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

TMC

May 21, 1978 - Dover's Mason-Dixon 500

The middle third of the 30-race, NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1978 schedule opened with the Mason-Dixon 500 at Dover.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Buddy Baker captured the pole in M.C. Anderson's Chevy. Baker always had a reputation for running fast in small bursts - such as in qualifying. Yet his top spot at Dover was his first pole since the next-to-last race of the 1976 season at Atlanta. Baker's run also made him eligible for the inaugural Busch Clash scheduled for the following February.

Credit: Bryant McMurray / UNCC

Benny Parsons timed second in L.G. DeWitt's Chevy. Coincidentally, Parsons would move to Anderson's team in 1979 as Baker moved to Harry Ranier's team. David Pearson qualified third followed by Lennie Pond in the Ranier ride that would soon belong to Baker.

In an interesting twist on qualifying, drivers participated in some sort of drawing. Only the top 16 numbers were eligible to qualify on the first day. Richard Petty didn't draw high enough to lay down a first day lap. Pearson and his Wood Brothers team also missed the drawing as they were addressing an engine issue before their expected qualifying session. Yet the top 16 first-day qualifiers weren't locked in to their spots. Pearson returned on the second day, posted the third quickest lap over the two days, and knocked down the starters behind him by one spot.

Baker took off at the start to lead the first 24 laps before being passed by Pearson who led 10 of his own. Seventh place starter Darrell Waltrip then got around both of them and set sail out front for a stretch of nearly 50 laps.

Waltrip's career finishes at Dover had been nothing to boast about. He'd averaged around a P30 result for the first few years of his career. In 1977, however, the #88 Gatorade DiGard team found a little sump'n sump'n. DW finished fifth and sixth in Dover's two 1977 races, and the team looked to improve even more in 1978. 

Through a couple of cautions and cycling of pit stops, Baker, Pond, Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, and Dave Marcis all took turns leading a lap or two. Waltrip, however, rallied back each time to lead sizable chunks of laps.

After leading a stretch of nearly 100 laps, Waltrip pitted during a caution on lap 333. By that point, he'd lapped most of the field and was on his way to going +1 on all of the field. 

He hit pit road for routine service. A stop that should have been a quick tire change and fresh supply of fuel instead turned disastrous. A wheel stud snapped during a left front tire change. The crew hastily replaced the stud and sent Waltrip back on track. In making the change, however, a brake line was not reconnected. After Waltrip nearly ran through another car, he eased his way back to the pits for the additional repair. After leading about 300 laps and gaining a one-lap advantage on just about everyone, Waltrip lost three laps and eventually settled for a bitter tasting P6. He had to wait two more seasons before capturing his first of two career wins at the Monster Mile.

Source: The Tennessean

Shortly after Waltrip had his woes, Baker had even greater ones. His engine failed, and he returned home with a P23. With the fastest car three laps down and the pole-winner loaded on the trailer, Pearson found his groove and led 137 of the final 150 laps.

Pearson's 101st career Cup win was his first of the 1978 season. It was also his fifth and final Dover win - all earned in the Woods' Purolator Mercury. The 21 team notched two more Dover wins with Neil Bonnett in 1979 and 1981. 

Source: Philadelphia Daily News

TMC

May 17, 1969 - Langley's Tidewater 375

NASCAR's Grand National drivers battled in mid-May 1969 for the third time in a week and on back-to-back nights. After racing at Beltsville Speedway in Maryland on Friday night, the teams made the short trek to Langley Field Speedway in Hampton, Virginia for the Tidewater 375.

 

The six previous GN races at Langley Field had been 250-lap, 100-mile events around the 4/10-mile, paved oval. The distance was extended for the first time in 1969 to 375 laps for 150 miles. 

David Pearson captured the pole for the race and was flanked by Bobby Isaac. Pearson had already won four races during the season-to-date, and Isaac had claimed six victories - including at Beltsville the night before the race at Langley Field.

Independent, lower-funded drivers comprised much of the rest of the 24-car field. Virginia racing legend, Ray Hendrick, had planned to run the race. Hendrick knew the track like the back of his hand and won often at Langley Field in the track's modified and late model sportsman divisions.

Source: Newport News Daily Press

Hendrick raced in a handful of GN events - including a month earlier at Richmond. Though it's not clear if Hendrick failed to make the race during qualifying or if his expected ride didn't materialize, he wasn't on the track when the field took the green that Saturday night.

