February 15 - This day in Petty history

This post is dedicated to the memory of Adam Kyler Petty who got to enjoy the celebrations of Victory Lane. ~ TMC

 

1981 - Driving a Buick Regal, Richard Petty wins his seventh and final Daytona 500 for his 193rd career Winston Cup victory.

Beginning with the second race of the 1981 season (Daytona), the teams were required to run newer, 110-inch wheelbase cars. The cars more closely matched the models of what the Detroit manufacturers were selling. Gone were the longer, sleeker cars such as the 1977 Chevy Monte Carlo, 1978 Olds Cutlass 442, and 1974 Dodge Charger. Most teams ran models with notch-back windows such as the Buick Regal, Pontiac Grand Prix, a re-designed Monte Carlo, Olds Cutlass, Ford T-Bird and even a Dodge Mirada.

After switching to General Motors' Chevy and Olds cars in 1978 through 1980, Petty Enterprises contemplated a return to Dodge for the 1981 Daytona race. They took a Mirada to January testing.

Courtesy of SROH member and Petty lifer, GaPettyFan

The team wasn't satisfied with the testing results. When Petty Enterprises returned for Speedweeks a month later, they brought two cars skinned as STP Buick Regals. One was for King Richard...

 

... and the other was for son Kyle who was making his first start in the Daytona 500.

 

Bobby Allison's Harry Ranier-owned team noted one eligible model that escaped the view of the other teams - a Pontiac LeMans. The car had a slope-back window vs. a notch-back design. With Robert Yates-built engines and a sleeker aero design, the team had a leg up on the competition.

 

As a result, Bobby Allison dominated Speedweeks. He won the race pole and his 125-mile qualifying race. In the 500, he led 117 of 200 laps en route to what looked to be a convincing win.

On his final pit stop, the 28 team took a full load of fuel and tires. However, when NASCAR Hall of Fame crew chief Dale Inman summoned the 43 to pit road a few laps later, he had a different strategy. Inman called for fuel-only and no tires. In less than 8 seconds, the King was headed back to the track with a big lead on Allison because of the pit-time differential. It was too much for Allison to overcome, and Inman's heads-up call was rewarded with the King's seventh trip to victory lane in the Daytona 500.

Khalifa, a fellow poster at Fans For Richard Petty Motorsports has this memory about the race:

[It was] Richard's last win in the 500 and my first time going there. I was 15. I will never forget it. I saw him pit that last time and take only fuel and I told my dad he was going to win it. He said 'I think you are right'. When he crossed the S/F line I as going absolutely nuts. After that I told my dad we need to get to victory lane. I remember I was wearing one of those puffy vests that was popular back then. We made it to the crossover at the S/F line, and I was walking onto the ladder down to the track. A huge security guard grabbed me by my vest, pulled me back up the steps and said 'I don't think so son'. Awesome memory. I'll always remember that day. The track seemed so huge to me. I've since been to 19 other Daytona 500's ... but none have come close to the excitement of that day.

 From TMC Archives

 Courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

   

 The pivotal pit stops...


The finish, victory lane, and the toll on families...


An eloquent racer's wife and memories of a young Adam...


After 190+ wins and seven championships, Dale Inman resigned from Petty Enterprises a few days after the win. A couple of weeks later, he announced he was going to work for Rod Osterland and reigning Winston Cup champion, Dale Earnhardt.

 From TMC Archives

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

   

TMC

February 14 - This day in Petty history

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

1971 - Richard Petty wins his third Daytona 500 to land his 120th career victory. At that time, no driver had won the 500 twice - much less three times.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Bobby W, a fellow member at RacersReunion.com, remembers...

