November 20, 1977 - LA Times 500

From 1974 through 1980, NASCAR ended its Winston Cup Series schedule at the 2-1/2 mile Ontario Motor Speedway. The southern California speedway was built as a twin of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Indy had been - and it remains - a racing institution. Ontario was a west coast track ahead of its time. The track faced steep challenges with relatively low attendance and troubled finances, and it was perched on real estate that became much more valuable as re-developed commercial property than as a race track.

Before its demise in 1981, however, OMS hosted some solid races. One of those events was the 1977 Los Angeles Times 500, the season-ender for the Cup series.

The King - Richard Petty - nabbed the pole in his famed #43 STP Dodge Charger. Though no one could have predicted it at the time, Petty's top starting spot was the next-to-last of his career. His earned his final career top qualifying spot in August 1979 at Bristol's second ever night race.

Other than his Petty Blue Plymouths of 1966-67, the 1974 body style Charger was perhaps Petty's best race car. When Petty drove onto Ontario's surface, it would be the next to last time the Charger raced. The Level Cross bunch prep'd the car just one more time for a Cup ride in the 1978 season-opener at Riverside International Raceway road course.

Neil Bonnett plunked a second Dodge Charger alongside Petty on the front row. He was racing the #5 Jim Stacy Charger. For many years, the team was owned by insurance businessman Nord Krauskopf; was sponsored by K&K Insurance; won races with drivers such as Bobby Isaac, Buddy Baker and Dave Marcis; and sported #71.

Stacy bought the team in the off season between the end of 1976 and beginning of 1977. Marcis was not re-signed, and Bonnett was given the opportunity to race the car. Stacy continued to use #71 in the early part of the season. At mid-season, he changed to number 5. Bonnett notched a few poles and got his first Cup win at Richmond, but the team was otherwise inconsistent on a week-to-week basis.

Source: Ocala Star Banner via Google News Archive

Two racing legends - A.J. Foyt and David Pearson - made up the second row, and NASCAR Hall of Famer and 3-time Cup champion Cale Yarborough rounded out the top 5 starters.

Courtesy: BakerRacingPix.com

Scott Baker of BakerRacingPix.com captured the start of the race as the field barreled down the half-mile long front straightaway.

Courtesy: BakerRacingPix.com

Interestingly, neither Petty nor Bonnett led lap 1. Pearson in the Wood Brothers #21 Purolator Mercury got by both of them and Foyt to lead lap 1. Bonnett hammered down to pass Pearson and led the next five laps. The back and forth in those first few laps set the tone for the rest of the day in terms of lap leaders.

Eleven different drivers had their time out front. Many of them led on multiple occasions, and many led for only single-digit segments. Lap leaders included the expected such as: Petty, Pearson, Bonnett, and Cale Yarborough. Others had their day in the shade as well including James Hylton, rookie Ricky Rudd, James Hylton and even Janet Guthrie.

It's amazing to reflect back to the day when two (eventual) seven-time champions - The King in Cup and Super Tex in USAC - were in the same race.

Courtesy: BakerRacingPix.com

Today's Hendrick Motorsports can trace it's lineage to the days of Stacy and Bonnett's Dodge. The legendary crew chief Harry Hyde turned the wrenches, a young Randy Dorton built the engines, and the Charger sported #5. When Rick Hendrick started his fledgling Cup program with Geoff Bodine as the driver, Hyde led the team, Dorton built the engines, and the All Star Racing Chevy had #5 on it's sides.

Courtesy: BakerRacingPix.com

As the race entered its final 25 laps, Bonnett found himself in front with Petty's 43 in hot pursuit. With six laps to go, Petty made his move. The 43 Dodge eased in front of the 5 Dodge. As the twosome rounded the monstrous track, however, Bonnett found more horses in Dorton's engine and motored back around Petty as they got the signal of five to go.

Neil would not be passed again. He led the remaining five laps and claimed his first career superspeedway win. Petty who had last won at Daytona on July 4, 1977, extended his wait to another day to win his next one. What the King obviously couldn't have anticipated was that he'd have to wait a full season and then some before notching win number 193 in the legendary 1979 Daytona 500.