Another driver who wasn't in the field was Richard Petty. Two weeks earlier, Petty suffered what he says was the toughest hit of his career. He blew a tire coming out of turn four during the Fireball 300 at Asheville-Weaverville Speedway, and stuck it in the wall. Long before SAFER barriers and unlike many other tracks who used wooden or steel guardrails in that era, Petty's 43 Ford drilled the concrete wall and stopped suddenly.

The King rallied his sore body to qualify second and finish 11th the next weekend in the Rebel 400 at Darlington. The Petty Enterprises team, however, skipped the next two races at Beltsville and Langley Field. 

Physically, Petty may have been able to make the starts. The Weaverville wreck destroyed their short-track car; however, and it wasn't rebuilt in time to run the back-to-back races. 

A couple of calls were placed to other Ford teams to see if a spare car could be rallied for Petty to run the two races. When nothing surfaced, the team focused on readying Ol' Blue for the upcoming World 600 at Charlotte and getting the short-track car back in form for races beginning in June. 

With almost no other top team cars in the field, the race was a battle between rivals and friends Pearson and Isaac. Pearson leveraged his top starting spot to grab the lead at the start and hold it for the first 40 laps. Isaac then passed Pearson and paced the pack for about the next 30 laps when the race's first caution flew. 

Dick Hutcherson, Pearson's crew chief, called the #17 Ford to pit road. Isaac's crew chief Harry Hyde, however, made the call for Isaac to stay on the track. His plan was to have Isaac build a big lead over Pearson after the race returned to green and then pit under a subsequent caution.

With the race back under green, Isaac extended his lead over Pearson who was navigating traffic behind Isaac's #71 Dodge. Isaac remained out front for over 125 laps. 

As the race neared halfway, Hyde realized his pit strategy had backfired. The subsequent caution never occurred, and Isaac was forced to pit under green and surrender the lead back to Pearson. 

Though Pearson returned to the lead, Isaac tracked him down after 60 laps and motored by him with about 150 laps to go as he sought his seventh win of the year. 

About 25 laps later, Pearson made a second stop to ensure he had enough fuel to go the distance. Though the second stop put him well behind Isaac, Hutcherson firmly believe Pearson still had a shot at the win. 

Isaac continued to churn lap after lap as the race neared its conclusion. But then with about 15 laps to go, his Dodge's Hemi burped as the tank ran dry. As he coasted to the pits, Pearson flashed by to take the lead. Isaac's stop was agonizingly slow as the crew scrambled to get the car to re-fire. In the blink of an eye, Isaac went from a dominating day and a possible win to a P4 finish seven laps down to the winner.

Pearson led the rest of the way. He banked his 51st career victory, his fifth of the season, and his third consecutive win at Langley Field.

Source: Newport News Daily Press

TMC

May 9, 1970 - Darlington's Rebel 400

NASCAR began the second quarter of its 1970 Grand National division season with the Rebel 400 at Darlington on Saturday, May 9th. Because of state blue laws, Darlington's races were held for years on Saturday in the spring and Labor Day Monday in September for the Southern 500. 

The 1970 Rebel edition was the final one held on Saturday. A change in law or some sort of lobbying resulted in the 1971 race being scheduled for a Sunday. Darlington didn't host another Saturday Cup race until 2005 when their relocated Southern 500 was booked the day before Mother's Day for the better part of eight years.

Chargin' Charlie Glotzbach set a track record in winning the pole in his purple, winged Dodge Daytona. Bobby Allison timed second in another winged Daytona prepared by Mario Rossi. 

Defending and three-time NASCAR Grand National champion, David Pearson, qualified third. During practice prior to qualifying, Pearson clipped the wall four times. Crew chief Dick Hutcherson made several spring adjustments, and the changes helped as Pearson logged the third quickest lap without any additional misadventures with the fence. Nonetheless, the track's PA announcer had a bit of fun at Pearson's expense by introducing him to the crowd as David "Wall" Pearson.

Pearson was flanked by Pete Hamilton who was driving a second Plymouth entry for Petty Enterprises. After Hamilton's qualifying run, he commented candidly to reporter Bob Myers:

I honestly believe we are running too fast for this race track. In the fourth turn, we are headed straight for the wall coming out. There it is near impossible to avoid hitting the wall. - Charlotte News

Though Hamilton was in a second Petty team car, he had the only Petty Superbird in the race. His teammate, the King, qualified his Superbird seventh on the first day of time trials. After logging his lap, Petty returned to the track during a follow-up practice session. Just as Hamilton had observed, Petty lost the handle coming off turn four, popped the wall, sailed back across the track, and pounded the pit wall.