My dad took me to Daytona for the 500 in '71. He claimed we could "camp in the parking lot ... with sleeping bags ... because it NEVER gets cold in Florida." Let me just say LOL!!! Me and my best friend both took our bags and both "slept" on the gravel parking lot outside of turn 4 while dad and co. slept in the rental car ... as a February cold front of biblical proportions rolled into northern Florida. With cloudless skies reigning, the next day's Permatex 300 was run under frigid conditions with a sustained wind of about 30 MPH and higher gusts. It was all me and (my brave best friend) could muster to stand in the back of a Ranchero in the infield and watch the race won by Red Farmer. With nightly temperatures plummeting we (miraculously) found the absolute last boarding house in all of Florida and all 12 or so in our party staggered in the one-room efficiency and happily slept on the floor. Next day the 500. The winds had died somewhat, and as the only factory-backed team left in NASCAR Richard Petty and A.J. Foyt (Wood Bros. #21) dueled most of the race until Foyt encountered some type of problem ... might have been a pit stop, can't remember, but Richard cruised home to victory, his 3rd Daytona 500.

As Bobby referenced, Petty's chief rival in the race was A.J. Foyt. A troublesome pit stop late in race put him a lap down. He was able to pass Petty to unlap himself, but he had to settle for third. Buddy Baker finished second in a team Petty Dodge.

After Petty Enterprises ran twin Plymouth Superbirds for Petty and Pete Hamilton in 1970, the Chrysler Corporation revised the strategy for its factory-support of the Petty teams. Richard continued to run the familiar Petty Blue #43 Plymouth. Hamilton left the team, and Baker was hired to replace him. Baker ran a solid white #11 Petty Enterprises Dodge Charger.

Courtesy of Smyle Media

The big mystery to me over the years has been why #11 was chosen as the number for Baker's Dodge rather than something in the 40's as was typical for Petty cars.

In this shot, some of the cars have been pushed to the starting grid. Foyt on the pole, Bobby Isaac starting 2nd (not shown), former Petty driver Pete Hamilton in Cotton Owens' #6 Plymouth starting 3rd, David Pearson in 4th (not shown), Petty in 5th, Baker in 6th (not shown), and #98 Lee Roy Yarbrough in 7th.

TMC edit: Just realized the following pic is from the first 125-mile qualifying race three days earlier. Foyt on the pole, former Petty driver Pete Hamilton in Cotton Owens #6 Plymouth starting 2nd, Petty in 3rd, Fred Lorenzen in 4th (not shown), and #98 Lee Roy Yarbrough in 5th.

Credit to and courtesy of Al Consoli

The winning Plymouth pulls into Victory Lane...

...and to the victor belongs the spoils. (Although clearly nothing is spoiled in this photo.)

Above two photos courtesy of Ray Lamm

For contemporary fans who have always watched NASCAR races on FOX or ESPN, it hasn't always been that way. Few races were televised. A handful were condensed and packaged into a weekly 'magazine' show. Some races were big enough to merit inclusion in ABC's Wide World of Sports ... albeit on a delayed and heavily edited basis.

Announcer Keith Jackson covered the introductions, and Chris Economaki provided the color commentary. Below recaps the start of the race, a spectacular lap 9 wreck by Maynard Troyer, and the finish between the Petty cars and Foyt.


And an extended segment on Troyer's accident...

Article courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

February 1 - This day in Petty history

1969 - Richard Petty collects his 93rd victory by winning the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside International Raceway. The win is Petty's first at Riverside - a winding road course outside of L.A. in southern California.

Petty spun off the road course twice. And despite the routine off-course by stock car drivers in general, the race was run caution-free.

A.J. Foyt finished 2nd driving for the Wood Brothers. Foyt had a great February as he backed up his second place at Riverside with a win in the Daytona 500 for the Woods a couple of weeks later. TMC edit: DOH! I mixed Foyt's great 1969 run at Riverside with his 1972 Daytona 500 victory. I need to better monitor my multi-tasking of researching, typing, and Schaefer imbibing.

The race was originally scheduled for Sunday, January 19, 1969. Because of heavy rains on two consecutive Sundays, the race was eventually run on Saturday, February 1.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

The win was not only Petty's first in seven starts at Riverside, but it was also his first win in his first start for Ford Motor Company. About two months earlier, Petty stunned the racing community by announcing a switch from Plymouths to Fords beginning in 1969. So to win in his first race with his new Torino was a huge boost to the Blue Oval team and fans.