Source: Richard Guido

View image | gettyimages.com

Though the win was a huge boost to Bonnett's career and a near-miss for Petty, the larger story perhaps was Cale Yarborough's claim to his second consecutive Winston Cup title. His nine wins and 25 top 5's in 30 races remains among the top seasons of all time. Though Cale had accumulated enough points to clinch the title over Petty as the runner-up, Yarborough's title became official when he crossed the line in third place at Ontario.

View image | gettyimages.com

View image | gettyimages.com

Source: Reading Eagle via Google News Archive

Thanks to Scott Baker of BakerRacingPix.com who attended this race and provided several of the great photos for this post.

TMC

March 6, 1977 - Jimmy Insolo wins Ontario

Through much of the 1970s, NASCAR's Winston Cup Series began its season in January at Riverside's road course in California. When Ontario Motor Speedway closed in the early 1980s, Riverside's season opener was moved to the end of the season. Then began the tradition begin of starting the season in February with the Daytona 500.

USAC had its own stock car division for about three decades from the mid-1950s through the mid-1980s. Though the division had several name drivers, many of them were 'double-dippers' - Indy car drivers who also raced in USAC's other divisions - including the stock car one.

USAC started its 1977 season with a twin-bill event at Ontario, another southern California track. Modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Ontario was a track ahead of its time, but it was woefully underfunded. From the early 70s through 1980, Ontario was the site of NASCAR's season-ending race.

On March 6, 1977, the track promoted the Datsun Twin 200, a pair of 80-lap, 200-mile races for USAC's stock cars and Indy/Champ cars.

A couple of drivers - Bobby Unser and A.J. Foyt - were looking to turn the double by entering both events. Foyt threw down the gauntlet early by winning the pole for the stock car event in his #51 Chevelle. Making his first USAC stock car start, west coast regular, Jimmy Insolo, qualified on the front row alongside Super Tex in his Chevelle. Unser lined up behind Foyt in the third spot in his Camaro.

The 30-car field was a hodgepodge of cars. Some were from the muscle-car class of Detroit such as Unser's Camaro. Others ran full-size sedan models such as Foyt and Insolo in their Chevelles and the 8th place starter, Ohio's Woody Fisher in his 1974 Schlitz Beer Dodge Charger.

Fisher's Charger was built by Petty Enterprises and was the same one he raced to victory in the 1977 ARCA 200 at Daytona about a month earlier.

Foyt set the early pace and let the field know who was boss.

Source: Bakersfield Californian

Unser's day nearly ended before it really got going. With a nudge from Insolo, he spun off turn 3 on lap 16. Bobby sent up a plume of white tire smoke, but his car was otherwise unharmed. After a stop to replace his flat-spotted tires, he went back on the track and was a contender as the race neared its conclusion.

Source: Corona Daily Independent

Foyt was in control of the race though Unser had rallied. With 5 laps to go, however, Super Tex cut a tire and began to fade. Foyt's misfortune quickly became a huge opportunity for others. Insolo's hulking Chevelle and Unser's small Camaro hooked up in the race to the finish. The duo swapped the lead eight times in the final four laps.

Unser took the white lap with Insolo in tow. With the checkers in sight, the two drivers came upon a slower car. Unser went to the inside, and Insolo jumped to the outside putting the lapped car in the middle of a 3-wide sandwich. Insolo carried the momentum off the corner and won by less than a car-length over Unser.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Though the race was Insolo's first USAC stock car race, it was not his first Ontario race nor his first close win. A year earlier, he narrowly defeated L.D. Ottinger in a 250-mile NASCAR late model sportsman race.

Foyt managed to keep his ride under him and came home a disappointing third. Chuck Bown - who later won NASCAR's Busch Series championship in 1990 - finished fourth, and Ron Hutcherson rounded out the top five. Full-time beer distributor and part-time racer Woody Fisher brought home the Petty-built Charger tenth.

