September 6, 1982 - Southern 500

The 1982 Southern 500 was the 22nd race of a 30-race Winston Cup season, and was the next-to-last Southern 500 held on Monday - true Labor Day.

The season's points battle was shaping up as a repeat of 1981. Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip were again pushing one another week to week, race to race. Terry Labonte, three years removed from his rookie season, was thick in the mix as well. But on a pleasantly warm, late summer day at Darlington in September 1982, the three of them took a backseat to a few other legends of the era.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

As shown above, the Wood Brothers were featured on the program cover along with their driver Neil Bonnett. Throughout the 1970s, the Woods' 21 Mercury frequently won the pole with David Pearson. The two parted ways in 1979, and Pearson raced only in selected Cup races afterwards.

But the Silver Fox never forgot his way around Darlington. Sure enough, in a Bobby Hawkins-owned, Chattanooga Chew-sponsored #03 Buick, Pearson again won the pole. The top spot was Pearson's last career pole and his twelfth at Darlington.

Source: Spartanburg Herald Journal

Waltrip and Allison kept each other in sight and were both quick in qualifying. Waltrip lined up alongside Pearson, and Allison started third. Joe Ruttman and Dale Earnhardt in Bud Moore's Ford rounded out the top 5 starters.

Miss Cathy Lee Knauss won the traditional Miss Southern 500 pageant held before each year's race. Though it's uncertain that she was related to Chad Knauss, rumor has it she asked for a rules interpretation for the talent and swimsuit components of the contest.

Source: Sumter Daily Item via Google News Archive

Kyle Petty qualified 24th in Hoss Ellington's STP/UNO Chevrolet. The Southern 500 was the only time Hoss fielded a Chevy in 1982 for Kyle or any of his other drivers that year (Benny Parsons, Donnie Allison, and Buddy Baker). One is led to wonder if Hoss leased the car from another team to see if it would race better than the other cars he'd used that year.

Kyle raced a Chevrolet for Petty Enterprises in 1979-80. After NASCAR reduced the Cup wheelbase to 110 inches in 1981, however, Kyle raced a Chevy only two times during the remainder of his career. The first time was the 1982 Darlington race, and the other was in a Monte Carlo borrowed from Hendrick Motorsports as a backup for the 1989 Coke 600 at Charlotte.

Kyle's day was about on par with his other starts with Ellington: average. After qualifying poorly, he got caught up in an early caution with independent driver Tommy Gale. The #1 Chevy returned to race to the credit of Kyle and the crew, and Kyle salvaged a 14th place finish - the best of his six starts for Ellington.

TMC Archives

When the green dropped, the field sailed off into turn 1 with Pearson taking the early lead. Down the backstretch (Darlington's frontstretch today), Allison dropped low with the plan of taking the lead. But Pearson held his line, and Allison lost a bit of ground as he fell back a few car lengths.

A couple of laps later, however, Allison made his pass on Pearson to take the lead. Waltrip followed suite and went with Allison. Richard Petty soon came from his eighth starting spot to take the lead. And on it went for the first 20 percent or so of the race: Allison, Petty, Pearson, and Tim Richmond.

During the first caution, an oil line broke on rookie Mark Martin's Buick. The oil ignited, and flames erupted immediately under the car and from under the hood.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Martin's first Southern 500 was certainly spectacular and memorable but perhaps more because of his perseverance than the fire. He stopped the car right away, he was pulled from the car, the flames were extinguished, and the car was towed to the garage. Martin's crew thrashed on it, and he re-entered the race to earn a 22nd place finish - the final car still running at the end.

Near lap 80, Pearson's plan of winning at Darlington yet again ended. His Buick broke an axle, and he was done for the day. Labonte, who entered the race second in points, followed Pearson to the trailer 40 laps later when his #44 Buick lost an engine and popped the wall. After Waltrip led several more laps at different stages, he too lost an engine and exited at lap 241.

With DNFs by Labonte and Waltrip, Allison had the opportunity to open a wider points gap. Instead, his 88 Gatorade Buick had issues of its own. He finished the race - but 40 laps down and only a few spots ahead of Waltrip in the final standings.