Poster buikwag from JalopyJournal.com's H.A.M.B. (Hokey Ass Message Board for the uninitiated) attended the race and gave me permission to share a couple of his great photos here (more photos from the race can be seen at the H.A.M.B. link).

Race day!

Hugging the corner tight in turn 9.

Pit stop photo courtesy of Ray Lamm

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday baby!

Article and SCR cover courtesy of Jerry Bushmire

TMC

January 23 - This day in Petty history

1972 - Richard Petty wins the Winston Western 500 at Riverside International Raceway in southern California. Scheduled for 191 laps on the road course, the race is shortened to 149 laps because of dense fog.

Though the race was not the first one at Riverside, the event was known for the first time as the Winston Western 500. R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes began sponsoring NASCAR's top series in 1971 and took over title sponsorship of Riverside's season-opening race in 1972.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

The win was Petty's 141st victory - and his first with STP as his primary sponsor. Even the most casual NASCAR fan knows Richard Petty for his autograph, cowboy hat, sunglasses, and mustache. And many more easily associate the iconic day-glo STP red and Petty blue colors as a natural fit for the 43.

The combination of the two colors, however, almost didn't happen. The sponsorship agreement between STP and Petty Enterprises was reached just a few days before the Riverside race. But let Richard tell the story of what almost happened ... and what did happen.

As Richard said and history knows, the two parties agreed on the details. The press conference was held, and then Richard flew on to Riverside.

The newly-labeled STP Plymouth as it raced ... and won ... at Riverside:

Credit for following two photos to Beentherebefore at the H.A.M.B. at JalopyJournal.com:

A final 'first' for the race - The event was the first NASCAR Winston Cup star as a car owner for the now legendary Roger Penske. His driver, Mark Donahue, started an AMC Matador but finished 39th in the 40-car field. No worries though as The Captain went to have a modicum of success in the decades to follow.

TMC

Schout It Out Loud - I need a Schaefer!

Even the most casual rock-and-roll fan knows the original KISS guitarist was Ace Frehley. His autobiography, No Regrets, was released in late 2011.

In the book, Space Ace reveals his first beer was ... yep, a Schaefer. Well, schock me!

Sadly, Ace developed a booze dependency ... a bad one. Apparently he took Nothin' To Lose to heart. His addiction cost him his job with KISS and who knows what else before he hit Rock Bottom. Perhaps life would have tacked a better direction for him if he'd stuck with Schaefer vs. tangling with Cold Gin.


TMC

The Fall of Schaefer (and some early winter)

The fall of Schaefer ... but not 'fall' as in decline. As in season. As in autumn ... and early winter.

In the fourth quarter of the year, colors changed from green to a collage red, orange, yellow and brown. And then the leaves fell. Trick-or-treaters knocked on doors toting plastic pumpkins and wearing masks atop their heads instead of on their faces. Turkeys were carved as football was played. We shopped, munched, gathered as friends and families, celebrated the birth of Christ and brought in a new year. For the most part, the enjoyment of Schaefer was there - well perhaps except for time in the pew during Christmas Eve services.

After parting ways at Dover, Schaefer HOFer Philly let no moss grow under his feet. He kept his foot in the racing and Schaefer throttle, rallied fellow - and most recent - Schaefer HOFer Rev. Randy Esq., SROH Wannabe Cueball, and um, uh some other guy for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Speaking of Rev. Randy, he began the Christmas season with good ol' low-country boil. The North Carolina Chapter of the Schaefer Hall of Fame pulls off this meal regularly and exceptionally. Sadly, as a member of the Tennessee Chapter, TMC is never there to enjoy it.

Back to SHOFer Philly, he celebrated his birthday in November. Who could ask for anything more? A singing bass, a Schaefer, and apparently placemats to match the clock on the wall. What time is it? Well, duh - time for another Schaefer!

Not to be outdone, SHOFer Uncle Dave drove from Dover, DE back to Cleveland, OH and then to the beaches of the Florida panhandle a couple of weeks later. He went from the cold, damp, gray skies of Dover to this ...

After sticking his toes (and who knows what else) in the sand, he drove back up to central Alabama for the Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with SROH member Rick.

The two of them used the power of Schaefer to get a tour of the mobile NASCAR Technology Center.