Source: Greenville News

Source: Charlotte News

The crew loaded the trashed Superbird, forfeited their starting spot, returned home to Level Cross, and readied the team's Plymouth Roadrunner short track car to qualify again the next day. After a quick night's work - likely with limited, if any, sleep - the team returned with its backup. The Roadrunner was plenty quick, and the King timed 12th - only five spots lower than his forfeited day one slot. Yet his weekend problems were far from over.

Glotzbach grabbed the lead at the drop of the green. After a few laps, Allison roared back by him to lead for over 50 laps. 

Embed from Getty Images

After the two Dodges led the first 60 laps, its factory cousin let it be known it wanted some prime time exposure. Hamilton's Superbird seized the lead for a couple of laps before teammate Petty put the Roadrunner out front. 

Allison, however, wasn't done. His red and gold Daytona returned to the point to lead a couple of stretches for another 30 laps or so. Near halfway though, the Dodge's Hemi could handle no more. Allison was done for the day, and he headed to the garage to join Glotzbach who'd also retired with engine issues about 10 laps earlier. After starting on the front row, Glotzbach and Allison ended their days by finishing 22nd and 20th, respectively.

Four laps after Allison's exit, Pete Hamilton spun and destroyed the Petty team's second Superbird in only a matter of days.

With Glotzbach's and Allison's winged Daytonas out of the race and Hamilton's wounded Bird loaded for the ride home, Petty's short-track Roadrunner suddenly became the stalwart Mopar on the track. The car was fairly sporty after having led a few laps. The 43 bunch just needed to wrap up the day and hope for better ones down the road.

Embed from Getty Images

About 25 laps after Hamilton's wreck, however, the Petty team's weekend devolved from bad to worse. Much worse. Similar to the wreck he experienced in the Superbird, the King destroyed a third team car with far more force and in the most spectacular fashion. As he did following qualifying, Petty pounded the wall coming off the fourth turn and drilled the pit wall. The force broke the cement wall and sent Petty's Roadrunner into a series of terrifying flips - right in front of the packed grandstands. 

The 43 crew, driver LeeRoy Yarbrough, Francis Allen (a Yarbrough crewman), and Glotzbach crewman Buck Brigance immediately broke into an all-out sprint to the car. Many fans and crew members feared the worst - especially when it seemed his body had come apart and ruptured blood onto the track. Though bad optically, it was several red shop rags that had flown out of the car. For much of his career, the King kept a wet rag in his mouth in an effort to help with hydration.

Though he was alive, the battered driver suffered a dislocated shoulder. The injury forced him to miss the next five races. The team skipped four short track races and fielded former team driver Jim Paschal in the World 600 at Charlotte.

After Petty's wreck, the race concluded with 100 caution-free laps. The final third featured great racing between factory rivals on the track but between drivers who were good friends off the track. Pearson in his Holman Moody Ford battled Bobby Isaac in the Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge Daytona. Each took turns leading sizable chunks of laps before the other went back out front.

With about 30 laps to go, however, Isaac drifted high with a cut tire. Pearson decided it was go-time and seized the moment. He eased by Isaac and led the remaining laps to capture his 58th career win. The victory was his second Rebel 400 win in three years after also capturing the 1968 Rebel 400. 

Though Petty spent the night in a hospital bed as his rival celebrated in victory lane, the King exhibited class as he always has. He called Pearson on Sunday morning to congratulate him on his win. 

Source: Charlotte Observer

TMC

April 13, 1980 - Darlington's Rebel 500

Following a pit stop during the 1979 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500, the wheels fell off David Pearson's car. Because of a miscommunication, Pearson thought the Wood Brothers planned to change two tires whereas the crew actually planned a four-tire stop and removed the left side lugnuts. 

Pearson parted ways with the Woods a few days after Darlington - a reality few could envision. As it turns out, the wheels had apparently begun to also fall off the driver-team relationship well before the embarrassing incident at Darlington.

A year later, Pearson found himself on the positive side of a driver change. Car owner Hoss Ellington began 1980 with Donnie Allison as his driver for a fifth part-time season. After only three races, however, Allison was released with Pearson hired as his replacement. 