Over the final 30 laps, the race turned into a three-car battle between Earnhardt, Richard Petty, and Yarborough. Throughout his career, Petty had a reputation as a smooth driver. He could flat dominate a race or perhaps outlast the competition to seize a victory near the end of the race.

But having not won at Darlington in 15 years nor at all in about a year, the King displayed a new personality. Petty's Pontiac dogged Cale in the remaining laps. He leaned on him in the corners - wisps of tire smoke rising from between the two cars.

Source: Sumter Daily Item

With 12 to go, Petty stuck his car to the inside, fought his Grand Prix as the rear drift into Cale's Buick, stood on the gas, and took the lead. As he did so, Earnhardt watched from third and had a thought about taking the leaders three-wide. Instead, he cracked just a moment and watched as the two titans settled it between themselves.

From TMC Archives

Four laps later, Cale went back to the point. As Petty worked through his plan to set up Cale once again for the lead - and the win, the two came upon a couple of lapped cars. Both times, the King threaded the needle, nicked the inside slower car, bounced off Cale, and kept his foot in it.

But time ran out. Cale was able to maintain the lead and gapped Petty a bit as King managed his swerving car and worn out tires. Yarborough breezed across the finish time to claim his fifth Southern 500 win with Petty a close second. The race was the 31st and final time Petty and Yarborough finished in the top two spots.

The win was Cale's third of the year with owner M.C. Anderson and fifth over two limited seasons. Anderson had a desire to return to full-time Cup racing as he had in 1979 and 1980. Yarborough was committed, however, to sticking to his new career path of running only selected events.

As a result, Anderson stepped away from NASCAR altogether and sold his team to drag racer Raymond Beadle. Yarborough moved to Ranier Racing in 1983 and promptly won the Daytona 500. Beadle re-branded his newly acquired team Blue Max Racing and hired raw talent Tim Richmond.

TMC

September 3, 1973 - Nashville's Frank Reed 100

Some of NASCAR's finest national late model sportsman drivers in 1973 filed entry forms to race in the Frank Reed Memorial 100 on Labor Day night at Nashville's Fairground Speedways - later known as Nashville Speedway and today known as Fairgrounds Speedway.

Frank Reed tragically died while running third on lap 12 of a 15-lap race on September 19, 1956. The event was part of the 1956 Tennessee State Fair. Reed perished on Nashville's one-mile dirt track, the predecessor to today's half-mile asphalt Fairgrounds Speedway. The racer from Murfreesboro was 29 years old and a father of two young sons.

Reed was the only driver killed on the one-mile track. Three drivers perished between 1971 and 1972 when the track was steeply banked. None have died as a result of a racing accident at the track since.

Jimmy "Smut" Means won the pole for the Reed Memorial race. But he faced steep competition in his effort to win at the middle Tennessee track where he'd started racing in addition to racing regularly in Huntsville, Alabama.

Out-of-towners that rolled into Music City to battle door-to-door with the local drivers included L. D. Ottinger, Neil Bonnett, Grant Adcox, and three-time NASCAR LMS champion Red Farmer.

The list also included Jack Ingram, a 2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee. Ingram won NASCAR's national LMS title in 1972 after Farmer's three-year run, and he was looking to repeat in 1973. One way to ensure a second consecutive title was to nab the victory and points at Nashville.

Source: The Tennessean

Local driver Darrell Waltrip also planned to challenge for the win - though he first had to arrive. Waltrip won Nashville's LMS title in 1970 and was in the thick of the mix for a second title three year later. While competing for the track's championship, however, DW had set his sights on a future career in Winston Cup racing.

After racing a used Mercury in several races in 1972 and 1973, Waltrip prepared to make his first Cup start for owner Bud Moore in the Southern 500 at Darlington. Once Waltrip finished his race in South Carolina, he planned to make a beeline to Nashville for the Reed race later the same day.

Source: The Tennessean

As it turns out, Waltrip made it to the end of the race in Darlington. He finished 8th in his first Southern 500, and he did not return to Nashville in time to race. He did, however, continue to race the remainder of the season and won his second track LMS title.

Source: The Tennessean

Farmer got by Means when the green dropped and led the first 17 laps in R.C. Alexander's famed #84 Harpeth Ford sponsored car. Bob Burcham, a frequent Fairgrounds racer from Chattanooga, then took the lead from Farmer.