And they then took in the Talladega spectacle. Note: If you haven't been to a race before and think you might hit just one, visit Talladega. The speeds are spectacular, some of the passes will take your breath away, and people-watching experiences are unmatched.

Rick continued to keep the Schaefer spirit alive by sporting the official SROH shirt in Key West, Florida right before Christmas.

For TMC, it was off to Newark NJ for my annual trip there. The Hampton Inn where I was staying had all sorts of problems getting my room ready, and then their room key system had to re-set for the entire hotel. No biggie. I needed to make a stop anyway at Liquor Warehouse. In my weakest attempt at crooning like Robert Plant, I wanted to sing ...and I'm climbing the stairway to Schaeferland...

A month earlier at Dover, some guy next to us was drinking Sagres, a Portuguese beer. I'd never heard of it and certainly would never have expected something like it at a NASCAR race. But now that I have tried it, I spotted it immediately in this store. Tons of it. Of course, its to be expected because Newark - particularly the Ironbound area - has a large Portuguese-speaking population.

It was great catching up with our Dover race weekend host and SROH member, 200WINZ.

On the Saturday of my stay, the weather was perfect. After a train ride from Newark to NYC, I headed for my first trip to the doorsteps of Harlem. I met a friend of mine at Dinosaur Bar-B-Cue.

I have to admit I went to Dino with a heavy load of skepticism. Barbecue in New York City? The tag line from the old Pace salsa commercial kept popping in my head. NEW YORK CITY? But I'd researched the place and learned they sold Schaefer. So hey, it was worth a try, right? In addition to Schaefer, the food was superb! Great smoke flavor. Tender pulled pork. Big portions. Getcha some when you go to the Big Apple.

After gorging myself on a big plate of pulled pork and a few Schaefers, my friend and I parted ways. I took my time walking through parts of Central Park. I entered by The Dakota - most famous for having been the home of John and Yoko Lennon. In no time, I was in the Strawberry Fields section of the park. Many folks were gathered around the "Imagine" inlaid disc. Some were reflecting. Some were crying. And despite signs asking for respectful quietness, one guy was blaring Santana on his jambox as he sat on a park bench.

As I stood there a moment, the thought that went through my head was "Imagine if I could still get Schaefer in Tennessee."

After enjoying a few hours of just strolling through the park, I made my way to Carnegie Deli. The place boasts that its the "world's best". Folks (mainly tourists) rave about it being the penultimate deli in all of New York.

But riddle me this Batman: how can this iconic NYC deli not have the iconic NY beer: Schaefer? They serve Bud, Bud Light, Heineken, and Amstel Light. I'm paying close to two Jacksons for a pastrami sammich, side and tip. The least they could do is offer me a $2 can of Schaef to wash it down.

It was then time for toomuchcountry to get himself toomuchculture. Our group left the deli, made our way to Times Square, took in the Broadway musical, Follies.

I had absolutely zero idea about any shows. Phantom and that cat show are about the only ones with which I'm familiar. But as we approached the Marquis Theater, I was struck immediately by two observations. One, the star of the show as Bernadette Peters. Suddenly, I knew I'd be interested because she has always been hot. Two, the director's name was all karma: Eric Schaeffer.

I met Tony the Hampton Inn shuttle driver in November 2010 when he picked me up from the airport. As soon as the van doors closed, I told him I was on a Schaefer search. He directed me to the right store. For my 2011 visit, he recognized me right away when I checked in at the hotel: Hey! You're dat Schaefah guy, right? And later that evening in the lounge, he walked up to me and sang the entire Schaefer commercial jingle. As Tony dropped me off at Newark Airport Sunday afternoon, I inducted him into the Schaefer Ring of Honor at curbside.

As has often been articulated here, Schaefer is a beer that unifies - not divides. That truth remains even when a Detroit Red Wings fan such as Bench Racing blog contributor, banktruck, and Nashville Predators fan, TMC, get together.

Now its time hang a new calendar. 2012. New opportunities and fresh perspectives now lay before us on how to celebrate the Twentieth Anniversary of the Schaefer Racing Hall of Fame.

TMC