May 28, 1961 - Charlotte's World 600

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. 

As an effort to promote the track and bolster betting... errr, races, Masoni lauched a race team in 1960 and hired mechanic Ray Fox to lead his efforts. He hired Junior Johnson as his driver, and *BOOM* 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. 

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.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

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.

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 kablooey 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. 

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.

Embed from Getty Images

Source: Charlotte News

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March 18, 1962 - Oh so close at Orange Speedway

After Fireball Roberts' win in the 1962 Daytona 500, NASCAR's GN drivers prepared to jump into the meat-and-three of their short-track schedule. About half the field from Daytona raced a week later at the half-mile, dirt Concord Speedway in North Carolina and watched helplessly as Joe Weatherly led flag to flag in the 78-lap race.

The following week, the teams headed west about 3 hours to the half-mile, paved Asheville-Weaverville Speedway for a 200-lap race on March 4th. Winner: Joe Weatherly. Again.

A week after Weaverville, the drivers were scheduled to reverse course and head east for Orange Speedway in Hillsboro, NC. A 110-lap race on the .9-mile dirt track was slated for Sunday, March 11.

As has often been the case over the years, then and in recent years, rain can wreak havoc on a racing schedule - especially during a Southern spring. The race was rained out and rescheduled for a week later on March 18.

The teams were already scheduled to race in Savannah, Georgia in the St. Patrick's Day 200 on Saturday, March 17. No time remained for (much) post-race St. Paddy's celebration because the teams had to hump it overnight to Hillsboro for Sunday's make-up date.

Little Joe kept his hot streak rolling by winning the pole at Hillsboro. (Weatherly started and finished third in Savannah.) Richard Petty qualified second followed by Rex White. Maurice Petty started 8th, and Ralph Earnhardt rolled off 13th. The race was the second of only eight times Chief and Ralph started in the same GN race.

At the drop of the green, Weatherly commenced to puttin' a whoopin' on the field. He grabbed the lead from Richard Petty and then paced the field for the first 24 laps. Petty didn't go anywhere though. He stayed near Weatherly and managed to get by him on the 25th lap. The 43 Plymouth then led 23 laps of his own before Weatherly decided it was time for him to be lead dog again.

Little Joe reclaimed the lead, towed the field around the track for 50+ laps, and was headed for his third win in four starts. But then...

With nine to go, Weatherly's drivetrain went south in his Bud Moore Pontiac. As he faded, Petty went to the point and positioned himself to win his sixth career Grand National race. With five to go, however, Rex White gave Petty a maybe later but not today battle for the win. White's #4 Chevy pulled alongside the Petty Blue Plymouth, and they raced to the end. At the finish line, Rex (Latin for King) narrowly defeated NASCAR's future King by a couple of car lengths.

Credit: Gold Thunder by Rex White and Anne Jones

White's win was the 21st of an eventual 28-win, one championship and NASCAR Hall of Fame career. Lee Petty still had a decent day at the bank on Monday as Maurice finished sixth to go along with his older brother's P2. Dale Jr.'s granddad finished in 7th - one spot behind Maurice's #41 Plymouth.

Rex at Memory Lane Museum 2014

Source: Wilmington Star-News via Google News Archive

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