Once Burcham went to the point, he defended the position from some worthy challengers. First, Farmer tried to retake the lead he'd lost earlier - but he couldn't get close enough to pass Burcham. Near halfway of the race, Ottinger took his shot. He got beside Burcham but couldn't complete the pass either. L.D.'s engine gave up the ghost about 20 laps after his surge, and he was done for the night.

Means hung around all night and watched as one driver after another took their shot at Burcham. As Ottinger's car was loaded on the trailer, Means found a bit more speed and went after Burcham.

For the final 30 laps of the race, the two cars battled side by side. As the duo continued to race off turn 4, however, Burcham always found just a little bit more speed to lead each lap.

The white flag waved, and the two cars sailed into turn 1 - Means to the inside and Burcham with his momentum on the outside. They stayed that way down the backstretch and through turns 3 and four. At the finish line, folks couldn't determine the winner in the near-photo finish.

But the call was made that Means had indeed edged out Burcham at the line - the only moment of the race that he led. The win was Mean's first at Nashville. Neil Bonnett finished third followed by Freddy Fryar and Farmer.

Source: The Tennessean

Means won the track championship in Huntsville in 1973 and notched his first win in Nashville the same year. He continued to race at the Fairgrounds in 1974 and captured the track's LMS championship.

Finishing order:

1. Jimmy Means
2. Bob Burcham
3. Neil Bonnett
4. Freddy Fryar
5. Red Farmer
6. Jack Ingram
7. Donnie Anthony
8. Paddlefoot Wales
9. Jimmy Wall
10. Charlie Binkley
11. Don Smith
12. Gary Myers
13. Wayne Carden
14. James Ham
15. Doyle Belcher
16. Dorris Vaughn
17. Jim Berry
18. James Climer
19. L.D. Ottinger
20. Ronnie Dixon
21. Windle Webster
22. Jim Robinson
23. Charles Greenwell
24. Phil Stillings
25. Bill Tate
26. Tommy Andrews
27. Johnny Johnson
28. Grant Adcox
29. Steve Spencer
30. Clyde Peoples

TMC

September 1, 1975 - Southern 500

Richard Petty had a season for the ages in 1967. He won 27 of 48 races - including ten in a row. One of the signature wins that season was the Southern 500 at Darlington. The King had won Darlington's spring Rebel 400 twice and notched four top 5 finishes in the Southern 500 between 1959 and 1966. But it took him nearly a decade to finally land the Southern 500 trophy.

Petty had another dominant season going eight years later in 1975. The re-branded and reduced Winston Cup schedule included 30 races rather than 48 in 1967. Through the two-thirds mark of the season, the 43 Dodge already had nine victories and fifteen top 5 finishes. The circuit then returned to Darlington for the annual, deep southern tradition.

When Roger Penske began his Cup team on a limited basis in 1972, he fielded an AMC Matador. Around the midpoint of 1974, Bobby Allison joined Penske for a handful of races. In 1975, Allison raced for Penske in 19 Cup races as well as five USAC Indy car races, including the Indianapolis 500.

Driving the red, white, and blue Coca-Cola Matador, Allison's pairing with Penske won the Rebel 500 in April 1975. The team was looking for the season sweep as a significant accomplishment during a season otherwise dominated by the King.

South Carolinian David Pearson won the pole in the #21 Wood Brothers, Purolator Mercury. Buddy Baker flanked Pearson on the front row in his Ford fielded by another South Carolinian, Bud Moore. Allison, Petty, and Benny Parsons rounded out the top five starters.

Cale Yarborough, yet another South Carolina native, blew an engine in practice before qualifying. His Junior Johnson team did not have a spare to use so one was borrowed from Hoss Ellington's team so Cale could qualify. He missed the first round on Thursday but was able to use the borrowed powerplant to make the field via Friday's second round. Johnson's team had a replacement engine brought to the track from Junior's shop in North Wilkesboro so it could be installed for the Labor Day race.

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive

Pearson took the lead on the green and stayed there for the first twenty laps or so before Baker went around to lead the next nine. Independents Bruce Hill and Tennessee's David Sisco then got time out front before Pearson cycled back to the top spot.