Source: Raleigh News and Observer

 The first race for the new combo was at Darlington - a track on which Pearson flourished and one where Ellington's cars had never won.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Benny Parson captured the pole, and Pearson slotted second in his new ride. Three-time and reigning Cup champion Cale Yarborough, Ricky Rudd in D.K. Ulrich's independent effort, and 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year Dale Earnhardt rounded out the top five starters.

The race started as a bit of a cluster fudddggge. As the cars barreled into turn 1 of the first lap, seventh-place starting Richard Petty and Rudd made a move for the same real estate. And it didn't go well.

Source: Raleigh News and Observer

The tangle quickly ensnared second year driver Terry Labonte, Buddy Baker, James Hylton, and Neil Bonnett. All but Bonnett continued though Baker fell by the wayside seven laps later. Bonnett's DNF sent him home dead last. It was quite the coincidence since he was the driver to replace Pearson in the Wood Brothers Mercury a year earlier.

Source: Charlotte Observer

Following the clean-up on aisle four, Pearson got the jump on Parsons and led the first dozen laps. Earnhardt - a driver who eventually developed a mastery of Darlington nearly on par with Pearson - passed the Silver Fox to lead 14 laps of his own.

Drivers then and now will chirp - and rightfully so - that a race is won on the last lap and not the first one. During the 1980 Rebel 500, however, the drivers had a greater urgency to get to the front. Alll anticipated they'd likely be racing to halfway vs. the full distance for the win because of the threat of rain.

With dark skies and low clouds, Earnhardt, Parsons, Pearson, Waltrip, and Yarborough battled to get to the point. Once there, the next goal was to stay there as the rain loomed nearby. 

Sure enough, the moisture arrived near lap 90. After a few laps under caution, however, the race returned to green as the rain dissipated. Yet a few laps later, Mother Nature chuckled as she delayed the race once more. Again, NASCAR bowed up, waited it out, and restarted the race after only a few more laps under yellow. 

Then She reminded Bill France, Jr. that he only thought he was in charge on race day. Heavy rains began to pour, and the race went under the red flag. After more than two hours, however, the track caught a break. The showers moved out of the area, track drying began, and drivers returned to their steeds. 

As the green was unfurled, the new reality was darkness would determine the length of the race - particularly since DST was still two weeks away. 

Earnhardt lost the engine in his Rod Osterlund Chevy shortly after the race restarted. Yarborough made his way back to the front around lap 120 before fading and having his day doomed by the same fate as Earnhardt. 

With daylight fading, the race became a battle of the top two starters: Parsons and Pearson. Waltrip made it interesting by leading a few laps of his own, but he couldn't hang and eventually finished P4.

Pearson got back by Parsons on lap 158 and led an additional 30+ laps before NASCAR finally displayed the checkered flag. The rain and darkness resulted in the drivers completing only 189 of the scheduled 367 laps - just a few laps beyond halfway.

Few could have anticipated it at the time, but the win turned out to be the 105th and final career Cup win for the Silver Fox. Fittingly, his final win came at Darlington. AND he doubled-up after narrowily edging fellow Cup racer Dave Marcis the day before in the late model sportsman (pre-Xfinity Series) race. 

Embed from Getty Images

Audio of Universal Racing Network's radio broadcast of the race is available on Appalachian State's library website. 

Source: Raleigh News and Observer

TMC

April 12, 1964 - Hillsborough's Joe Weatherly Memorial

NASCAR's Grand National drivers rolled into Hillsborough, NC in the spring of 1964 for the Joe Weatherly Memorial race at Orange Speedway.

In 1964, the town of Hillsborough was spelled Hillsboro. And Orange Speedway was originally known as Occoneechee Speedway. The one thing that didn't change, however, was the toughness of the 9/10-mile dirt track. A fixture on the GN circuit since its first year in 1949, some argue it was NASCAR's first superspeedway. 

The track remained on the circuit until 1968 when it was closed. Fortunately, many remnants of the track remain at the site that has been developed into a park of sorts. The speedway was one of several featured in the first season of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Lost Speedways series on the Peacock streaming service.

The 1964 spring race was originally scheduled for March 15 and named in memory of two-time GN champion and future NASCAR Hall of Famer Joe Weatherly. Little Joe was killed in January 1964 in a wreck during the Motor Trend 500 at Riverside, California's road course. 