Foyt's day wasn't a complete loss. After finishing third in the day's opener, he dusted the field to easily win the Indy car main event race.

The two winners

Photo courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

Source: Corona Daily Independent

Two years later, Insolo played a significant role in Richard Petty's seventh Winston Cup title. When The King needed relief help in the NAPA 400 at Riverside, Insolo was called upon to belt into the 43. He rallied the STP Monte Carlo to a third-place finish behind second-place finisher Darrell Waltrip. Considering Petty won the title over Waltrip by a razor-thin margin, Insolo was instrumental in Petty getting his seventh Cup.

TMC

2014: A Schaefer Year in Review

The Schaefer Hall of Fame once again had a great year in 2014 - when its distinguished members schelebrated together or individually. A look back...

May - The SHOFers and Schaefer Ring of Honor gathered as is the custom on Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for a splendid weekend of fun and frivolity. Oh, and some racing too.

We wanted to give a nod to our new friends at Starters Sports Bar in Phoenix that we met in November 2013.

SHOFer Kuzzin and now-official SROH member Kristi.

Though the 300-mile History Channel 300 Nationwide race was sparsely attended, the SHOF was there and represented well.

Schaefer AND race rookies were given the customary rookie stripe. A bit more lip from this (of-age) young cuss and we may have resorted to moving the tape to his mouth.

Though no new entrants were inducted to the Schaefer Hall of Fame, the SHOF did formally admit its representative to the Puerto Rico chapter into the Schaefer Ring Of Honor. Big Moe punished an XL shirt (largest size available with the SHOF's limited operating budget) - but was delighted with his selection.

On the day of the Coca-Cola 600, many folks participated in the annual Schaefer Racing Cornhole Tournament. The team of SHOFers Rookie and TMC withstood the challenges of several worthy teams and captured the coveted trophy!

After a group shot, we headed to the track for 600 miles of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing!

Right from the start, Rookie disappeared. No worries. We knew he'd return with his traditional, gut bomb turkey leg.

This sad sack clearly had enjoyed too much of a good time. It's doubtful Schaefer was involved. Our guess, however, is he had taken several strong pulls from a strong-smelling mason jar.

July - Rather than drive to Daytona for the race, SHOFer Bruton enjoyed Independence Day in a far more relaxing and quiet manner on a Georgia lake. Warm sunshine, cool water and a cold Schaefer - a commercial that needs to be made.

August - SROH member ZimRick was the sole Schaefer representative at Bristol's NASCAR modified race. Judging by the crowd, he was close to being the sole fan there period.

September - Original SHOFer Philly took in NHRA's top straight-line racers at Z-Max Dragway in Charlotte - a track whose drag strip is as long as a Schaefer bullet is tall.

October - Though Bruton didn't endure Daytona's heat for the summer 400 race, he did make it to the famed beach in the fall. Sea, surf, sand and Schaefer. Ahhhh...

October - As Bruton headed for the east coast, TMC headed for the west one. I flew into Ontario, California's airport with an eventual destination of Palm Desert. Before doing so, I had to seek out two things.

• The west coast's long-standing yard beer: Olympia. 
• The remnants of Ontario Motor Speedway

For years, Oly was a racing sponsor supporting drivers such as Hershel McGriff and Ray Elder. Like Schaefer, Oly is getting tougher to find. I made several stops, drove and backtracked many miles, and chewed up about 90 minutes before finally finding a store with it. After trying it though - eccckkk - the search was more enjoyable than the brew.

The second item on my agenda was more rewarding. Ontario Motor Speedway opened in 1970 and was modeled after Indianapolis Motor Speedway. NASCAR ended its Cup season there from the mid 1970s through 1980.

Dale Earnhardt made his first start with Wrangler Jeans as his sponsor at Ontario in 1980, and Richard Petty won his 7th and final championship in 1979 after a season-long competition with Darrel Waltrip. The battle was settled at Ontario.

After 1980, however, the track bellied up. The property was redeveloped, and NASCAR moved it's season ending race to the nearby road course in Riverside.