A very ill Petty passed Pearson to take the lead for the first time on lap 46. The King was suffering bad headaches and flu, and he had a difficult time staying in the car in the humid weather. Champions play hurt, however, and he led the next 57 laps.

Credit: Woody Delbridge

After Dave Marcis led a couple of laps, Petty re-assumed the lead and stayed on the point for another 24 laps. Pearson, Marcis and Petty then swapped the lead back and forth over the next 100 laps or so. Marcis #71 K&K Dodge developed an overheating issue, however, and he left the race near lap 200.

The Petty crew tracked down Marcis to see if he lend a hand to their worsening driver. On Petty's next pit stop, the King turned over the driving to Marcis as he tried to get some strength back.

Petty wasn't the only driver struggling. Benny Parsons also had a tough time wheeling the car around the high line while battling sickness. BP turned his #72 Chevy over to DW - Darrell Waltrip - after Waltrip's engine overheated

Waltrip was making only his third start with DiGard. And for the second time in those three starts, he had an engine failure. DW was none too happy with the performance of the team he'd recently joined.

Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal via Google News Archive

On lap 244, Bruce Jacobi and James Hylton bumped one another with Hylton getting the worst end of the deal. The relief drivers - Marcis in Petty's 43 and Waltrip in Parsons' 72 - were collateral damage. Hylton and Parsons were done for the day as was Waltrip for the second time that day. Marcis was able to gather the 43 and return to the race.

About 50 laps later and with about 70 laps to go, heavy thunderstorms arrived and soaked the track. The race was red-flagged for nearly ninety minutes. With cars leaving the race early because of overheating and drivers needing relief for illness, the rain was a bit of a relief for the tortuous race.

Long-time Petty fan and Darlington attendee Tim Leeming recalls additional rain the day before:

It was not too long after dark that lightning began to break the darkness, but it wasn't until the thunder boomed so loudly and the lightning seemed to strike right beside us that we all got in the motorhomes and cars. Within what seemed like seconds, it began to rain in torrents as well as hail about the size of dimes. Inside the motorhome the sound was unbelievable.

When the storm passed, we opened the door of the motorhome to find about two inches of water underfoot. As we looked down towards turn three, it appeared as though a lake had formed. By this time, the clouds had moved over and the moon showed us what appeared to be only the tops of cars in turn three with folks standing on top of them. A group of us headed in that direction to see if we could help.

As we got closer to the turn three area, we were soon up to almost our waists in water but it got no higher and was beginning to lower as the infield drains were working. When we got to the tunnel going under turn three, we could not believe what we saw. The tunnel was filled to within about four feet of the top with water. We waded into the tunnel and began to use it as a swimming pool as it was seriously full and not receding at all. It did not occur to me (too many beers) or to anyone else in our group to consider that there were NO law enforcement authorities or track workers anywhere around to stop our swimming.

Within minutes, a couple of the guys in the group decided to swim through the tunnel and see what was going on outside. About 10 minutes passed, and I was getting worried about my friends. I then heard laughing and splashing as they were swimming back through the tunnel. I will never know how they managed to swim back through the tunnel with all the banners they had ripped off the fence outside the tunnel. We had STP, Winston Welcomes Race Fans, and a couple other major sponsors banners.

When we got back to turn three, this time there were law enforcement officers everywhere. I was convinced they were after the bandits who removed the signs. But one of them told me the drain in the tunnel was stopped up and they were bringing in the Navy Reserve frog man from a reserve unit in Florence to unstop the drain. I never saw the frog man, but the tunnel was soon draining and in a matter of minutes it was clear.

When the sun came up on race day, we got out all the banners that had been relocated from their original position outside the track and hung them from the motorhomes and converted bus. As the race got closer, more folks joined our group who came for just the day. By the start of the race, I am guessing there were almost 70 of us assembled there. 

Allison and the Matador were almost two full laps behind at one point during the race. With so many cars falling out and Allison's perseverance, however, he moved into the lead on lap 289 - just before the rain returned.

During the rain delay, Petty got a chance to recover a bit. He belted back into the 43 and readied to win the Southern 500 for a second time in another dominant season.