Source: Asheville Citizen-Times

As a few other race promoters experienced in the spring of '64, rain washed out Hillsborough's original date. The race and celebration of Weatherly's colorful life was rescheduled for about a month later.

Two future titans of NASCAR started on the front row in a pair of Hemi-powered Mopars - David Pearson on the pole in Cotton Owens' Dodge and the future King, Richard Petty, in his Petty Blue Plymouth. Junior Johnson started third in Ray Fox's Dodge, and two Fords piloted by Marvin Panch in the Wood Brothers' 21 and Ned Jarrett with Bondy Long rounded out the top five starters.

Midwest racer , Dick Hutcherson, qualified seventh in his second career GN race. Hutch won the pole at Greenville-Pickens in his debut two weeks earlier and held his own until his Ford's lug bolts broke. 

The frequent IMCA circuit winner - on dirt - did not lack confidence as he made his way south. After winning the pole and running well at Greenville-Pickens, he wondered aloud for some to hear if he might be Junior Johnson's peer in dirt track racing. Johnson was among the best on dirt so Hutch's comment didn't pass without notice. After hearing it, Johnson quipped:

I've heard he's pretty good, and he must be. I hope he is. The better they are, the more fun it is to beat them.

Hutcherson countered once more with "I'll let what happens next Sunday (at Hillsborough) do the talking."

Driving a second family Plymouth, Maurice Petty started alongside Hutch in the fourth row. Ralph started 26th in the 28-car field, and it was the eighth and final time Maurice and Ralph started the same race.

Richard Petty dominated the first third of the 150-lap race by leading all but the opening lap of the first 50. Pearson then took the lead as Petty stayed in his tracks. Until...

Shortly after the two-thirds mark, the clutch let loose on the 43 Plymouth. He coasted helplessly into the infield with a DNF. 

With the King sidelined, Hutcherson did what he could to hang with Pearson. His efforts were to no avail, however, as Pearson led the rest of the way. About four years later as Orange née Occoneechee faded from the schedule, Hutcherson was settling into a new role at Holman Moody - Pearson's crew chief when he moved from Owens' Dodge team.

In the battle of words between Hutch and Junior, Hutcherson got the upper hand with a P2 vs. Johnson's 9th place result. Humpy Wheeler would have exploited the word with over-the-top racing promotions in the 1980s, and FOX/NBC would have touted the back and forth as a rivalry. In reality, the 'battle' was little more than respect between two truly talented and very confident drivers. 

Earnhardt rallied to have a great day with a P4. Maurice Petty, on the other hand, had about as lousy day as his brother. A broken transmission barely a third of a way into the race doomed him to a 22nd place finish.

Source: Charlotte Observer

TMC

April 11, 1976: Darlington's Rebel 500

The eighth race of NASCAR's 1976 Winston Cup Series schedule was the Rebel 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Though the season was seven races old, the story to that point was the Wood Brothers team with David Pearson. The team entered only four of the first seven races, yet Pearson won three of the four at Riverside, the Daytona 500, and Atlanta. Pearson arrived in Darlington having also won three of the past four Rebel 500 races.

Richard Petty, grew a beard in conjunction with the year-long celebration of the United States' bicentennial. After growing and showing in the legendary finish of the '76 Daytona 500 with Pearson and in victory lane two weeks later at Rockingham, The King caved and shaved during the week before Darlington.

To the surprise of ... well, no one actually, Pearson won the pole. He won it for the third consecutive Darlington race and the fourth of the five previous Rebel races. Bobby Allison, the winner of both of Darlington's races in 1975, timed alongside Pearson in Roger Penske's CAM2 Mercury.

Fans were treated to a great race from the jump. Pearson led the first lap but was soon passed by Allison. Pearson battled back a couple of laps later to regain the lead, but his time there was once again short lived. 

Others soon battled past Pearson and Allison to take their own turns at the point. Buddy Baker, Donnie Allison, Lennie Pond, Darrell Waltrip, Dave Marcis, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough and Petty all muscled their way to join Pearson and Bobby Allison at the front at some point during the first two-thirds of the race. Throughout the day, fans witnessed 32 lead changes - a stat generally expected at other tracks such as Daytona or Talladega.

The race featured a couple of brutal accidents - though fortunately none of the drivers involved were seriously injured. Shortly past the 80th lap, independent racer James Hylton spun and was clipped by Buddy Baker. As Hylton's car swapped ends, Waltrip had nowhere to go and drilled the nose of Hylton's 48 hard enough to launch his Gatorade Chevy a bit. Both were done for the day. 