With an assist from Scott Baker at BakerRacingPix.com, I found my way to the grounds where the track once stood. A sports arena now stands where the infield once was. Sidewalks and common area cover what was once the frontstretch and start-finish line.

Credit to and courtesy of BakerRacingPix.com

Turns 1, 2 and 4 are no longer recognizable as their spots are now occupied by buildings such as CarMax, Kohl's and an office building. For whatever reason, the land where turn 3 once was has not had anything built on it yet. Though it's clearly just a patch of dirt, I could hear the cars rumble off the back stretch and sweep through turn 3 as they set-up to glide through turn 4.

After my photo-op and quick meal at In-N-Out Burger (a luxury of traveling to the west), my next destination was my final one: Palm Desert.

The Schaefer tradition began in 1992 at Talladega with two of us.

• Accommodations: a tent. 
• Tickets: back stretch GA. 
• Seating: lawn chair.
• Amenities: sunburn, dehydration and dietary indiscretion. 

With age, experience and a desire for change, I've up'd my expectations a bit in the two decades since - at the track and away from it.

October - For the first time since 1993, I returned to Charlotte for the fall Bank of America 500 to join a few of my SHOF and SROH brethren. Plenty of food and drink were available to all - including homemade grilled pizza and an ample portion of Schaefer.

With a smile on his face and a look of resignation on ours, Rookie kept his one-man tradition alive. TURKEY LEG! WHOOO! he proclaimed.

October - The stakes are raised even if the skill level declines when Schaefer is served at a neighborhood poker game. ♫ Ya gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to drink 'em ♫

November - Following the race trip, TMC was back on the road again - this time to Newark, NJ. I felt confident Schaefer would be readily accessible there vs. other parts of the country - and the store near my Hampton Inn did not disappoint. I wanted to invoke the words of Mr. Cresote in Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - I'll have the lot.

Traveling by air vs. car, however, limited my opportunities. So I settled on the purchase of one 30-box. As a bonus, my in-room fridge kept the cans cold during my stay.

Several ziploc bags plus a flight home put 30 fresh ones in my home state. Well, 28 since I allowed myself a couple in Jersey.

I also made a return to the Spring Lounge in New York City (aka The Shark Bar) -  a truly local joint who can always be trusted to have Schaefer available.

November - The Big Finish of 2014 - an idea that germinated over PBR and a Fireball shot at Starters in Phoenix in November 2013 - the NASCAR season-ending weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida (and a lonnnnng way from Ontario and Riverside).

After taking in the next-to-last race of the season at Phoenix in 2013, the SHOF wanted to attend 2014's season-ending one at Homestead. The desire to do so was increased with NASCAR's new championship format.

SHOFer Cuba was a committed Schaefer mule. He safely delivered an sufficient supply for the 5 of us to enjoy throughout the weekend. With Schaefer, tickets, hospitality arrangements, and Hot Passes in hand, it was time to live large.

In case anyone is curious, yes Homestead also sells turkey legs.

While in town, the SHOF visited a local outlet mall. Yes, there is a first time for everything. Good fortune smiled upon us as we met Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. SHOFer The Rev was sporting his Schaefer shirt, and we were able to give Bill a condensed version of the SHOF origins - which involved a protest of Elliott's sponsor at the time: Budweiser.

Even pit lizards are attracted to Schaefer.

A Schaefer Schelfie?

To my knowledge, the only other time the SHOF has represented at a season-ending race was in Atlanta at the 1992 Hooters 500. Philly, TMC and Bruton were present to see the King's final race, Jeff Gordon's Cup debut and an epic finish for the race and the title between Bill Elliott and Alan Kulwicki.

Twenty-two years later, the end-of-season thrill was still off the hook. Kevin Harvick and his team did an exceptional job preparing for the race and then executing their plan. He claimed the race and the title.

December - Philly and his SROH SIL know how to prepare for the holidays in style.

As the calendar turns to a new year, the SHOF is confident plenty of memorable Schaefer experiences remain ours for the taking. To you and yours, have a Schaeferiffic 2015.

SCHA-LOOT!

TMC