When the race returned to green, Allison was in the right spot to win. Then with about 50 laps to go, a shock broke and Bobby watched the scoreboard as Petty began to close. The King rallied from the driver change - and the spin by Marcis - and his illness to get back on the lead lap.

Allison was conserving fuel in addition to managing his failing suspension and watching the scoreboard and lap times. But in the end, Petty simply ran out of laps to track down Allison. The Matador took the checkered flag for the second time in '75.

Petty finished second - the only other car on the lead lap. The race was the 44th of 51 times the King and Allison finished in the top two spots.

Sisco, the 1969 Nashville Speedway late model sportsman champion, matched a career high Cup finish with his P3. Jim Vandiver finished fourth in his H.B. Ranier-owned Dodge. Ranier was the father of Harry Ranier, who later started his own team that eventually transitioned to Robert Yates Racing in 1989.

More memories from Tim Leeming:

All of us on our motorhome were of course cheering for that 43, and I think we believed until the checkered flag waved that Richard would catch that Matador. But we stood on top of the RV and watched Bobby take a well earned win. We watched him celebrate in Victory Lane right in front of us. We didn't cheer him, but we didn't boo him either. We could appreciate what an effort he had made to win that race. 

Many thanks to Tim Leeming for his contributions to this post.

TMC

August 28, 1976 - Nashville's Bob Hunley 100

A couple of NASCAR's national late model sportsman drivers came to Nashville in late summer '76 to race against the local heroes in the third annual Bob Hunley Memorial 100.

Bob Hunley was an amateur racer and a full-time Metro Nashville policeman. He raced in the fairgrounds' late model sportsman division for much of the 1960s and into the 1970s. Sadly, Hunley was killed during a race on April 29, 1972. From April 30, 1972, edition of The Tennessean:

An off-duty Metro patrolman was killed last night when his race car slammed into a retaining wall at Fairgrounds Speedway in the fourth lap of a late-model sportsman race.

Bobby Hunley was dead on arrival at Baptist Hospital after the speedway accident.

Hunley's 1964 Chevelle collided with another car in a group of five autos jockeying for positions on the straight-away. Hunley's auto flipped over several times, then struck a retaining wall at a turn on the quarter-mile track.

Two other cars were involved in the track collision, but there were no other injuries. Hunley's wife, Wilma, and children reportedly were in the fairgrounds audience when the crash occurred. The patrolman was scheduled to go on duty with the police department at midnight following the race.

In an interview last year, Mrs. Hunley said she could seldom relax at home, knowing her husband was a police officer during work hours and a race car driver on his off nights. "A night never goes by that I don't worry about his welfare," she said. "When he leaves out of here, especially on that midnight shift, I never know if I'll see him again.

"Then when  he's racing, I have to sweat out each turn he makes. I never take my eyes off him when he's on the track. Even though I can't stand to watch Robert race, I can't stand to stay at home and wonder what's happening. If something ever goes wrong, I want to be there," she said.

In addition to his widow, Hunley is survived by a son and two daughters. 

L.D. Ottinger broke Nashville's track record with his qualifying lap. But less than a minute later, fellow NASCAR national LMS division competitor, Harry Gant, set his own track record.

When the green flag fell, Ottinger got the jump on Gant and grabbed the lead. From there, it was all L.D. - all night - all race. He won handily over the rest of the field.

Credit Jim Phillips and MRM Racing Photos

Local racer Steve Spencer finished second. Coincidentally, Spencer raced a Chevelle purchased from Ottinger. He also won the track's 1977 LMS title in L.D.'s former car.

Neil Bonnett, balancing a schedule of Cup and late model races, claimed third. Alton Jones finished fourth and later claimed the track's LMS title in 1976. Despite winning the pole, Gant wasn't a factor and finished 16th.

Source: The Tennessean from TMC Archives

On Monday after the race, The Tennessean ran a follow-up column about Ottinger's dominance in the Hunley 100 written by Larry Woody, the long-time racing beat writer and humorist for the paper. Woody made it sound as if L.D. won the pole with Gant qualifying second.

I had listened to the race coverage on WENO-AM radio on Saturday night and knew Gant was quickest. Woody's race report in the Sunday paper included the same info.