Early leader Bobby Allison also nicked Hylton. He was able to continue but was no longer competitive. Baker damaged the nose and hood of his Bud Moore Ford, but the team made some battlefield repairs that allowed the car to remain competitive the rest of the way.

About a hundred laps later, Jerry Sisco lost it coming off turn four. He popped the outside wall along the front straightway, crossed the track near the flag stand, drilled the inside pit wall, and came to a stop as flames began to emerge from the car.

Credit: Gerald Medford

Sisco's car came to rest near the Petty pit stall. Crew chief Dale Inman and crewman (and future crew chief) Barry Dodson instinctively rushed to Sisco's aid. They leapt the pit wall and pulled Sisco to safety before rescue crews arrived.

Credit: Don Hunter / Smyle Media

Sisco, the brother of Cup racer and 1969 Nashville late model sportsman champion Dave Sisco, had only three Cup starts on his resume prior to Darlington. With the hit and near miss, his Cup days ended after his fourth one. 

Though Sisco did not return to NASCAR, his racing days continued. He returned in the early 1980s to race in the Grand American Division at Nashville's Fairgrounds Speedway. Sterling Marlin's streak of consecutive track championships ended at three when Sisco won the title himself in 1983. He was later inducted into Nashville's Hall of Fame in 2012.

Car owner Wayne Day, Nashville PR Director Tom Roberts, and
1983 Grand American track champion Jerry Sisco
Source: Tom Roberts

By the time the race reached it's final 100 laps, the Track Too Tough To Tame had taken its toll on many. Ol' DW was nursing some bruises from his tough hit on James Hylton. Bobby Allison hung in as best he could after also tangling with Hylton. Cale Yarborough's engine failed around lap 170, and Richard Petty's Dodge suffered the same fate about 30 laps later.

Buddy Baker, however, was still up on the wheel. Despite the damage suffered in the Hylton crash, he remained in the hunt. He and Pearson swapped the lead several times in the second half of the race - with Baker leading most of them. 

With about 20 laps, Parsons looped his car to bring out the final caution of the day. At the time of the yellow, Baker had once again gone to the front, led a sizable chunk of laps, and gapped second place running Pearson a bit. 

As the race returned to green, Pearson had a renewed opportunity. With about 10 to go, he eased the Purolator Mercury past Baker's Ford and continued to win yet another time at Darlington. Though Baker wasn't happy with P2, he had to be pleased at leading over 200 of the race's 367 laps - most of them with a damaged car.

Pearson's 91st career win was also his sixth at Darlington and fourth of the past five Rebel races.

 

Embed from Getty Images

Source: Charlotte Observer

TMC

March 28, 1964 - Greenville 200

The 11th race of the 1964 NASCAR Grand National season was the Easter Saturday night Greenville 200 at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. Four of the season's 11 races had been run in November and December 1963.

Dick Hutcherson, an IMCA champion from the midwest, made his way south to give NASCAR a go. In his first career GN start and in a Holman-Moody Ford, Hutch won the pole with a track record.

Source: Greenville News

Lee Roy Yarbrough started second with Ned Jarrett, Jimmy Pardue, and Ralph Earnhardt rounding out the top five starters. Other notable starters included:

• Maurice Petty qualified 16th in the 22-car field. The race was the 7th of eight times Ralph Earnhardt and Chief qualified for the same show.
• Richard Petty started seventh in a second Petty Plymouth.
• Jim Paschal started eighth in Cotton Owens' Dodge as a teammate to ninth place starter David Pearson. Paschal started the season with Owens. After a few more races, however, he returned to the Petty Plymouth team for whom he'd raced a good bit in 1962 and 1963.
• Marvin Panch, the 1961 Daytona 500 winner, qualified 10th in the famed Wood Brothers Ford. One has to laugh at the caption of the photo featured in the Greenville News. Panch had his greatest success at the wheel of the Woods' car, but it's rather certain the owners/crew were the ones providing the instructions. 

Hutcherson leveraged his top qualifying spot as the race began. He got the jump on Yarbrough and led the first 60 laps. When Hutcherson pitted, Richard Petty's Plymouth then went to the top of the board where it remained for nearly 30 laps before falling by the wayside with mechanical issues. 

