity, so they passed on the stage.

An obviously disparaging remark was made and knuckles started flying.

"The deal was, Tiny and Daddy had a falling out," said Richard Petty. "To spite Daddy, Tiny was telling the other teams about some special, secret things we did to our cars. Daddy confronted him about it, and they went to it, right there in front of everybody. I think Daddy took the first swing."

"Tiny" was a joke of a nickname for Lund. He stood 6-5 and weighed between 250 and 275 pounds. Lee Petty stood 6-3 and weighed about 175.

"Daddy and Tiny scuffled onto the deck of that flatbed and he was whipping Daddy pretty bad. Me and my brother Maurice, both still teen-agers, jumped in to try and help Daddy. Well, Tiny was whupping all three of us.

"This is when my mother got involved. She came on that stage and started pummeling Tiny in the head with her purse. She was raising pump knots on poor ol' Tiny.

"The reason is, she had a .38 caliber pistol in that purse!"

Read more here: http://www.thatsracin.com/2011/05/12/62231/tom-higgins-feudin-fussin-and.html#storylink=cpy

Greg Fielden describes the 1958 Charlotte race in his book, Rumblin' Ragtops - The History of NASCAR's Faboulous Convertible Division:

Petty sped across the finish line seven laps in front of runner-up Ken Rush to nail down his first convertible triumph... The half-mile dirt course became an obstacle course within the first 35 laps. Two A-frames broke on the rutted surface, an accelerator linkage broke off another car, and a steering assembly broke on another. Many of the cars which finished looked like the runnin' wounded. ~ p.98

Lee started 28 races in NASCAR's limited-life convertible series. His victory at Charlotte was his first of only two career wins in the series. The second one came in July 1959 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina.

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