Source: The Tennessean

As a still relatively new race fan and one more passionate about the late model heroes at Nashville than NASCAR's Cup drivers (Richard Petty not withstanding), I made the choice to let Mr. Woody know the facts and wrote him a letter. Though I don't remember my exact wording, I think I penned a polite but direct one. At least my 11 year-old conscience was clear.

A few days later on a Saturday morning, our black, rotary phone rang in the kitchen. My mother answered, acknowledged a couple of uh-huhs, handed the phone to me, and smirked a bit as she said "It's for you."

After saying hello, the voice on the other end said "Chase? Larry Woody from The Tennessean. How are you?" I nearly puddled on the kitchen floor. I recall Larry was pleasant though I kinda hemmed and hawed. Yet I was able to re-state my understanding about Gant's lap, and Larry understood the mix-up between his Sunday and Monday articles.

When the call ended, I'm sure I broke out in sweat and hives. I have no memory of what my mother said afterwards - if anything. She may have just gone back to making biscuits for my dad or helping my brother or sister with a school project

Though I've spoken with Larry a time or two by phone on local racing radio shows, I've never had the opportunity to meet him face to face. I'm hopeful that day will still come so I can remind him of this story and hopefully share a laugh with him about it.

TMC

August 26, 1972 - Nashville 420

Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway hosted Grand National / Cup racing from 1958 through 1984. The original track that opened in '58 was reconstructed in 1970. The banking was increased to 35 degrees - similar to Bristol's configuration today. The track underwent another re-design in 1973 that dropped the banking to 18 degrees, and that design remains in this place. But in the early 70s, my gosh was that place lightning quick...

The 1972 Nashville 420 was messed up on multiple levels:

• A big pothole developed during qualifying on Friday, and the race was delayed on Saturday as repairs were made.
• The track's turn 3 electronic leader board went out during Friday night qualifying.
• The King lost valuable time to Bobby Allison because of a messed-up pit road and miscommunication between the driver, crew and a NASCAR official.
• The run-down of the race in Greg Fielden's Forty Years of Stock Car Racing Volume 4 book is messed up because Fielden noted the date of the race as August 27th.
• The internet is messed up because just about every web page about the race also notes the date as August 27 - likely because they simply ran with Fielden's info or copied the date from another site.

But despite issues with the asphalt and subsequent documentation, the race was indeed held under the lights on Saturday night, August 26th and not on Sunday the 27th.

Richard Petty came to town a couple of days before the race for a press conference at the Airport Hilton to help promote the race. Coincidentally, I attended my one and only Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet at the same Hilton two years later before I'd even learned about racing or Richard Petty.

Coo Coo Marlin and Miss Fairgrounds Speedway Deborah Jett joined Petty at the Hilton, and The Tennessean published a photo of their gathering.

The photo published in the paper was heavily cropped - and it begs the question: who applied that STP sticker?

Among the questions answered and opinions given, Petty suggested the Saturday race would be a rough and tough one. On the one hand, King's response could have been a typical reply at any promotional presser. As it turns out though, Petty's observation was spot-on for how qualifying and the race would unfold.

Do I like the track? Yes and no. I like the way I have been able to finish here. But it is hard on equipment. It's hard on the drivers. I'll say one thing. There is never a dull moment. You've got to stay with it. 

Another interesting observation from Petty is as relevant in 2017 as it was in 1972. Petty was asked where the next generation of drivers would come from. His reply:

They were asking that same question in my father's day. That's no problem. New ones keep coming along. There is more talent in driving than car building.

Bobby Allison was another driver who arrived in town a couple of days early. In addition to racing Junior Johnson's Coca-Cola sponsored Chevy at the fairgrounds, Allison towed his late model Chevelle to town to race at Highland Rim Speedway just north of Nashville on Thursday night before Cup activities began. Not only did he race at Highland Rim (and pocket some walkin' around money), he won!

Source: The Tennessean

Allison moved from The Rim in Goodlettsville, TN on Thursday to Nashville's fairgrounds, and he won the pole in the Friday night qualifying session. After Cup qualifying was completed, local driver Darrell Waltrip won the late model sportsman race.