Another Ford driver assumed the lead as Ned Jarrett led 88 of the next 89 laps. Along the way, the King took over the wheel of brother Maurice's #41 Plymouth. It's uncertain if Chief wasn't feeling well or if team owner and father Lee believed the car could get a better finish with Richard at the helm.

With just over 30 laps to go, Wendell Scott blew a tire on his Chevrolet. The car then rolled over although Scott was uninjured. 

When the race returned to green with about 20 laps to go, Pearson wrestled the top spot away from Jarrett as the two banged doors. Jarrett maintained hot pursuit, but Pearson led the rest of the way and won by about 100 yards ahead of Ned. Panch finished third - the only other car on the lead lap.   

Pearson's fifth career Grand National win came with his first of four victories at Greenville-Pickens. It was also his second win in three races having won at Richmond about three weeks earlier. Pearson took naturally to the track in a GN car as he'd run and won on his home track often in the track's sportsman division in the late 1950s. 

Source: Greenville News

TMC

March 5, 1978 - The Rock's Carolina 500

The 1978 Winston Cup season opened in January in southern California rather than in February at Daytona as has been the case since the late 1980s. Cale Yarborough won the season opener at Riverside's road course. Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500 after a mid-race wreck wiped out the fast trio of Richard Petty, David Pearson, and Darrell Waltrip. And Benny Parsons picked up a popular win in the season's third race at Richmond.

As the calendar turned to March, the Cup Series rolled into North Carolina Motor Speedway - Rockingham - The Rock - for the Carolina 500.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

On the first day of qualifying and a cold one at that, Neil Bonnett picked up the pole in his Harry Hyde-prepared Dodge Magnum as folks hunkered down in mid 30s temps. The pole was his second in a row after also starting first at Richmond. Waltrip timed second and was again the bridesmaid for the start. For the third time in four races, Waltrip started from the front row - but without the benes of being the pole winner.

Allison, Yarborough, and Donnie Allison rounded out the top five starters. Richard Petty, the previous year's Carolina 500 winner, could muster no better than tenth and started alongside his perennial rival, Pearson. Petty raced his winning Dodge Charger for the final time at Riverside, but the Petty Enterprises team struggled to find the desired speed in the three races with its version of the Dodge Magnum. 

An overnight heavy snowfall postponed the second round of qualifying on Friday. NASCAR floated the idea that the back half of the field would be slotted based on practice speeds. Instead, track clearing efforts and "warming temperatures" in the 40s allowed the second round to be held on Saturday as well as the annual Union 76 Pit Crew Championship. Parsons' crew led by Jake Elder won the competition.

When the green fell on race day, Waltrip seized the lead from Bonnett and led the first 33 laps. Waltrip's friend, competitor, and future adversary, Bobby Allison, then went to the point and led for 119 of the next 136 laps. 

Though Allison was leading, Waltrip maintained a solid pace. When smoke began to trail from the #88 Gatorade Chevy around lap 65, however, NASCAR black flagged him. Ol' DW was none too happy about having to pit and blamed the smoke on a short-term problem with an overfilled transmission. He was convinced the smoke would soon dissipate. Nonetheless, he had to honor the black flag. After addressing the issue and losing several laps, he was no longer a factor and eventually finished 21st.

The next 100 laps or so saw multiple leaders. Bobby, Pearson, Cale, Parsons, and Dick Brooks in Junie Donlavey's Truxmore Ford all got time at the front. None held the lead for more than 20+ laps. 

As the race moved past halfway, however, Pearson's #21 Mercury seized the lead and clicked off a ton of laps. The Silver Fox led for 166 laps as others began their strategy as to how to retake - and hold - the lead in the waning laps.  

With about 60 laps to go, Bobby Allison wasn't feeling well and could race no further. His brother, Donnie, was summoned to relieve Bobby in Bud Moore's Ford. Though he quickly ran to Bobby's aid, he wasn't quite prepared to do so. Following the race, Donnie quipped:

When they told me Bobby needed help, it was almost too late. I had just opened a can of beer. I thought, boy, is this going to taste good. Then someone grabbed me and said Bobby was sick or something. I dropped the beer and took off. I couldn't turn Bobby down. 

As Donnie belted in to Bobby's #15 Ford, Pearson and Parsons began going toe to toe at the front. With about 40 laps to go and Parsons mirroring Pearson's laps, Benny decided it was go-time. Pearson arc'd into turn one, and Benny took more of a straight-line entrance into the corner. The minor difference was just enough, and Parsons nicked the corner of Pearson to send him spinning. Benny and a fast-closing Donnie in his brother's car slipped under the 21.