Source: The Tennessean

Qualifying alongside Allison for the 420 was King Richard in his STP Plymouth. The 43 team began transitioning to Dodges in the spring of 1972 (teammate Buddy Baker was already driving one); however, the team continued to race Plymouths the rest of the season on short tracks, at Dover, and on Riverside's road course.

Local driver and four-time track champion, Coo Coo Marlin, started third. At the time, the starting spot was a career best starting spot for Marlin. He later qualified P2 at Talladega in 1976. Independent driver Cecil Gordon and 1970 champion Bobby Isaac rounded out the top five starters.

Starting 12th was Waltrip, a relatively unknown to the Cup regulars but a familiar face at Nashville. He was the track's 1970 late model sportsman champion and frequent winner, and he was starting his fourth career Cup race in a former Holman Moody Mercury - the same one Mario Andretti raced to his win in the 1967 Daytona 500.

The field gets ready to take the green.

As noted in the above article from The Tennessean, the condition of the track had already become an issue during qualifying. A pothole had developed, and the cars tried to dodge it during time trials.

• The drivers blamed the NASCAR. 
• NASCAR blamed track officials. 
• Track promoter Bill Donoho Sr. blamed the paving contractor.

Yet NASCAR and Donoho forged ahead with the race. Nothing was done to the track during the day on Saturday - arguably a mess-up. Yet when race time arrived, the start was delayed almost 90 minutes as track officials then rallied to make repairs. A steam roller was tethered to the winch of a tow truck on the high side of the track, and efforts were made to patch the deteriorating surface.

Hey y'all, watch this!

The race got off to a messed-up start. After taking the green flag, Marlin and Isaac wrecked on the first lap. They squandered their prime starting spots and finished 26th and 27th respectively in the 28-car field.

So who finished 28th and dead last? Lee Roy Yarbrough - without even taking the green. Lee Roy slowed on the pace lap, pulled off the track at the start, and parked his #45 Bill Seifert Ford without explanation - a truly messed-up situation. It was Yarbrough's second and final start at Nashville.

After the lap one wreck was cleaned up and the race returned to green, Allison led the first 10 percent of the race. Cecil Gordon managed to lead lap 43, and then car 43 went to the point. Petty led the next 124 laps before Allison reclaimed the lead to set sail for 157 laps. The King then reclaimed the lead for a few laps before needing a pit stop.

For twenty years, Nashville had an odd pit configuration. Cars came off turn 4, passed the start-finish line, hooked left on the inner quarter-mile track, got service, re-entered the track from turn 4 of the quarter-mile, passed the start-finish line again (though without being scored for another lap), and blended back into traffic.

As the 43 screamed off pit road, a NASCAR official held up the stop paddle because of on-track traffic coming out of turn 4. Petty already had a head of steam and was likely looking over his right shoulder to find a place to blend in. Consequently, he missed the stop paddle and was on his way back up to speed.

NASCAR official Bill Gazaway wasn't interested in why Petty missed the paddle - just that he did. The 43 was called to pit road to serve a one-lap penalty. The mild-mannered King blew a fuse in the car barking at Gazaway. The Junior Johnson and Petty Enterprises crews then barked at each other as well as at Gazaway.

Petty eventually got back on the lead lap with Allison but could never track him down again to take the lead. Allison took the win, and an angry Petty finished second. The two were sixteen laps ahead of third place finisher Waltrip. Despite the large deficit from 2nd to 3rd, the finish was easily the best of DWs brief career. The race was the 35th of 51 times that Petty and Allison finished in the top two positions.

Source: The Tennessean

Following the race, Allison offered to help Donoho and his team re-design the track and its steep and overly-fast turns. He made good on his offer by visiting the track again in November 1972.

Source: The Tennessean

Plans were sketched to drop the banking to 18 degrees. Allison reviewed the plans, liked what he saw, and said he would return to race on the new track. The corners were indeed lowered, and the track was repaved in time for the 1973 racing season. The pavement rolled between 1972 and 1973 lasted for 20+ years before the track was resurfaced in 1995.

TMC

August 22, 1982 - Champion Spark Plug 400

Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip both changed teams in 1981, and both tangled for the Winston Cup title. Waltrip prevailed over Allison as the the championship battle came down to the final race of the season at Riverside, CA's road course - a season without lucky dogs, stages, or a playoff.

In 1982, Waltrip remained with his green, Mountain Dew-sponsored team. Allison left the #28 Harry Ranier team and got a green, beverage-sponsored car of his own. He joined the #88 DiGard, Gatorade team - the car Waltrip vacated after the 1980 season. Despite the move, Allison again challenged Waltrip for the Cup in '82. He was seeking his first title as Waltrip looked to repeat.

As the season hit the two-thirds mark, the teams arrived at Michigan International Speedway for the Champion Spark Plug 400. Waltrip had banked seven wins through that part of the season, and Allison had notched five victories - including the Daytona 500.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

As an indication of what was to come over the rest of the 1980s, Bill Elliot won the pole in his #9 Melling Tool boxy Thunderbird with Waltrip lined-up alongside him. Ricky Rudd and Buddy Baker made up the second row, and Buddy Arrington qualified an impressive fifth in his Chrysler. The starting spot was the third best of his career.

Kyle Petty timed eighth - easily his best start in his limited 1982 schedule in the #1 STP/UNO, Hoss Ellington car. He raced a Pontiac - the only time he did so when racing for Ellington. It's possible the Ellington car was actually from the Petty Enterprises fleet as Hoss normally fielded a Buick or Chevrolet in other 1982 races.

Country singer Marty Robbins attempted to make his first Michigan start in three years. He could not, however, muster enough speed. His qualifying lap ranked 37th for a race that only slotted 36 cars. Two other drivers - Al Loquasto and Ronnie Thomas - had qualifying speeds slower than Robbins. They earned provisional starts over Robbins based on higher ranking owners' points.

Marty returned to start one more race in his #22 purple and yellow, self-sponsored Buick, the Atlanta Journal 500 in November, before sadly passing away from a heart attack in December.

When the green fell, Elliott seized the early lead. After six laps, however, Waltrip went to the point for nine laps. Then Yarborough led - then Allison - then Geoff Bodine - then Dave Marcis - then Arrington, Tim Richmond, and Morgan Shepherd. Yes, nine drivers led at least one lap before one of them took the top spot for a second time (Richmond). Through the first third of the race, Allison was the only driver to lead more than a dozen laps in one stretch.

Elliott's plan for a solid day ended early when he clobbered Loquasto. Ricky Rudd made a move to pass Waltrip. He couldn't quite pull it off, tried to slide back into line, and nicked Loquasto as they overtook him. Loquasto then spun and collected Elliott in the process.

Rudd and Richard Petty also spun but straightened their cars and continued onward. Elliott went to the garage for extensive repairs. He returned to the track and finished the race but no longer as a factor in it.

Fans saw things settle down a bit during the second half of the race. Rather than a large number of drivers leading a small number of laps, a few controlled the final 100 circuits. Waltrip, Petty, and Allison were the lap bullies, and they let Bodine lead only a single lap of the last 100.

As the raced near its end, Waltrip developed an engine issue. He finished the race but faded to 7th, two laps down to the leaders. With about 25 laps to go, the King trailed the leader Allison by almost 4 seconds. But Petty focused, found another line that worked, and began cutting into Allison's lead. 

With two to go, Allison's mirror was full of the day-glo red and Petty Blue 43. Petty had recovered from his spin on lap 20 and was looking to win for the first time since the 1981 edition of the Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan.

As Allison took the white flag, Petty was all over him and made a couple of moves to set Allison up for the winning pass. Allison twitched as he came out of turn 4 - his car losing grip - and perhaps doing a bit more mirror driving than forward facing racing.

Allison held on to his lead and flashed across the start-finish line with Petty just a half car-length or so behind.

The race was the 51st and final time Petty and Allison finished in the top two positions of a Grand National / Winston Cup race.

Allison pulled to within one victory of Waltrip by besting the 43 at Michigan. He'd win two more times in the final third of the season. Waltrip, however, won five more times in the final 10 races of the season and claimed his second consecutive title at Riverside. Petty, on the other hand, unfortunately went the rest of the year without a win.

The race as it aired on ESPN....

TMC