Pearson managed to avoid hitting the wall, gathered his car, and angrily set off in pursuit of Parsons' #72 Chevy. Seven laps later and with a calming heart rate, Pearson pulled back alongside Parsons and went back in front - and this time to stay.

For the first time since the 1977 Southern 500 at Darlington - six months earlier - Pearson was first under the checkered flag. The win was his first at Rockingham since sweeping both races in 1973. He also captured milestone Cup win number 100. 

Donnie got by Parsons to notch a P2 for Bobby, and the King finished fourth. The top five was easily his best finish so far in the Magnum after back-to-back poor finishes and DNFs at Daytona and Richmond.

Audio of Universal Racing Network's radio broadcast of the race is available on Appalachian State's library website. 

Source: Spartanburg Herald

TMC

January 18, 1976 - Winston Western 500

NASCAR entered 1976 with several storylines:

• Could additional team sponsors be signed to shore up many teams who struggled in 1975?
• Would fan attendance increase if the number of quality, sponsored cars participated?
• Richard Petty captured the Cup title in 1975 with 13 wins in 30 races - his second consecutive, fourth in five years, and sixth overall. Could he keep the mojo rolling?
• After a season of once again racing for his own team, how would Bobby Allison fare with Roger Penske's CAM2 team?
• With Holly Farms Chicken returning as a sponsor for the second year, how would Cale Yarborough fare with Junior Johnson's team as they pursued a full schedule?
• In their fifth season together, what kind of results would David Pearson and the Wood Brothers have as they ran a limited schedule of about two-thirds of the races?

The 1976 season opened as it had since 1970 with a 500-mile race at Riverside International Raceway's road course. Though many fans, drivers, media, sponsors, etc. viewed the Daytona 500 as the beginning of the season, the mid-January race gave the drivers and teams a chance to shake off the rust and get ready for superspeedway testing and Speedweeks that soon followed.

Source: Motor Racing Programme Covers

Interestingly, NASCAR and Riverside scheduled the race on the same day as Super Bowl X. No one would book such an event in this day and age. Though still a spectacle in the mid 1970s, the Super Bowl wasn't nearly on the level that it is today making such dual scheduling feasible. As fans watched the non-televised Riverside race from the stands, greater America watched the Pittsburgh Steelers defeat the Dallas Cowboys on TV from Miami.

Allison qualified Roger Penske's car on the pole. Though the team would race a Mercury the rest of the season, Allison raced his trusty AMC Matador with Penske's CAM2 sponsorship colors. Pearson joined Allison on the front row. Benny Parsons, Buddy Baker, and Dave Marcis rounded out the top five starters. Petty's Dodge developed engine issues during practice and returned to notch his starting spot on the second day of qualifying.

Courtesy of Daniel Mensinger

At the drop of the green, Allison set sail and led the first 18 laps before yielding to Dave Marcis for a lap as Allison hit pit road. As Allison made his stop, the Matador's engine failed. NASCAR did not have a rule prohibiting engine changes in that era. So the Penske crew spent the next hour thrashing to install a new engine in Allison's #2.

     

Allison re-entered the race but remarkably blew another engine with two laps to go in the race. Somehow, however, he still managed to eke out a 15th place finish.

The King, Richard Petty, roared through the field from his 27th place starting spot to take the lead on lap 20.  After leading a few laps, Parsons assumed the top spot followed by a rotation of drivers over the next few laps. The lead changed hands over the next 60 or so laps between Parsons, Marcis, Yarborough, Pearson, and Petty. The valves in Petty's STP Dodge Charger, however, once again began failing. He pulled behind the wall on lap 83 with a DNF to open his pursuit of a third consecutive title.

With Allison and Petty on the sidelines or on the trailer, Pearson broke the logjam of multiple leaders when he seized the lead and paced the field for 74 of the next 77 laps. He surrendered the lead briefly as he made a scheduled stop on lap 159 allowing Yarborough to retake the lead for a lap.

As Cale made his stop a lap later, Pearson returned to the lead and did not surrender it again for the remaining 32 laps. Pearson captured his 88th career Cup win, his second road course win, and his first at Riverside. The Wood Brothers also enjoyed their their fifth Riverside win with Dan Gurney having won the others in 1964-1966 and 1968. 

Source: San Bernardino County Sun

TMC